Are you a special or gifted education professional who loves to
write? Want to share your stories with your colleagues?
CEC is searching for members to chronicle their teaching experiences on
Reality 101, CEC's popular blog for new teachers. With Reality 101 acting as
your online journal, your stories will give readers a chance to get to know
you, offer advice, cheer you on, and share their own stories.
Please e-mail your completed application,
including your resume and a photograph, to Diane Shinn, dianes@cec.sped.org, by June 18.Applications will be accepted by e-mail only.
For a period of three months beginning in March and ending
in May, I was heavily engaged in writing IEPs for students at our school. It
may be small potatoes for some of you, but this year I wrote at least 20 IEPs,
participated in several ETR meetings, and conducted at least 20 IEP meetings. I
realize many of you may have written more, but I confess that as a first-year
teacher, it was a daunting task.
I did not think I was up to the task or the challenge writing so many IEPs and when I was first given my assignments I was a bit
overwhelmed. Writing IEPs for the students I have worked with all year would be
a piece of cake: I knew them, I had mounds of data, and I knew them. The
challenge was that most of the IEPs I was assigned to write were for children I
had never met and never taught. It is a monumental task. And, to be sure,
‘writing’ and IEP during student teaching (or learning about writing an IEP in
graduate school) is nothing like sitting down before a blank computer screen.
I have a love-hate
relationship with the last week of school. I love the final field trips, the
laid-back atmosphere of the classroom, afternoon walks with my students,
retirement luncheons and my students building log cabins out of random
leftovers in our kitchen cabinet (see photos below). I hate filling out the packet of
end-of-year forms (room inventories, room repairs, etc.), taking everything off
the walls, stacking desks and moving tables and completing all the final
paperwork to be sent home with students.
As much as these things annoy me, I was introduced to another “last week
of school” activity that I dislike even more: unexpected, county-wide, special
education staff meetings.
I listen to the Dave Ramsey Show podcast religiously. Dave is an
anti-debt financial counselor. Occasionally, people will call into his radio
show to do a “debt-free scream.” For people who have paid off a large amount of
debt, Dave gives them the opportunity to call into the show, share their story
and give advice to others on the journey to be debt-free.At the end of the call, they do the debt-free
scream. The caller and his or her family gather around the phone, count to three
and yell, “We’re debt freeeeee!” Then, Dave cues a sound effect of someone
yelling, “Freeeeeeeeeeeeedom!” followed by a crowd going wild in applause and
cheers.
Last week, was a very busy and exciting week for me. I hope that
everyone enjoyed their Teacher Appreciation Week and had the opportunity to celebrate
Exceptional Children’s Week with their students. Aside, from indulging in the
goodies at my school, I had a wonderful opportunity to participate in a round-table
discussion at the U.S. Department of Education. Yes, it’s true the U.S. Department
of Education. I was so very excited.
This is truly one of the many benefits of being an active member
of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). I had recently received an e-mail
from CEC inviting special education teachers in the Washington, D.C. area to participate
in a “Reform in the Classroom: A Conversation
with Educators of Exceptional Children” at the U.S. Department of Education. The
invitation only allowed for 15 teachers to be recommended to participate. I
immediately replied and hoped that I would receive a confirmation to attend and
what a blessing it was when I did.
I love lists. I make
them for tons of reasons, and, yes, I am one of those people who add things
that I’ve already done just to cross them off. Recently, I was reflecting back
on my past two and half years of teaching and an interesting list started to
come together in my mind.
There have been many
things over the past couple of years that I never dreamed I would be doing,
hence, my “Top Five Things I NEVER Thought I Would Do as a Special Ed Teacher”
list.
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