Reality 101: CEC's blog for new teachers

Theresa: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Disclaimer: I am not a super hero, nor do I claim to have super-human powers.

Collaboration. (sigh) It seems every time I turn around someone is talking about it. I almost feel like I need to put a dollar in a “swear jar” whenever I hear the word “collaboration.”

I understand that collaboration is a necessary part of my job in order for my students to succeed. However, I feel like the expectations placed on me in this area are unobtainable. As much as I would like to be in more than one place at a time, it is just not possible (hence the need for super-human powers—and maybe Richard’s cape).

Richard: Welcome, Ricky-Dude!

Reflecting back on my favorite teachers in grade school, I realize that most of them had class pets. Somehow, those teachers just seemed more fun and I actually looked forward to being in their classes.

So I decided to get a class pet of my own. I felt that the responsibility of daily feeding, plus the potential for fostering the pet over breaks, would be a great way to help my students with EBD grow, mature, and increase their positive behaviors. I also knew they would love the opportunity to play with something other than a board game (LIFE is an amazing game to reward students’ work on reading and basic computation skills, by the way!).

During our fall break, I purchased a guinea pig that, at least according to the salesperson, may have his own form of EBD. He is very active and loves to randomly run around his cage bucking like a bull and knocking things over. I was told he even “bullied” others to get to the Timothy Hay he loves so much. I instantly knew that he was the perfect pet for my students!

Allisence: No Hope for Balance

Despite previous bouts of self-doubt and concern, I feel like my aides and I are finally starting to gel. Weekly AIMSweb progress monitoring has given me solid data that my students are making progress in both reading and math; my district’s special services director just informed me I’m getting a SMARTBoard this week; and somehow I’m still alive after a month of juggling writing lesson plans, doing paperwork, being a part of committees, and finishing up grad school.

Yeah, I’d say things are going pretty awesome right now. I know you’re thinking I just cursed myself as soon as I typed those words. I think so, too. But aside from that, I will share with you my biggest worry. My absolute biggest worry at the moment is that there’s no hope for balance in my life.

Jessica: The Other Side of the IEP Table

I hope I’m not late . . .
I hope I am dressed okay . . .
I hope I don’t say anything stupid . . .

This was me. Going to my first IEP. I was curious, hopeful, nervous.

First, introductions were made. Then, presentation of reports. I was very impressed with how in-depth the speech and language specialist’s and school psychologist’s reports were. I was probably thinking something like. Wow, they did a lot of tests . . . hey, that test has the word Hawaii in it . . . too bad we couldn’t have done the test in Hawaii. . . .

Sounds like I knew what I was doing, huh? In reality, I didn’t even know what “IEP” meant. I didn’t know about procedural safeguards or timelines, either. I only knew that everybody at the table was there to talk about my son.

Theresa: My Co-Teaching Comfort Level

When looking through my students’ IEPs, nothing increases my anxiety more than seeing the word “co-teaching.” Behavior plans, transition difficulties, and problems listening to adults do not faze me. However, when I see that my students require co-teaching, I begin to feel a slight panic.

I know some teachers really enjoy co-teaching, but I have to admit, it is not one of my favorite things. Don’t get me wrong: I want to do what is best for my students, and if co-teaching is what they need, then that is what I will do. I have taken the classes, attended the PDs, and watched the videos about “ideal” co-teaching. But it is still something I am not very comfortable with.

This year, I am so lucky to be co-teaching with a wonderful colleague (and she is probably reading this right now, too!). Having a general education teacher who is willing to accept you into her classroom is really one of the most important things when it comes to successful co-teaching. I know that some teachers like to be left alone in their own classrooms, but come on! Having two teachers at once is better for all of the students.

Richard: Are We There Yet?

Wow. My students, para, and I have made it through the first six weeks of school and now are on vacation (thank you, balanced calendar!). Time to pause and reflect on our work together thus far.

I began the school year with a two-week review of basics for each subject, then plunged into the curriculum. I now realize that wasn’t the best idea. Why not? Because as we get into the finer details of the curriculum, I am finding that either my review didn’t work, or the students never really knew the basics to begin with.

For example, I recently gave a short essay assignment: Write a one-page narrative. The results were disheartening, to say the least. I realized my students have little-to-no working knowledge of basic grammar or writing conventions. I see now that I should have done a pre-/post-test for the review and spent the following week or so doing remediation for those ever-so-important basic skills.

Theresa: New School Year, New Classroom

I remember a veteran teacher once telling me, “You know, teachers who are really good at cleaning up classrooms tend to get their classrooms changed a lot.”

That seems to be the case with me. Once again, it is time to set up my classroom for the year, and once again, I am moving to a new classroom. It seems that I am one of those teachers who is really good at turning an ugly classroom into a very functional and inviting space for my students.

I loved how big my first classroom was. There was so much space that my students could spread out and work or read without disturbing their peers. There were tons of extra desks and tables that made it really easy to designate spaces for centers and other classroom activities. Granted, the dingy carpet was held together by various layers of duct tape, but I did not mind. Some deodorizing spray, carpet squares, and throw pillows were all it took so you did not notice the carpet.

Allisence: Inspiration from a Haboob

If you live in Phoenix — the city of 100-degree temps even after midnight — San Diego sounds like a dream. It’s by the ocean, it’s within driving distance, it experiences perfect weather all year round, and it’s not the desert.

My lucky, lucky parents happen to live in San Diego, so a friend and I road-tripped on over to the City of Perfect Weather for the Labor Day weekend. While we were there, we went to the beach, saw wild dolphins jumping around in the ocean, and ate both seafood and home-cooked Chinese food. It was pretty much a perfect long weekend and a great escape from the desert heat.

On our 5.5-hour drive back to Phoenix, we were hit by a haboob. What’s a haboob, you ask? Well, a haboob is a type of intense dust storm commonly observed in arid regions around the world like the Middle East and, of course, central and southern Arizona. While I’ve experienced haboobs and dust storms before, this one hit me especially hard: 1) physically because I was driving at the time and 2) mentally because it reminded me that while I’m able to escape from the desert on a whim, none of my students have that option.

Reality 101 Featured on Education Week's Special Ed Blog

Thanks to reporter Nirvi Shah and our other friends at Education Week for last week's story on Reality 101!

Entering a Special Reality (EdWeek's "On Special Education" blog, 8/31/2011)

Jessica: Have You Hugged Your SELPA Contact Today?

Every county (in California, at least) has at least one Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). This group is collectively my one-stop-shopping experience for all things special ed. In fact, my SELPA regional contact is the person who first told me about the Council for Exceptional Children, so you know they’re awesome! During the last two school years, I attended trainings in specific curriculums and effective instructional strategies, IEP writing, and assessment administration — and they were all FREE.

Recently, my SELPA held its annual special education orientation to kick off the school year. While the target group is special educators, any educators within the SELPA were invited to attend. It included a presentation on how the different divisions within SELPA work together to make sure we are providing appropriate services to our students with exceptionalities, as well as a reminder about our new IEP forms and the Student Study Team process.