The phone rings at midnight. That’s never a good sign, right? We imagine our relatives in a terrible accident, something gone wrong for our parents, or our children in trouble. But when you are a school administrator, you have to figure there is a chance the school caught fire, got burgled, or generally something went […]
special education
Posted inUncategorized
A Teacher Requests Her Students Not To Be Tested
I have had the immense fortune of being able to be in front of children in many different capacities for 25 years. It truly humbles me to know that for 25 years, parents have trusted my professionalism, training, care, creativity, and judgment when it comes to their children. My experiences include both regular/general education, and […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education, Uncategorized
Special Needs but No Special Resources
In Taiwanese society, the “group” is more important than the individual. This is very salient in the classroom. At my school, students are given IQ tests to measure their academic abilities against their fellow peers (because here, everyone needs to be on the same level) and when students perform subpar they are often classified, quite […]
Posted inFeatured, Professional Development, Social Justice
Everyone is Worth Teaching
Teachers work in many different environments: charter schools, private schools, or public schools. We all have our own opinions about school choice, but my most interesting teaching environment was in the woods. Teaching adjudicated youth in a wilderness therapy center was where I learned more about myself than I ever knew possible, both as a […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Opinion
There Are Kinder Ways: Engaging Hesitant Students
Every now and again we have class periods that make us happy. The fun ones, during which everyone is engaged in the lesson, the room is filled with an infectious energy, and at the end you are sure that everyone, or at least nearly everyone, got the point. I had one of these classes recently. […]
Posted inFeatured, Special Education
Budget Crisis: Tips for the Overwhelmed Special Educator
How much is too much to expect from a special education teacher? Overwhelmed teachers across the country are reporting that the current budget crisis is impacting their ability to serve the students on their caseloads effectively. In many states, there is not set limit to the number of students a teacher may have on their […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Special Education
The Experts Among Us: The Value of Mentorship
My first year of teaching, I knew nothing about teaching. I had a vague concept of what teaching looked like based on television shows, movies, and books. As a lateral entry teacher, I had to study and take a test that demonstrated my understanding of child development, special education, and the tenets of teaching and learning. […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Special Education
Under the Guise of Inclusion
I remember the days in the 1960’s and 70’s when Special Education was not even a word, and anyone that had disabilities was rarely seen or heard. I’m so thankful today that we have so many programs that help students with disabilities, but as state budgets get tighter, the push for more special support staff reduction […]