Reality 101: CEC's blog for new teachers

Thank You!

CEC thanks Allisence, Jessica, Richard, and Theresa for a wonderful year of blogging! We have loved getting to know you, your schools, and your students through your posts. Thank you for sharing with us this past year; you will be missed here at Reality 101!

For those Reality 101 readers that have loved reading about our bloggers, don't worry, they won't be gone completely. Here's how you can follow them:

Allisence: on Twitter @allisence or on her blog, http://allisence.wordpress.com/.

Richard: on Twitter @ExceptionallyED or on his blog, http://exceptionallyed.wordpress.com/.

Theresa: on Twitter @MsTheresaQ or on her blog, http://mstheresaq.blogspot.com/. 

 

Richard: Until Next Time...

Thank you for following the Reality 101 blog for the past year. Your input has been vital to my growth as a first-year teacher. As I write my last blog for CEC, I am editing lessons for next year, collaborating via e-mail with colleagues and reading a few more professional development books all before I go to a leadership summit in a few days and begin the school year in two weeks. 

Many of you who follow the blog were pre-service teachers and are now anxiously awaiting the first day of pre-planning or your teacher induction exercises. I applaud you for dedicating your lives for at least the next 200 days to an often thankless, demanding, low paying, highly regulated, and fiercely stigmatized profession. I understand you do it for the students, those who cannot advocate for themselves, resting their futures in your hands.

Richard: One Down, Many More To Go

It seems as though a few days ago I was packing up my classroom, and yet I have just a few more weeks before pre-planning starts and school begins again. I am very excited for what next year holds. I have spent my break reading and immersing myself in education literature to find inspiration and ideas for next year. I have reflected on last year and have begun to develop goals for next year.

My first goal is to create an environment that approaches behavior proactively rather than reactive. I admit this is still a work in progress, but I want to eliminate the points/rewards programs that are so popular in EBD rooms. I plan to transition to teaching the behavior explicitly and holding my students to that standard regardless of if they are having a bad day or forgot their meds. I feel as though they need to learn now, when they have a safety net that those excuses and that mentality will not be there when they are older. I think this will take a significant effort and interfere with some instruction, however if my students cannot manage their behaviors, it won’t matter how well they grasp the content.

Richard: Reflections of My First Year Teaching

This year was my first year teaching and the last year of my masters program. I still remember the first week of school when I had to excuse myself from the room and find a quiet place to reflect on if teaching is really what I wanted to do. I had just restrained a student, my other students were putting me through a vetting process, and I didn't feel as though I was doing well. I am so very happy I was able to come back to the classroom, get control, and pass their test.

I have learned a lot this year about teaching, which no teacher education program can prepare you for. I have learned how to cope with the stresses of the educational bureaucracy while teaching students with EBD. I have learned to maintain excellent grades in school and have some resemblance of a personal life. I have learned how to advocate for children in a manner in which no party feels defensive and I am able to mediate nearly any situation with students, parents, teachers, or any combination.

Richard: Going Out with a Bang

As the year wrapped up for my students, I was able to take them on two exciting field trips within two weeks of each other.

As a motivator for good behavior during testing, I took them to the infamous Georgia Aquarium. We started our day in the park with lunch and explored the aquarium. Most saw aquatic animals for the first time, touched sharks, and asked so many questions. My students are often labeled as lost and are not included by many teachers because they are misunderstood. It has been part of my mission to dispel that myth and this trip helped to do that.

Richard: Where to Next?

As the year comes to an end, I have to review my students’ progress and determine if I want to recommend placement, advancement, or retention for next year. As I began this process as a novice, I looked over my school provided rubric to determine if my students met the criteria quantitatively. I went through and according to that rubric, everyone should move on to the next grade.

Something didn't feel right with that process, so I decided to confer with my paraprofessional on how she felt regarding student placement. We had a conversation on the qualitative growth of each student. We asked each other if the student matured sufficiently, if the level of work he or she was able to produce this year suggests success next year, and if we felt the student would be able to achieve success in the general curriculum standards, especially with the Common Core State Standards being rolled out next year.

Richard: Professional Development Rejuvenates Motivation to Teach

On April 7th, I presented at the 2012 Harvard Student Research Conference, presenting a paper on disproportionality in ethnic groups severed under the EBD category. While there I had the honor and privilege to hear Dr. Eleanor Duckworth speak as the Keynote Address. Dr. Duckworth is the former student and translator of Jean Piaget. Dr. Duckworth spoke on the importance of teaching students to learn and not memorize and for students to embrace knowledge. She also talked about how teachers should never be complacent—teach to the potential and future of your students, not to the proficiency of a test.

Richard: Exploring the CEC 2012 Expo Hall

The CEC Convention & Expo is the event of the year for special education professionals and stakeholders in special education. There are many exciting opportunities to learn new strategies for teaching out students, updates from Washington, D.C. and the CEC on policy, and amazing fellowship opportunities.

Another exciting component of the Convention is the Expo. The Expo is a large showroom of hundreds of vendors from across the nation—all there to disseminate their products, information, educational programs, and even job opportunities. At first glance the Expo can be a bit overwhelming. You are greeted with smiling faces and aisle after aisle of colorful, moving, and exciting products for special education practitioners.

Richard: Planning for Behavior

This past month has been a March Madness of IEPs at my school. We all try to hold IEP meetings during this month to review student progress and make schedule arrangements for next year.  I found myself called to LEA several IEP meetings with students of various disabilities that were having or have had a history of behavior problems. Being the EBD teacher and Positive Behavior Support Coordinator, I have been given the role of behavior specialist.  As I sat in on meetings I noticed a common theme; many teachers struggle with behaviors that appear complicated, but have a fairly simple resolution.  

Richard: Working with the End in Mind

This weekend my mother graduated from Kaplan University with her Associates degree. As I was basking in proudness of my mother, my mind wandered to my students. While my students are only in middle school, I have started working with them on at least thinking about what they may want to do when they graduate from high school.

We started the year off with year-long goals and recently worked on long-term goals. They use a great Web resource, www.gacollege411.org to take interest and personality tests that are supposed to help guide them down the right path, as well as to research careers and the steps needed to reach their dreams.

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.

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.

Richard: Helping or Hurting?

Working as an EBD teacher in my first year is hard! I struggle daily with deciding what battles to fight and which not to fight. I am constantly asking myself if I am protecting the student from their disability or if I am enabling them. I recently chose not to address a student's actions, and because I didn't, the child took that inch and ran a mile with it, resulting in her fighting with another student. I was told that every negative or inappropriate student behavior in EBD has to be addressed and dealt with. I disagree.

In retrospect I should have addressed the first issue so that it didn't end with my student fighting another. I also realize that I am new at this and I will make mistakes along the way. This bad decision has made me excessively aware of each and every thing my students do as I work through all the potential outcomes of an action before I provide a response. I honestly detest it.

Richard: The Beauty of Communication

Communication is the foundation for many things.  I have learned in my first six months of teaching that it often takes precedence over most other “must haves.” Communication is pivotal in reaching students, maximizing the impact of a strategy, and getting along with coworkers. Communication also happens to be one of the largest areas of frustration for a new teacher like me.

I came into a system with established systems and unspoken rules that I wasn’t told about in my orientation to the school. The only way to really figure it out has been trial and error. The error part got to be tough for a while, but after the break I seem to be doing much better about asking the right people the right questions and abiding by the many non-spoken rules.

Richard: Anticipation of the Future

My state has adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the lastest educational fad to equalize education by having what is more or less national teaching standards. While I like the idea of everyone in the nation finally (with skepticism) being taught and held to the same academic standards, I wonder how that will have an impact on students with exceptionalities.

I recently received a rather thick binder of the new English/Language Arts standards that also include Social Studies and some Science standards and am a bit concerned on how well this new system will work for my students. While the standards themselves are a great tool to aid in curricula planning, they have their shortcomings. They use an abundance of primary sources and really increase the rigor of p-12 academics, but I fear that based on our old way, the new way will be too difficult for many students and things will change before we get them to the level the new standards require.

Richard: Halftime!

This week is going to be the last week of school for the first semester. As I put the finishing touches on final exams and study guides, I took a moment to reflect on my students over the past four months and would like to share some of my reflections with you.

My students have made some notable gains. I currently have one sixth-grader. He came to me refusing to do any work that required him to read or connect several ideas together. He also could not subtract, multiply, divide, and would get instantly aggressive at the mere mention of fractions or decimals.

Richard: To Summative or Not to Summative

As the semester ends, it is now the season of final exams. I find the idea of finals in middle school a little odd, but I will work with what I am given. I find them odd because in my district we take regular common formative assessments (CFAs) at the end of each unit.

I know what your thinking, I said formative, so what’s the issue? Well, it is a misnomer. We use them not as we go, but at the end (summation) of a unit. For example, we may give the CFA at the beginning of a unit as a pre-test, then give the same test as the unit exam. In my mind, that makes it more of a dual function diagnostic/summative exam rather than formative. If it were a true formative, we would give it to students in chunks, as they finished a lesson in the segment. Instead we wait, hype it up, provide a study guide, and give it as a chapter test by another name.

I must admit, I don't like the CFA process and don't use them often in class as we are prescribed to do. The tests typically have no fewer than 50 multiple choice and matching questions. Unfortunately, for students who need read-aloud accommodations, have processing deficits, and/or a general low frustration level, those kinds of tests simply aren’t effective in my setting.

Richard: Who's Really in Control?

Students with emotional/behavior disorders are known to be highly vocal, active, and bold. Many times they will often blame other people or things for their behaviors. With their external locus of control, they often times report to staff that the (this or that) made me do it, or (somebody) said/did (something) so that made me do what I did. I have been amazed by the extent to which they externalize the control for their actions for nearly everything that occurs within their world.

I have come to the saddening realization that no matter how strong of a bond I think my students and I have, as soon as something happens, it becomes a “But, Mr. Williams did (this or that) and so I (did this or that).” When did Mr. Williams do (this or that)? “Oh, um, um, um, like a few weeks ago I think, (pause) but I just remembered, so, yeah, that's why I did it!” This is usually said with a look of great satisfaction for reportedly getting me "in trouble."

Richard: Economic Reform—Room 605 Style

I base my classroom management on a token economy system that involves points and rewards. A token economy is the most-recommended form of classroom management strategy in practice today. I say that because when I research other options, I can’t find any!

I recently went to a consortium in which we were presented with a system that uses points and levels and rewards. The system seemed nice but had significant downfalls in my opinion, which is what I want to explore this post: How do you effectively blend PBIS and a token economy to maximize positive student behavior?

I have been taught and advised that in a token economy, what a student earns is to never be taken away. The prevailing idea is that they do not yet understand consequences and that by mimicking the real world, I run the risk of losing the child to defiance for the remainder of the year.

Richard: Where Did I Put My Map?

A special educator (read: paperwork specialist) enters the field with the foreknowledge that they will have a significantly higher amount of paperwork than the typical teacher.

I knew going into my position that I would have to complete IEPs, FBAs, BIPs, and goal progress reports every grading period. I spent my summer organizing my lessons and days to accommodate my duties because I knew I would not have a planning period, being in a self-contained setting. I started the year off with a wonderfully ignorant belief in my ability to complete paperwork within the school day without any complications, all while providing exemplary instruction. Boy, was I wrong!

Three weeks into the school year, our district decided to require that each case manager keep a four-inch binder of progress monitoring data for each student. We would be responsible for keeping student work samples and all the relevant paperwork up to date, such as IEPs and BIPS, both in the notebook and in the student’s file. We were charged with “regularly monitoring and assessing student progress” toward IEP goals and recording that information every few weeks on a form—forms we needed to create on our own, given only the vaguest examples possible.

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!

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.

Richard: NCLB Hits Home

The first two things I learned about special education were: 1) to be explicit in instruction and directions and 2) to create a culture of success for my students. I’ve learned those things are much easier said than done.

I started the school year believing my students were no more than two grade levels behind, based on their Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores, and I created my lessons accordingly. I provided common accommodations such as shorter reading passages, read-aloud tests, advance organizers, and as many graphics as possible.

After weathering many meltdowns and shutdowns, I looked at my para in utter confusion. I could not understand what was setting my students off. I had evaluated the incidents and looked at antecedents, behaviors, and student expectations, and I failed to find a common theme.

Richard: Where Did I Put My Cape?

What a first week! As a teacher in a self-contained classroom, I was aware that I would be teaching all the subjects to students in all grades, plus two elective courses. I was happy when I found out that I only had one eighth grader for one class, which meant I would only be teaching two grades for the majority of my day.

As the summer progressed, I decided to be proactive and begin lesson planning, which also helped me meet and build relationships with those need-to-know teachers who are the best of the best in their subjects.

Going into pre-planning, I felt assured that I was fully prepared and ready for my students. But by the end of day two, frustration consumed me. It was not the frustration that comes with setting up my first classroom or normal beginning-of-the-school-year stress. Rather, it was the sense that my school expected me to be Captain Planet.

Why Captain Planet? “Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart! . . . By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!”

Richard: Teacher Induction — Family Style

As a new teacher to Henry County Schools, you must go through a week-long teacher induction program (TIP). If you talk with veteran teachers, you are warned of the stereotypical monotone presenters (think Charlie Brown’s mom) spouting endlessly about policy and procedure.

Luckily, my TIP experience was the complete opposite. It made me feel as though I am a new member of a family that is excited to have me there and will support me throughout my first year and career within the education system.

As I got out of the car Monday morning, my stomach was turning and my mind steadfastly preparing for three days of boredom. However, by the time I reached the front door I couldn’t believe where I was. Administrators from the central office and school leadership were outside and within the lobby of the auditorium, greeting us with smiles, taking time to have conversations with us, and providing a welcome unlike any other. Within an hour, district officials had us laughing and even singing a song about how excited we were to be in Henry County Schools!