A couple of mornings ago, I happened to be listening to the radio while a popular education pundit was being interviewed. After listening to him tout his own personal accolades and his ideas for educational reform, he said something that struck me. He claimed that at his school, he did things that were beneficial for the students, instead of the teachers in the building. He continued to brag that at his school, students attend during the summer and during the year they not only have extended day (every day of the week), but students come to school almost every Saturday for more content enrichment. As I listened I thought, “How can a […]
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Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Middle School, Parents, Special Education
Misunderstood: A Mother’s Plea to Educators About Asperger’s (Part III)
In parts one and two of this series, I shared the story of my almost twenty-year-old son and his struggles and successes as a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome. In addition, I offered teaching tips for educators from a parent’s point of view. In this final installment, I will share more suggestions of how to […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Parents, Special Education
Misunderstood: A Mother’s Plea to Educators About Asperger’s (Part Two)
In part one of this series, I shared my story as a mother to a son with Asperger’s Syndrome and my “wish list” for educators who work with such students. Although I am a teacher, my training in working with Asperger’s children was on the job experience, as my now almost twenty-year-old son has struggled his […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Part 4: How I Created a Professional Development Program and Lived to Tell About It
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] My own experiences have taught me that follow-up and follow through on professional development is lacking. I have witnessed numerous programs, initiatives, projects that were implemented and “died on the vine” […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Middle School
Part 3: How I Created a Professional Development Program and Lived to Tell About It
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I have previously shared how I had developed an action plan and emphasized using volunteers for the professional development. Because I have worked in this district for my entire teaching career […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School
Part 2: How I Created a Professional Development Program and Lived to Tell About It
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Many schools experience a gap in the scores of state assessments between regular education students and special education students. The “gap” is the spread in scores of regular education students compared […]
Posted inFeatured, Parents
Misunderstood: A Mother’s Plea to Educators About Asperger’s Syndrome (Part One)
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] From about the time he was eighteen months old, I noticed that my spunky and winsome son was a bit different than other children. He didn’t look different, but he was […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
How I Created a Professional Development Training and Lived to Tell About It
Through my experiences as a teacher, I have found that we all learn so much when we are able to sit and have conversations with each other. Those conversations are so valuable that they are evidenced in classrooms throughout our schools, districts, states, and country. A conversation between or with teachers generates ideas, methods, activities […]