John: Teacher, Job Coach, and Barista?

What a couple of weeks it has been! Inservice week is over, and I am finished with the first week of school. I haven’t said much about the classes I teach so let me tell you what I do.

My school has a four block schedule. I teach for three of them. Because I also coach soccer, I have my planning period during fourth period so that I can prepare for practice during that time. Right now I don’t have any coaching responsibilities during my planning period, but stay tuned during the spring semester to hear how juggling coaching, teaching, and spring IEP season is going.

Last year I taught one period of resource for students pursuing a regular high school diploma and two periods of employment training for students pursuing an occupational diploma. This year I am teaching only employment training. We have three levels of employment training (employment training I, II, and III). For students preparing to graduate, our goal is that they spend the majority of the school day at a job site in a job they could transition into after graduation. I work closely with the job coaches and job placement coordinator to find jobs for the students in my class and to know what skills need to be addressed in the classroom.

In the classroom, I teach skills such as how to fill out an application, prepare for an interview, and work well with others. We also cover many money skills that students need to use a cash register or read a paycheck. Most of my time, however, is not spent in the classroom. I spend three days a week at “Cavalatte.” Cavalatte (Dorman’s mascot is the Cavalier. See what we did there?) is the student-run coffee shop that serves as an on-campus job placement or employment workshop for students in the employment training program. I’m a barista!

The coffee shop is a great way for me to see my students in action. I get to assess their skills in authentic work situations and then address weaknesses on the spot or in the classroom. I see my students making change with money, problem solving with customers, and working as a team with coworkers. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday my students spend the whole class period in a room off to the side of the cafeteria making sweet tea, coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade slushies, mocha freezes, and all kinds of smoothies. Students get to use their own creativity in blending flavors and making special creations for certain times of the year. The coffee shop is a very fun environment, but it also presents its own challenges.

As far as challenges go, one of the biggest is a lack of a strong curriculum. I have lots of resources available, but as you can imagine, no one has come up with the perfect curriculum for this unique situation. For lesson planning, I spend a great deal of time going through many books, curricula, and other resources looking for materials that could be helpful. One of my favorite resources is Tool of the Week from CEC. I highly recommend it for special education teachers at any level. Tool of the Week is a weekly e-mail that contains a downloadable resource.

One I have used already this year is the Parent Input Form: Employability Skills. This checklist was very helpful in identifying weaknesses that parents see at home. It was also a great way to communicate with parents about what we would be covering in my class and to get them involved in the classroom even though they may not be able to come to school often because of work schedules.

This past week, we filled out job applications in employment training. One thing I have found helpful is to use real applications from local businesses. I am using a Yogurt Mountain application that my students get very excited about. I tell them they have to fill out one for me to grade, but after I grade it I give it back to them so they can turn it in to actually apply for the job. Next week we are working on interviews and beginning training for Cavalatte. Our goal is to be ready for customers in the coffee shop by the first week in September.

I would love to hear from other teachers that teach in a non-typical classroom setting. What challenges do you face? What positives do you see to teaching in your setting?

Comments

[John]

@Kelsey thanks for the comment! I completely agree with your thoughts about job skills being taught across subjects. For students in an occupational diploma setting, I really think that almost everything they learn should be geared towards employment. I love that your students are doing things around the school to get skills practice. Keep it up!

[Kelsey]

Sounds like you have yours hands full but you seem to be handling it well. I think it's great that you are in the coffee shop with the students to see what issues can be addressed in the classroom to help improve students work skills. I have had the same troubles when trying to plan lessons without having a curriculum to go by. this semester my students are in a job skills class where they do specific jobs around the school (cleaning windows, vacuuming, emptying garbages, shredding paper) that will allow them to gain independence and pride in their skills.Job skills can also be used across all subjects in school (money in math, applications in English, career interests in social studies, etc.)However, it can be very difficult to find just one curriculum that addresses all the needs of the students so I've found myself taking bits and pieces from several different curricula. I also think it's great that you are teaching them real life skills that they can use when they graduate and having off campus jobs can allow for an easy transition for students into the workforce.Keep up the good work!

[John]

@Kayla I'm glad you found the Parent Input Form helpful. Thanks for the comments and encouragement! Good luck in your own teaching.

[John]

@Jamie thanks for the encouragement and for reading! I appreciate the feedback.

[John]

@Kari thanks for the comments and question. As you can imagine with today's economy, it is very difficult to get our student's paid employment. We have a staff of three people dedicated to finding jobs and coordinating the off-campus employment program. It is easier to find jobs that will allow our students to volunteer. We hope that volunteering will eventually lead to employment. If you are looking for jobs for some of your students, I would suggest looking at schools in your district for possibilities. Many of my students are very apprehensive to working at out school (they don't want to be seen by their peers), but they don't mind working at a middle or elementary school cleaning the cafeteria, doing maintenance work, or helping with facilities. Schools in my district have been extremely helpful in finding employment for my students.

[John]

@Laura thanks for the encouragement! Good luck in student teaching! I hope you have a great experience.

[John]

@Chris thanks for the suggestions! I do not envy you as a teacher of students with more moderate disabilities. Keep up the good work. It sounds like you are doing great!

[Kayla]

You do have quite the unique classroom setting, but it seems that it serves your students well. Your students are learning so much more by being put in job-like situations and given the opportunity to gain employment experience. I can see how you have a lot of research to do to create a curriculum for this setting and instructional technique, but it is well worth it when your students learn the needed skills for employment and become prepared to get a job. What a great idea to have them fill out a job application. This is excellent practice for them. It will be great to have your encouragement to actually apply for the job too!

I have taken a look at the Parent Input Form Tool of the Week. What a great idea for a teacher to utilize when looking for employment specific needs of their students. I have added it to my collection of resources!

[Jamie]

John,
Thanks so much for sharing! It sounds as though you have come up with some creative ways to teach your students important life and job skills. These skills are so important for students to learn before they graduate and they're not always easy to teach, especially if you can't get your students out of the classroom. You are very fortunate to have an on-campus coffee shop to give them real-life money-handling, customer service skills, etc. I think it is so great that you have such resources. I also like that you have your students fill out real job applications instead of just mock applications. This way all of their hard work could really pay off. I think your students are really going to benefit from having you as their teacher.

[Kari]

It sure sounds like you have a lot going on but it sounds like everything you are doing is beneficial for the students. I think it is great that you are allowing the students to complete a real application and then are able to turn it in. This is really giving them that practice they need before going out into the real world. It also might be a good idea to use other applications for places around your area so that they are all not applying to the same place! I was curious if you struggle with finding job sites for the students or with coordination? Thank you for sharing your personal experience, it is interesting to hear as a future teacher myself!

[Laura]

John,

It sounds like you have quite a handful. However, it sounds like you are doing very well. I enjoyed reading this blog and seeing all of the different ways you get your students out in the community and working on real life skills that they will need in the future to be successful. The working characteristics you mentioned are true for most every profession; we all must be able to problem solve and work with our coworkers effectively. I am currently completing my first semester of student teaching, and I am working on designing a unit for a high school student with special needs. The class is U.S. government. My goal is to make the information meaningful and relatable so the student can enjoy the information more and therefore take more away from the unit. With all of this in mind, it is difficult to create a unit from various textbooks and activity books. Prior to this project, I always wondered the amount of time that we as special education teachers would need to spend ‘designing’ curriculum for our students when we are faced with unique circumstances and learning needs. It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job by getting your students out in the community and completing tasks that are meaningful and useful. I think the big positive thing is that instruction is individualized and meaningful when created from scratch. Many times simply using a textbook does not give students the information they need to know to be successful.

It is important to always remember the difference you are making in children’s lives. Keep up the good work!

[Chris]

That sounds like fun but also, a very difficult situation. For more ideas, I would check your state's education website and speak to other special education teachers within your school about possible ways to develop a curriculum for your students. Another possible option for the future is to take a course on curriculum development and begin to develop your own curriculum with the help of experienced team members. Currently, I face the challenges of being a new student teacher in a special education classroom that encompasses students with Severe disabilities and students with Mild/Moderate disabilities. I have found scheduling, planning, and frequency of last minute additions to my caseload very challenging. Also, my students are on so many different levels academically and socially that it is very difficult to do meaningful group work. My school is also currently implementing a push-in model so, the Mild/Mod students are in their general education classrooms most of the day, which can be great for scheduling and bad as well. Also, my classroom is understaffed, which is making it more difficult for me to hit each student's IEP goals to the best of my abilities. Though there are many challenges, I still enjoy teaching in a non-traditional setting. I believe all the challenges I am currently facing will ultimately help me to become a better teacher.

[John]

@Liz thanks for the question. At school, there are definitely things that I have a hard time picking up on. One reason I send home the employability form is to get a little more feedback on what my students can do. For example, I might have a hard time knowing if a student can prepare breakfast for himself in the morning, but I can get information like this from parents. Another great way to see behaviors is at job sites away from school. As we gradually fade the supports of job coaches and assistants, problem behaviors will probably begin showing. Then we can address these behaviors as we see them. However, your students will probably show you enough problem behaviors to keep you busy for a long time without worrying about all the hidden problem behaviors. :)

[Liz]

Thank you for the Tool of the week. I am a student teacher this year and I am looking for all the help I can find. I would not have found this (because I am busy enough not to look in the archives of Tool of the Week). I was also wondering if there are any major issues you have found when you are the one that is onsite with the students. Are there behaviors you have not been able to address or is it too early on to notice them? Your schedule seems really full but you seem to have everything under control and that gives me hope. I love reading about all of these different situations I have to look forward to. Thank you for the time you put in to this blog. They are starting to make my future not so scary.

[John]

@Nicole Those are some great questions. I do try to expose my students to a wide variety of employment options. I realize that most of my students will not end up working in a coffee shop so I use the shop to teach universal skills that can be used in any setting (team work, social skills, responsibility, etc.) While they do learn how to make drinks, becoming a coffee connoisseur is not the goal. Once students get to the junior and senior year in high school, they are offered the chance and encouraged to participate in job shadowing experiences which take them to different job sites where they meet employers and get to participate with the other workers. Thanks for the questions and encouragement! Hope you enjoy the rest of the updates.

[Nicole]

You seem like you are handling your busy schedule efficiently! I love the your class and allowing the students to get work experience. I am currently a student teacher but at one of the other schools that I have worked at had a program like yours. Their class taught those basic skills that are needed for school. Their job was to work the school store. At the school store the students with disabilities were not only working with other individuals with disabilities but they also worked with their peers without disabilities. I think that this was the most rewarding part for these students. I'm wondering if you go through different employment opportunities with the students in your class? Also do you take them into different employment places to give them the opportunity to have a chance to see what they like better? It seems like you have a good handle on everything right now and I am looking forward to reading your updates during the year!

[John]

@Gerryanne Great questions. I had many of the same ones when I was applying for the job. Off-campus jobs is a newer thing that I urged our district to move towards. We are beginning to get jobs off-campus gradually, but there is never a time where I have an empty classroom. I always have some students in the class who are not off-campus that I can teach. We have separate job coaches and a job placement coordinator that supervises them at the job site and reports back to me.
As far as class time goes, it is hard to come by. I have to be very organized with planning to make maximum use of the time. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a 90 minute block with each of my classes to work on skills. We try to have a cross-curricular approach to job skills (ie. math class works on making change, English class works on filling out applications and resumes, etc.) In my class I am able to focus more specifically on skills that the students missed in the other classes and on skills that wouldn't necessarily be covered in any other class (ie. interviewing, employment laws, job behaviors, etc.) Make sense? I hope that helps.

[Gerryanne]

Well it looks like you've got a lot on your plate, but it seems like you are organized and will manage it well. I think that is awesome that the students get the opportunity to engage in work related activities at school. This gives them an opportunity to interact more with their peers and experience a more comfortable transition into the work place. I do have a couple questions though. Do your students get out of school work experience, if so, what do you do at that time? Do you stay at their work place and observe or manage other things in your classroom? Also, if your students are in the Cavalatte most of the class working, when do you find time to teach them the necessary skills of managing money, filling out an application, etc.