Reality 101: CEC's blog for new teachers

Richard: Life Outside of Paperwork

This year has felt like a never-ending tsunami of paperwork, data collection, meetings, and feelings of being overwhelmed and frustrated. I often find myself getting stressed over getting IEPs completed and done to the very best of my ability, working on transition plans, creating innovative lesson plans, being proactive with my classroom management and addressing student behaviors, and then there is actually getting up and teaching; that I forget to stop and simply enjoy being in the profession that I will call home from here on.

Jessica: A Team Effort

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, read, or said it: the “I” in IEP stands for individualized. Indeed, the goal of special education is to come together as a team to create an appropriate learning environment that meets the individualized needs of our exceptional students. In a larger sense, the aim of all education is to recognize every student’s needs and differentiate within the classroom to see to it that all their individual needs are met.

Hmmm. Everybody say it with me, “Easier said than done.”

Let me explain my work environment:

Allisence: 'Tis the Season for Testing

Deck the desks with tears and weeping,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
'Tis the season to be testing,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

Don we now our blank stare faces,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
Troll this song my mind it chases,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

What is that you ask? Those are the lyrics floating through my head all the days long as my students and I endure second trimester benchmark testing. And it really must be testing season if more than one of us are blogging about it.

Theresa: One Person, Making a Difference

This past weekend I attended the Illinois Council for Children with Behavior Disorders Winter Drive-In Conference. While not all of my students have behavior disorders, they do have a wide-range of disabilities and I found that a lot of the information and strategies can be applied to all of my students. I attended a special workshop about teaching self-management skills to students, and I am so excited to get to implement it in the next couple of weeks. I also attended sessions on best practices for working with aggressive youth, and another on using wikis, blogs, and other technology. Ideas are swirling in my head, and I am practically giddy with excitement to try them out with my students.

Richard: Student to Inmate and Back Again (Hopefully)

This past week was full of new experiences. One of my students, David (pseudonym used) got in to some trouble over the weekend with the local police and fire department. Long story short, he was unmedicated that day, angry over something that happened at school with a classmate, and decided to release his anger at home. 

When he was absent on Monday, I called home to make sure he was OK. When his mom reported that he would be back the next day, all was well. A few hours later, she sent me an e-mail saying he will be out for the week, with no explanation. I assumed he was sick and went to the doctor. The next day I get a note from our lead counselor telling me to pack his things and post his grades as he has been withdrawn on behalf of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. That day after work, I got a call from his mother letting me know that he may be out longer than a week, but was not sure how long. During our conversation I discovered that she was unaware that he had been withdrawn from school and the emotional saga that ensued was heartbreaking. I have talked to her every day this week to provide a shoulder to lean on. I feel as though even though he is not technically my student, he is still my student.

Allisence: How Deep Are Your Roots?

In the early 1990s, Brian Andreas, an American artist began collecting stories. He innovatively used the Internet of that time and collected thousands of stories from around the world. These stories eventually grew into colorful, hand-lettered prints—the foundation for StoryPeople.

One of Andreas’ prints is called Deep Roots. The story says this: When I die, she said, I’m coming back as a tree with deep roots and I’ll wave my leaves at the children every morning on their way to school and whisper tree songs at night in their dreams. Trees with deep roots know about the things children need.

Jessica: From Conference to Classroom

As I noted in my previous post, I attended the California League of School’s Technology & RTI Conference. I will also be attending the CEC Conference this coming April. Which brings me to a point: I like conferences. Why? I like interacting with like-minded people who aren’t my everyday comrades in arms. When you teach at a rural school, you know everyone’s life story, as in every student in my district’s entire <100 student population. It’s like I go to work every day and it’s a great big family reunion: this makes it much harder to be objective about lesson planning and teaching technique. Attending conferences is my outlet to find out how other educators are getting by in the classroom, educators who know nothing at all about my students.