Sheena: Acceptance

Recently I’ve been reflecting a lot about change—and recognizing the difference between the things that I can and can’t change when it comes to instruction.

As a special educator working with four different content teachers, I’ve realized that one of the most important factors of my success is the ability to accept. Each one of my fellow co-teachers has a different level of readiness when it comes to changing activities in lesson plans or deviating from pacing guide dates, and I must be accepting of this.

This week I attended a professional development workshop on how to incorporate adaptations for the differentiated instruction classroom, and I left with an almost bittersweet feeling. The presentation was amazing, but the special educators I sat next to noted the same thing that I thought all along: These instructional adaptations are only possible when the content teacher is open to that approach.

One participant, a high school math teacher, stood up to share an incredible three-day lesson plan for which she had been recognized for outstanding instructional differentiation. She explained how she uses pre-assessments to set up groups the following day according to student levels of knowledge. She reviewed two worksheets covering the same standard on the rules of exponents in different ways; students pair up with someone who did the opposite worksheet to compare their different learning approaches. Then she laid out four different presentation formats that students choose from to present what they had learned about the academic standard, noting that the struggling student groups were limited to two choices, one being a math intervention program using laptops.
 
After we all had the chance to pick this teacher’s brain a bit, one of the presenters asked the workshop participants whether we thought she was a content teacher or a special educator. I think one person raised her hand for the latter, but the rest of us knew that she had to be a content teacher. When the presenter seemed surprised by all the correct responses, someone commented that a special educator doesn’t have the liberty of making those types of instructional decisions in co-taught classes.

I was really impressed with this woman’s kokari (the Hausa word for excellent effort). She was comfortable with a remarkable amount of change in her classroom—and not all teachers are so open-minded. As co-teachers, we special educators must adapt and adjust accordingly, accepting that this is essential to our interpersonal relationships with our content teachers.

Change is a part of life and I’m so grateful for it. Our emotions, thoughts, and experiences may change from one moment to the next, but large-scale change sometimes is a slow process. Some of the most powerful historical social movements in the United States took precious years and decades to manifest as institutional and societal changes. Although my heart and soul is in seeing my students be successful, independent, and confident, I’m also on a quest for the best approaches to support my fellow teachers.

Comments

[Jessica]

Sheena:
I am student teaching in the fall. Do you have any ideas how to open those barriers between special needs teachers and general education teachers? You are right that the general education teachers need to be willing to take advice and suggestions from special needs teacher and vice versa to make the union work the best it can. I think you have to work as team to give the students the best opporunities to succeed because they are why we get up each morning and go to work each day.

[Jodi Evans]

Sheena,

I agree with you completely about intructional adaptations are only possible when the content teacher is open to the approach. Being employed with two different schools, I noticed how some teachers do work together really well and other don't even try. Now that I am substitute teaching, I have substituted for a teacher who is a special educator in an inclusion class and that teacher and the regular content teacher really work well together. She even creates some of the assignments for the who class and not just her own students. Even though teachers may not be comfortable about special education, they still have to learn themselves and go the extra the mile to meet the needs of all students. Differentiation Instruction is to make our lives harder but to make our life easier to give us more time with the students. Content teachers need to put the students needs first and not their own and pass the buck to special educators.

[Kris]

I can really relate to your point of view! A special education teacher is expected to change and work along with the general education teacher, never vice-versa. I have worked as both the content area teacher and the special ed collaborative teacher. As a special education collaborator I find myself playing different parts in different classrooms. I may be the encourager and organizer for students in one classroom, and the next period I may play the role of disciplinarian in the next. I enjoyed reading your take on this important topic.

[Andrea]

Sheena:
Having content teachers that are open to incorporating adaptations for differentiated instruction classrooms has to be a huge blessing. As a general education teacher, I have only two special needs students in my class but I wish I had a special education teacher to tell me how to help them more. The problem sometimes is not wanting to change. Some people are very comfortable with their teaching post and any nudge in a special education direction will see them digging in their heels. Being professional about it is the only way to go because ranting and raving will make the situation worse.