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Confusing Times for Special Ed?

February 2, 2013

With Common Core, new teacher evaluation plans, Race to the Top, and the never-ending pile of paperwork, is anyone else just plain confused? I have to admit, I am not the most seasoned professional out there, but I have had my fair share of professional experience. But lately, I am feeling that I am getting more and more frustrated with the rules and regulations that don’t seem to benefit anyone except the people who make the rules and regulations.

I recently attended a professional development activity and had to stop and ask a few clarifying questions to the group. I was confused on something that I heard when it came to a parent meeting when starting the process to see if a student would need additional services. I have been trained to believe that no matter what type of meeting you are having regarding a special education student, there are always mandatory participants; Parents, special educator, and a general educator. That is somewhat true. What I learned is that there are only three people who are actually required to be at a special education meeting. A Local Education Agency (LEA Rep), and general education teacher, and a special education teacher. Period. By law, we have to make three good-faith attempts to have parents at a meeting, but if they are not responsive, then we can hold the meeting. The parents need to make sure they sign consent at initial meetings and consent for evaluations. This is nothing new right? Well, I learned that although domain meetings are important, they are not an IEP meeting and therefore, are not subject to the same laws that an IEP is. So a formal invitation does not need to be sent out, an informal sign-in sheet is acceptable, and there is not a 10-day consent law. Huh?? That was exactly my reaction when I heard this news. Huh?? I am so confused??? SO to make a long story very short, I learned something new that confused me and to be honest, still confuses me a little but. To be honest, I am not confused on the process, I am confused with the logic. Why does it seem like something that should be so simple in nature, be so complex?

This got me thinking, what else is simple but has to be so complex? So I took my question to the SPED Support Group and got a great link to a web site that makes things pretty easy to understand, especially when it comes to navigating the SPED paperwork process.

http://www.fape.org/pubs/FAPE-10.pdf

With that being said, I started thinking even more. Why are special educators always so stressed out? Why are we taking things home with us day in and day out? Why are we so worried when a mistake gets made? I don’t see a lot of my general education counterparts being worried when something goes wrong. Well, one of my esteemed colleagues pointed out something to me recently that just made sense. She said to me, “Because our teaching has legal ramifications when something goes wrong. Special Educators have legal requirements to meet day in and day out! Our general education teachers don’t have that pressure.” And then it hit me, she is right! Now, I am not saying that my general education colleagues don’t have pressures but I realized that they are just starting to feel the burn of what it will be like to have their every move calculated, especially now that evaluations are being based on student achievement. Which leads me to my next point!

As special educators, our jobs our special. We are taking the most at-risk students and trying all of our tricks to educate and move these kids forward. We are not super-heroes. We are just the education professionals who took personal oaths to help the most challenged of learning communities. How is it that our evaluation system is based on a teaching system that is a one-size general education teaching system? Isn’t there an understanding that our job is completely different. Our job is about teaching first and foremost. We still have obligations to higher level questioning, reading, writing, and math. Assessments of formative and summative learning, professional development hours, and the list goes on and on. However, we have one aspect of our job that is completely different. That is the job of case manager. Now, perhaps your school district does not have case managers teach, but if you are in a district that is looking to keep things at a cost neutral option, being a special education teacher also means having the dual role of case management.

What is so hard about case management? You might be asking yourself that question and if you have never done it, you might not think it is difficult. However, when you are in charge of 20 little souls’ paperwork, which includes goal updates to ten different goals, parent conferences, leading meetings and teams, and those are just a few areas. It is overwhelming and most often takes a life of it’s own. The thing is, I don’t ever foresee case management going away or getting easier. I foresee it getting harder and more challenging as the face of disabilities has changed. Resource case management no longer means just your average learner struggling with a reading or writing disability. It means managing students with multiple issues whether they have Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Dyslexia, Speech-Language Primary, Dyspraxia, Hearing Impaired, Visually Impaired, Orthopedic Impairment, Emotionally Disturbed, and the list goes on and on.

Each student affected by a disability is just that, an individual student. Just think about how you might plan a birthday party for your own child. You need to think about the children coming, what you are going to serve, what utensils you are going to use, what games you need to play to engage kids, what cake you are going to serve, what flavor the cake is, what the goody bags consist of, and how you are going to manage it all. Would you think of going to a bowling alley with 20 cute but very active five year olds without backup? Well, that is how it feels when you talk to a case manager. They are in charge of making sure that all those details are not only thought about, but carried out for the educational purposes of children. Now throw into the mix personality issues with teachers who may or may not want to be flexible, combined with parents who may or may not want to work with you, and throw in the mix no curriculum to choose from. Now you have an idea of what a special education resource teacher deals with on a daily basis. So, you want to evaluate us on what? The idea that a child can critically think about how they might integrate technology and connect with others across the globe?

I don’t know about you but I am a big believer in critical thinking skills. As a special education teacher I try to develop those skills everyday, but I feel like I have a bigger purpose to serve here. I feel as if my purpose is to provide instruction that is meaningful and relevant that is going to connect with my students to make them successful contributing members to society.

I am responsible to teaching children to read and write and develop self-advocating skills. Yet, my state doesn’t even recognize that a child with dyslexia may be able to comprehend more even though they can’t decode the words properly. What do I mean by this? Well, in my home state of Illinois, our students with recognized learning disabilities in the area of reading, are not allowed to have their state tests read aloud to them to show growth. Yet, they can have someone scribe their written word, have access to a calculator, or even take a test over multiple testing sessions. But Illinois still does not recognize that someone with a reading disability can learn and show growth by just having a simple accommodation? Does that make sense? We can have people get a drivers license that can’t even read or write in English, but because they can take a test in their home language and pass a driving test, they can get a license. But someone with Dyslexia, let’s say, will never be able to show growth on a state test because they can’t have it read to them? So inadvertently, I may be the best teacher, have taught my student the world, but my evaluation will never reflect the job I have done. Does that seem fair?

So this just confuses me! When did education get to be so complicated? Some blame it on NCLB, some blame it on Horace Mann, and some blame the media. Who do I blame? Well, I don’t think I blame anyone because I don’t want to waste my time blaming. I just want to teach! Plain and simple! I want to teach my kids in my classroom, provide the best education, showcase great strategies, and encourage my student growth and achievement through progress monitoring that my students are able to see and learn from!

What do you want??

Something to ponder and think about.

Until next time, have a great week~RL

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2013

Happy New Year Educator Beat Subscribers! I hope this blog post finds you in good spirits!

The time has come for the annual list of goals and resolutions but without being to cliche, I had to revisit the past to see how I did on my last year’s bucket list. In my November blog post, I checked in on my bucket list and this is what I made progress on..

“My Personal Top Ten Wishes for 2012”

Teach a college level class

Aggressively seek out new career opportunities and be open minded new job

Volunteer more of my time to support animal rescues

Read more outside my comfort genre of educational research

Travel abroad with my husband
Help my son understand the value of volunteering and community service

Continue writing blog expanding to a larger audience to help other educators
Research and test innovative technology to implement in the classroom
Purchase an Iphone 4S and Ipad for personal and professional use
Mentor or Coach Teachers

So where does this leave me for my top ten wishes for 2013? I decided to scale back a bit and focus on smaller goals.

√ Continue to seek out new career opportunities

√Continue to write and blog about important trending issues to help other educators

Seems like a no brainer, right? I have spent the last few weeks with a variety of educators, picking their minds for any tidbits of information that I could pass along to my blogging audience. The truth of the matter is that we as educators in the field are completely baffled with the state of education. It seems that no matter who I talk to, their school district has just a slightly different way of doing things. As I reflect on my conversations with other educators, this is the conclusion that I have come to.

√There is not one better way of interviewing that another. The only thing you can do is practice, practice, and practice.

√Continue to network as much as possible and surround yourself with peers and colleagues who you can honestly run ideas by and get critical feedback that is constructive, not destructive.

√Follow your gut instinct. So much of teaching and working with kids are about gut instincts. Some of us have better instincts than others. Just play it safe, do the very best, and continue to work smarter!

√Remember that if you wouldn’t want it printed on the front page of the local paper, Don’t put it in writing! Anything you put out in the internet can come back at you like bad karma. Be careful who you associate with and how you represent yourself around colleagues and fellow professionals.

With that being said, I wish your family and very happy and healthy new year. 2012 was a tough year for so many and my family unfortunately, did not go unscathed. We continue to hope and have faith that things will continue to move upwards!

Until next time, have a great week!~RK

SPED TEACHER SUPPORT GROUP....

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Hi Everyone~

Hope the cool and crisp weather has invigorated your spirits and you are enjoying the change of seasons. The weather has turned here in the midwest and slowly the leaves are starting to turn colors that make the fall unforgettable. It has been a few weeks since my last post and the new school year has been busier than ever! I have been lucky to be a mentor this year for two new staff members and it has been exciting to be able to provide help and leadership. However, through the course of the last few weeks, I have been pondering how is it that as a seasoned teacher, I can provide more help to new teachers?

Becoming a special education teacher is extremely rewarding. Helping students in need is a wonderful career choice, however, special education teachers have the largest burn out rate among educators. After 5 years, about 40% of teachers leave the education profession and it wouldn’t surprise me if the majority of those teachers are special education teachers. I can’t help but question why that is? I have some personal reasons that I believe are why.

Paperwork,paperwork,paperwork mixed in with a little bit of uncooperative colleagues, and it is a recipe for disaster. Well, I have decided that after 11 years of teaching, all of those in special education, I actually have defied the odds of the burn out rate. However, my 11 years have not been easy. There have been tears, panic attacks, stressful eating, sleepless nights, and everything in between. One thing that has always seemed to stump me is that I have never stumbled upon a support group for special education teachers. The support group that I had was my department at work. I didn’t have anywhere to turn outside of my colleagues at school, and as much as they are my family, I have always wondered what other special educators had to say outside of my building. So many things are different across the city lines, state lines, and around the globe.

I decided to create a special education teacher support group. I goal is to provide a place where educators who work with and teach special education students can come together to support, network, and provide guidance for those in need. Special education laws and policies may continue to change, but the one thing that doesn’t is the love that educators have for helping children to move forward!

I hope you will check out the group and respond to the questions regarding how reevaluations, initial evaluations, and mentor training are done in your school district.

Look for the group on LinkedIn..

Search SPED Teacher Support: A professional, positive, networking group dedicated to promoting positive mentors,leadership, and advice for all teachers who dedicate their careers to teaching students with special needs.

As always, I look forward to hearing your comments and feedback. Until next time~Randee

Special Education strikes again...

Sunday, August 19, 2012 and updated September 4, 2012

August 19, 2012...

Tomorrow is the official start of the 2012-2013 school year for me and on this Sunday evening when I usually have the back to school jitters, I am surprisingly calm. I have been back at work unofficially since last Monday attending trainings, conducting IEP meetings, unpacking my new room, and of course, new IEP paperwork training.

Normally the night before I go back to school, I am filled with the feeling of stress and anxiety about what I haven’t gotten done that I need to before the kids come later in the week. However, this year, I feel different about the start of the year. I am hopeful, excited, and somewhat optimistic about the upcoming year. Why?

For starters, my position is a little bit different this year. I have been lucky enough to be facilitating a center that will focus on providing Response to Intervention supports for all students, as well as, helping staff to provide accommodation for assessments for children. This has been a passion of mine that I have been pursuing for two years and it has finally come true! I am so excited about the the number of students that I am anticipating will be helped!

The other reason I am excited is because I get to step back into the role of mentor this year. It is really exciting for me as this is something that I am extremely passionate about. Helping teachers be better teachers. However I have noticed lately that new teachers are really thrusted into the center of things and it has really made me reflect even more about new teacher training......

September 4, 2012..Update.....

Even though we as teachers go through internships and student teaching, nothing prepares us for the first year of teaching. It can be one of the roughest years anyone will ever have. New teachers or new staff don’t know where to turn for help and a lot of colleagues are so wrapped up in getting their own job taken care of that they may not have time to help new staff.

I am fortunate to work in a district that has a two year mentor program for teachers. However, an education system problem seems to constantly reoccur in my opinion. There is not adequate support for special education teachers. Special Education teachers are often given a dual role. One of classroom teacher and Caseload Manager.

Case managers have a larger responsibility that anyone could fathom and we are the main point person between families and the school. So many people rely on the case manager to be able to answer all the questions about the student on their caseload. However, a new teacher or staff member who doesn’t know their way around the job may struggle to provide adequate information for their teams. Being a case manager entails updating goals, making sure students are meeting their goals, facilitating support staff to update their work, maintain grades, paperwork, working files, etc.

In all of that managerial hoopla, special education teachers are writing reports for three year evaluations or initial evaluations. Often times, special education teachers are providing interventions for Response to Intervention for general education students in addition to their own special need students.

What boggles my mind after so many years of formal education, why are there education programs that are providing little curriculum classes to special education majors? Most often then not, it has been my experience that special education teachers are often placed in a co-taught teaching situation in addition to teaching self-contained classrooms of Language Arts, Reading, Math, and even Social Studies. Even though we may not be the teacher on record in co-teaching situations, the kids don’t know that. What they see are two teachers in the classroom with equal teaching rights. In an ideal co-teaching situation, both teachers are equally presenting and taking ownership of lesson planning, grading, and presenting lessons. However, the dividing line can be drawn quickly when you have an inexperienced teacher who doesn’t know the curriculum, let alone the deficiencies in learning for students, and lacks the confidence in their own teaching ability. A dangerous combination! Best practice often dictates that students are truly helped when there is a behavior specialist (your special education teacher) and a learning content specialist (general education teacher) working together to meet the needs of the kids. But does that always happen as expected? Do teachers always work together in a cohesive manner? What if during common plan times, your co-teacher is never around? What do you do? Unfortunately, these are the realities of teaching. Not pleasant, and ultimately not the best for kids, but it is reality. Will having method classes for special education teachers fix that? No, of course not! Will it help? Yes, I believe it will. Providing high quality teachers in our classrooms have to be the top priority. Our children are too precious not to!

I remember very clearly my first years of teaching. I was co-teaching Social Studies, Senior English, Business Education, just to name a few. I had NO training, I mean NADA, ZILCH, ZIP training on any curriculum in those areas for Secondary Education. However, because I had Special Education endorsements, I was highly qualified to teach high school? Are you kidding me? I could barely keep up with the kids, provide reading fluency checks, and of course, try to navigate the high school hallways with kids who were clearly larger than me!

My training had been in the safe confines of Elementary Education. I was a general education teacher who took four classes to get an endorsement. I was lucky enough to have Methods of Teaching Elementary Math, Elementary Social Studies, Elementary Reading and Language Arts, and Elementary Science as part of my elementary education classes. I also took methodology in diagnosing reading disabilities, methods of teaching students with learning disabilities, behavioral methodology, and diagnostic assessment and evaluation.

It is rare that I come into contact with a newly graduated special education teacher who has had methods of any of these curriculum areas. Is this even remotely fair? How can we set new teachers up like this? Some teachers are lucky and walk into a nice district that may be fiscally sound. The majority of new teachers however; walk into districts that are clamoring for survival in the face of drastic budget cuts!

This brings me back to my original point of mentors. No matter how good of a teacher you are, nothing humbles you more than being a mentor. It is difficult but very rewarding. Being a mentor takes you back to the start of your career? Do you remember what it is like working 12 to 14 hours a day and feeling like you do everything wrong? Do you remember graduating bright eyed and ready to take on the world only to be squashed by a less than enthusiastic seasoned teacher who you might have to share space with? What about that parent who says to you on curriculum night in front of other parents, “ I think it is an abomination that you assign kids a summer reading project. Kids with LD have enough troubles, what the hell were you thinking?” OUCH! How do you respond to something like that?? That is a whole other blog, but this is what it is like for new teachers everywhere.

Now throw on a caseload, paperwork, evaluations, testing, IEP goals, and oh yes, did I mention no curriculum training? This is the life of a new special education teacher!

In closing, don’t get me wrong, being a teacher of general education and special education students are extremely rewarding. Teachers are some of the hardest working people I know. We are perfectionists, sometimes control freaks, and forever learning to make things better for kids. Our days rarely end at 330pm and rarely start at 745am. I don’t know about you, but I am at school most days by 630am and usually leave well after 430pm. That is only half of my day. I still fight traffic for an hour, pick my son up, come home, walk the dog, make dinner, and if I am lucky, finish everything by 7. Then I have school work to do. Grading papers, planning lessons, tracking goals, or writing reports.

Did you know that the average life span of a special education teacher is maybe five years? Shocking, truly shocking! Special education teachers are truly glue that holds many pieces together and we sacrifice a lot of our personal family time for this calling. I am truly humbled by some of my dearest friends who are balancing newborns and nursing while teaching special education. I remember the balancing act as it was only four years ago that I became a mommy for the first time. Now my balancing act is different but a juggling act all the same. So if you are reading this and you know a special education teacher, please be sure to thank them or be kind to them. If you are mentoring a new teacher, remember your job as a mentor is very valuable and be patient. New teachers are a delicate breed and we must tend to these new recruits gently.

Back to school...

Sunday, August 12, 2012

It’s that time of year again, heading back to school. Don’t forget to check out my web store at Teacher Pay Teacher for products to use for Response to Intervention, Positive Behavior, and a few other goodies...

I have stumbled upon some great web sites for teachers that I am going to pass along here. I am not receiving any kick-backs of any kind. I personally love these web sites and want to pass them on...I am a little jealous at how fun, friendly, and truly-beautiful these web pages are. Happy browsing!

LadyBug Teacher Files: An organized teacher’s best friend!

Delightful Order: For everyone and anyone who loves to organize! This is truly your mecca!

School Supply Addict: All things school supplies

Now, are you a first year teacher and nervous about setting up your room? It can be a very daunting task... Here are a few tips...

Less is more...Don’t over due it! When picking out a banner for the bulletin board in your room or white board that you want to decorate, try to pick a banner that will stand the test of time and that is gender neutral.

Make sure to laminate it first to get multiple year’s use out of the banner.
Make sure whatever you choose, it is warm and inviting. However, leave some room for the kids to put up their own artwork. This shows your future students that you value their input into decorating the classroom.

Classroom Rules: You may have heard the expression, “Don’t smile until Christmas.” Well, I am not a huge believer in that, but I am a huge believer in strong classroom management. Harry Wong has a fabulous book, The First Days of School, and if you are a first year teacher, this book should be your bible. Classroom management is really simple but can go horribly wrong if you as the teacher don’t set up a system right from the very start!

Classroom rules:

Clearly Posted and gone over from day one!

KISS: Keep it Simple for Students! Don’t post rules that are so long and tedious. The kids won’t read them, let alone follow them.

As the classroom leader, pick 5 areas that are the most important to you. My favorite is my High Five Behavior Expectations.

You can find my high five expectations on my teacher pay teacher web store. It details a quick and easy way to set up classroom management that involves, looking, listening, and paying attention.

Don’t forget to gather student input especially in the older grades. As a class, have the students come up with a rule or two that they want to make sure to follow. It never seems to amaze me how great ideas are born each year from my students. Especially in middle school, kids love to bust their classmates for breaking a classroom rule. The power of peer pressure should never be underestimated!

Once your classroom has a plan of rules to follow, seal the deal with the student signatures. Have them sign their name to the classroom rules which shows that you have clearly gone over the rules and the students understand and are agreeing to follow them. If a student has a behavior infraction, you can always refer to the student’s signature and that they have a classroom violation. It eliminates unnecessary words when infractions occur.

Parent Contact

The beginning of the year will set the tone for how you want things to go. You are the facilitator of the classroom and to start things off on the right foot, always reach out to your parent community. Whether it is a classroom newsletter, a letter of introduction, or even your classroom web page, make sure you reach out. Parents are eager to know who their child’s classroom teacher is and overall will be supportive. When reaching out to parents, make sure to set boundaries and let them know your availability. Always give the following information:

Classroom Room Number

Times you are available before and after school for phone chats or meetings: Don’t forget to give yourself time to do what you need to do, whether it is planning, setting up your room for the next day, or even a restroom break. Make sure to plug in your 30-45 minutes of teacher plan time for yourself. Otherwise, you may be caught with a parent on the phone for 45 minutes and you haven’t even begun to set up your room for the next day or even go to the bathroom. A very rough sample is provided below:

Teacher Name: Mrs. K

Classroom# 165

Contact Information: (123)456-7890 X 1234

E:Mail: Mrs.K@yourschooldistrict.com

Hours available for contact:

Before School: 7:15am-7:30am

After School: 3:00pm-335pm

This gives me ample time in the morning to prepare for kids before the bell and 15 minutes after kids leave to set up, use the restroom, etc before I am available for parent phone calls.

Now, some teachers even give out their cell phone numbers to parents and students. That is a personal choice. For me, not something that I typically do. However, if you feel confident enough to give out that information, be prepared for phone calls on the weekend, later in the evening, etc. Just be careful. Most people will not abuse the privilege, but there will always be the one exception to the rule. Have a great start to the school year!

As always, have a great week~RK

July confessions of an educator...

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Hi fellow educators and bloggers! Well it has been quite a July and early August. We are in the midst of a summer drought here in the midwest. The sweltering heat has kept me inside most days with my son trying to find endless activities to entertain so his mind doesn’t turn into mush! We also took a family get-away for four days to Northern Michigan and completely tuned out! No internet, very limited phone service (Just enough in certain spots to upload some vacation pics on Facebook), and good old-fashioned family time. We hit some small-towns, the beach, did some wine tasting (minus our son) and even tried some blueberry lager! (YUMMY!!) Then the end of the trip came and bam, I hurt my back and neck making sure we had all the precious trucks and cars my son brought up with him. Leaving me with my feet up and restricted movement. Dangerous time for me as my brain races, and since we got home, I started scrolling through Pinterest, Foodgawker, and the list goes on and on.....leaving me to question, “ What do I really bring to the blogging arena?” I don’t craft, I cook to eat, barely read (although on vacation I read a book in 3 days, WAHOO!) and I don’t pretend to be something I’m not. I am a proud, working mom who happens to educate future minds and I have discovered that I am a writer at heart. I think I have always known that I liked to write and as a kid I would always keep a diary, writing down my deepest secrets and thoughts. A few years ago, I thought I would write a book and even began the process by writing some chapters with the idea in mind that it would help others.

I have always been trying to help others. My earliest memories involve loving animals, tending to my family pets as if they were my own babies. Or pretending to be the classroom teacher in my cold basement that I tricked out with make-believe students, text books, and chalkboards. I remember in third grade, I became friends with a boy named, Brad. Brad was new to our school and I remember how it felt because I was new the year before. Brad had one issue that made him an outcaste among our peers, he stuttered. Brad stuttered very badly and it was difficult for him to even get sentences out. I remember though, that he was my friend and my mom even made a couple play dates for Brad and I. I am not sure what happened to Brad. If he moved out of our class, school, or district. My point is that as early on as 8, I was not afraid to be friends with someone who others deemed as “DIFFERENT”. By today’s standards, combined with my knowledge as a special education teacher, Brad would have never been an outcaste. He would have been involved in all classes, received speech support for his stuttering, and hopefully would have been helped.

I have come to realize that I was destined for this life. Destined to help others whether large or small audiences. As a youngster, I remember being a very awkward girl. I was overweight, had curly, red hair, wore glasses, and had freckles. I was teased in school, kids called me, “Fat Annie”. It hurt so deeply that at night I would cry and cry. Teasing and bullying only got worse as I got older. I never really fit in anywhere. Not even with my own family. My cousins made me the butt of the family jokes and teased me because I was always “So Sensitive”. I remember thinking to myself, “Just wait, one day I will be famous and I won’t even think about you!” Well, I haven’t really become famous, but I do have to admit that I have no relationship with my cousins or that side of the family. It is so sad, especially now that I have a young son. He won’t know one part of his family. However, I have married into an amazing family who love and accept me, as me. Not to mention, I do have a terrific mom and a loving dad. Even though they are divorced now, I am very close with my mom and live a stones throw away from her. My dad is a wonderful man and we have our differences on many levels. However, I am always a daddy’s girl at heart and I don’t stray too far.

So with all of that said, a couple of things have been running around in my mind, and as I have been tossing the ideas back and forth, I have been trying to figure out my next steps in what I am going to write and share with my blogging audience. What helpful tips can I come up with this week? Besides, make sure when looking under a couch, get up slowly and don’t twist your neck or back!

Well, to answer that question, I decided that a few readers have been loyal to my blog posts and actually do e-mail or tweet me questions about the job interview process, or how to navigate the job application, etc. it only seems fair that my audience has been brutally honest with me that I am brutally honest with them and share my most recent experience. I may be committing professional suicide here, but I have come to realize through my personal journey of life and struggles, that I will get there in my own time and on my own terms. My course that I believe has been set for me by the man upstairs and one thing I know I was put on this earth to be was a mom. No matter my journey, jobs, or experience, my main focus has to be that of my family.

My family and a very, very select few knew that in the last few weeks, something very unexpected happened to me. I received that e-mail and phone call that many are wishing would happen for them. I received a phone call from a prominent school district to come and interview for an administrator position. Now, my first reaction that this was happening was sheer excitement and panic. They want me? Little old me? What? How?

The Assistant Superintendent had received my resume from a Principal in the district who I had worked with previously. Again, shoring up a point that it is never a smart idea to burn bridges and you never know when you will need contacts and connections. I had about a 25-30 minute conversation to find out specifics for the job and the conversation ended with, “If you believe this is something for you, I need you to officially apply online and put all your credentials online.” So, I sat back and debated for 24 hours, is this something I want to pursue? I reached out to my mentor, my mom, my husband, and a good friend to just hear their thoughts. After all, this again was not something I was seeking out. I had just become grounded in the fact that I was going to have an exciting new school year, free of stress from graduate school. I was going to have somewhat set hours, be able to spend much needed time with my family, and revel in being a mom. However, that internal struggle of Rosie the Riveter and Donna Reed sparked a debate inside of my head, and after some pushing and encouragement, I decided to go for it. After all, it was “Just an Interview”. Good experience for the administration realm, and as my very wise mentor said to me, “God has opened a door, at least walk through it.”

So that Friday, I dropped by son off at his Friday class, headed to the library and spend the next 2 hours filling out the online application. Carefully thinking about my answers, uploading my credentials, all the while, my stomach turning in knots. The following Monday, I received that call I was waiting for. The interview was scheduled on Wednesday.

I secured my brother to watch my son, picked out the quintessential interview outfit and accessories, and dived into research about the district. I looked over test scores, school news, budget information, and carefully crafted five or six questions to bring to the interview. I was emailing back and forth with my Principal contact in the district, seeking out her guidance on the amount of questions I should bring to the table, and a few other pointers. I reached out to my mentor to get some last minute advice on interview tips and how to handle the nerves. The advice I got was to smile, and if I was nervous or fidgety, sit with my hands in my lap, squeeze them, until I get my stride and relax. In addition, I also was told to pay attention to body language and try to mirror what the interviewer is doing when they are asking you a question. So with that advice, I prepared my mind, practiced my questions and answers over and over again. Any chance I was along in the car, in the bathroom, in the shower, I was practicing my responses to questions I thought might be asked.

The interview day came and I admit, I was NERVOUS! But I remembered the tips I was given and drove to the interview site and signed in. The administrative assistant was so incredibly nice when I walked in and put me at ease immediately. When the interview time came, the Assistant Superintendent came to walk me to the interview table and just reassured me to try to relax, be myself, and not to be nervous. I found that incredibly encouraging and heartfelt.

I walked into the room and there were nine people in the room, staring at me as I walked in. I immediately felt nervous, but I managed to smile, say hello confidently and crack a joke about sitting in the hot seat at the front of the table.That seemed to put everyone at ease, except me. The question round began and the team asked me about sixteen questions, even though it felt like a million. The questions ranged from “tell us about a time you had a particular difficult situation and how did you handle it?” to “A leader today has to be innovative, tell us something that you have done that is innovative and proves your ability as a leader.” Even though I had prepared in my head and practiced in my car, I suddenly went blank. It was like an out of body experience, I know I started to say something but then I suddenly stopped, looked at the person who asked the question and just asked, “I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?” Of course, the committee member obliged, but inside I was horrified. I was thinking to myself, “Now you have done it, you really screwed this one up. Good going here! You are supposed to be giving sound advice to people via your blog, and you can’t even make it through an interview yourself!” However, what happened next surprised me. I stopped, thought, and preceded to give my answer. I pulled out my artifacts that related to the question and passed them around the interview table. As I thought about each word coming out of my mouth, a silent ease came over me. I was careful, deliberate with my words, and really took my time when speaking. As the questions kept coming, I really thought deeply about each answer and I was answering true to myself. I did not give textbook answers, what I thought the committee would want to hear, I dug deep into my soul and answered about how I would truly handle situations or how I handled situations in the past. At the end of the interview, the team was asked if they had follow-up questions for me and they did. Again, I took deep breaths, collected my thoughts, and answered true to my core.

At the end of the interview, I was asked if I had any questions and of course, I did. I asked 3 pertinent questions.

What were the building principals looking for in this coordinator position?
I asked a school building specific question to one of the principals, which clearly showed I did my homework.
I asked about the security of the position, were there any anticipated budget cuts?

At the end of the interview, one of the principals walked me out and we talked further. This lovely lady recognized my last name and asked me a couple of questions related to my family. Then she proceeded to tell me that she had been in education for over 30 years. Her exact words were, “ I have been in education for over 30 years and I just wanted to tell you that you interviewed very well and your answers were true to who you are and that says a lot.” I was so extremely flattered and relieved. I had done what I set out to do, interview to show who I really was and not be pretentious or fake. I was over the moon. Upon my arrival from home, I immediately jumped on my e-mail and sent thank you e-mails to everyone on the committee that I was able to get their name. I tried to put individual moments with each person, for example, if they asked me a particular question, or said something special, etc.

I was told it would be one to two weeks before I would hear anything. So I came home and was prepared to wait. However, I was not prepared for what happened next. During the waiting week, my husband’s job had become increasingly more inflexible and more demanding. The hours have become longer, the work environment more stressful, and I have had to take a step back and be there to pick up my son, do all the laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. without being able to rely on my partner. The stress has put a huge strain on our marriage and family unit. My husband is not coming home until 8 or 9 pm and this is after he leaves at 7am. I began realizing that taking an administrator job was not going to be in my cards if my husbands job was going to remain this stressful. Now what do I do?

Then the call came, I made it to the finalist round. My heart leapt to my chest as the reality set in that this could be happening for me. Then like a stick of dynamite, the next three years flashed before my eyes. Late afternoon meetings, disgruntled parents, rushing to pick my son up by 6pm so I don’t have to pay late fees at daycare, or even hiring a babysitter to pick my son up in the evening, get him fed and in bed. I didn’t have that kind of money to do that. Now some of you may be asking yourself, didn’t you think about this before you applied? The answer was yes, of course I did, but I had my husband who was available to help. Now, he was not. Some may be asking, why doesn’t your husband find another job that is less stressful and more flexible? Well, if it was that easy, he would. Did I mention my husband was out of work for 3.5 years and this current job was the first opportunity in all that time. Finding another job was not an option, we had to work with what we have. What I have is a decision to make. Do I want to climb the ladder now or wait?

Well, after 24 hours of agonizing conversations, tears, and anxiety, I decided to take my name out of the running for the final round. I am feeling exposed here as I write this and that many will judge my decision. The truth of the matter, is that it wasn’t right for me at this time in my life. I have always felt that good decisions may be difficult to make but they should never feel painful or excruciating to the person. The decision to move forward was painful for me. Let me say this, no one in the interview process made me feel this way. I think the work environment would have been wonderful, but at the end of the day I had to choose what felt right to me, not what might have been better for my pocketbook.

In the end, I chose my family unit. I don’t regret the decision that I made for one single second. I don’t believe I hurt my professional career as I was honest with the team who was interviewing me. If that district chooses not to hire me in the future for jobs that I may apply too, then that is on them. I know what I did was right for me. Right now, I am choosing to continue doing a job that I know, hours that are more predictable, and pay that I can count on so I can make sure that my family unit is stable and that is my plan that I believe was set in the cards for me.

Now, how do I go about relating this experience and helping others? The truth will be in the feedback or comments that I receive from the blogging audience. Helping others does mean that I have to leave myself a little bit vulnerable. Writing my experiences may lead one person to question or think about things differently. For that reason alone, I feel I am helping someone else. Throughout this whole process, what I did learn was this:

I will always continue to communicate my needs and wants to myself and my family.
Be honest with others who may recommend me for a position if I do not feel that I am ready to take on the responsibility.

Until next time, enjoy the week and as always please feel free to email me or follow me on twitter!

E-mail:Educator.beat@gmail.com

Twitter: @educator_beat

Two for Tuesday...(Thursday really..)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Due to technical difficulties, I had to rework this blog post...Sorry for the delay...

Hi fellow readers and bloggers!

As you know, I have taken the plunge and started my own web site, www.theeducatorbeat.com and I hope you have been there to visit me. As many of you may know this about me by now, I am quite a bit of a reflector. I get lost in my own brain, reveling in information that I have heard or seen maybe an hour, a week, or even a month prior. I look to make changes, tweak to improve, all in the hopes to better my life and the lives of students I serve daily.

What I have discovered in the last two weeks using my new web software is that I am missing your comments, knowing who is following my blog, and just the ability to reach out to fellow educators taking time from their busy schedule to read my blog!

So I am trying to merge both worlds together and interface my blog and web site into one. I just have one request. On my web site I have included a Keep In Touch page. I would love to hear your comments, feedback, or just a quick note to say that you found my blog interesting. If you are going to subscribe, drop me a line so I know. As I continue to merge my two online worlds, I appreciate your patience as I work through the kinks of my new blog! As always I continue to write, blog, and try to help as many fellow educators out there!

Pass the word, tell your friends, Pin It, Facebook it, or tweet the word. Continue to comment, tweet, or email me.

I can be reached via e-mail :educator.beat@gmail.com

Twitter@educator_beat

Now on to the blog post of the week. Special Education is the heart of what I do on a daily basis. Setting up a classroom for the first time can be a daunting task. Throw in a special education twist and you may be a little bit overwhelmed. I have put a few thoughts down on paper and I hope that it helps .

Take care and until next week, have a safe, happy, and restful 4th of July. ~RK

Starting the new school year off right...

It is summer vacation and you finally have gotten the keys to your classroom, and if you are one of the lucky ones, you have a classroom. You are anxious to get a head start to decorate your room and get organized before the chaos of the school year starts. Don’t be surprised if you come into your building and find out that you don’t have a classroom. Space, money, and building needs may dictate whether or not you have a classroom. So here are a few tips for those who don’t have their own classroom and have to travel.

Tip # 1: Don’t panic! Ask your school secretaries or administrators if there is a large cart that you can use for the year to move your stuff from place to place. You don’t want to carry everything. Otherwise you will have larger problems than just not having a classroom.

Tip # 2: If you aren’t able to get a large cart, go to each classroom you are going to be traveling to. Then make contact with the teacher of that classroom and ask him or her for a corner space where you can leave some of your essential supplies that you will need daily. Some teachers may not be receptive to sharing a room and others may be very happy. Just keep your cool and know that it is not you if you find a cool reception to your requests. Just be sure to smile, be polite, and take the opportunity to introduce yourself. You are new to the building, so it’s a good opportunity to get to know others in the building.

Tip # 3: Traveling Essentials: Do you have old coffee-cans around the house? I use them to store supplies. I just use labels and pop them over the coffee-can and label what is in the can. It is easy to transport and cheaper than buying containers from office supply stores. Here is a quick list of traveling essentials for special ed teachers.

Pencils
Pens
Markers/Crayons
Loose-Leaf Paper
Stapler
Dry-Erase Markers or Chalk
Erasers
Rulers
Highlighters
Folders labeled for classroom subject to collect papers or pass back papers
Teacher Edition Text (If applicable)
Binder Clips/Paper Clips
Incentives such as stickers, bonus bucks, free-homework passes, etc.

Now, if you have your own classroom that is terrific! Most likely you will have student desks, teacher desk, ample wall-space, some cabinets, white-board or chalkboard. Now, depending on what type of special education service you are providing, will determine how you set-up your room. In my experience, I have found that for a middle school resource classroom it is best to set-up desks in rows. Now, I know new methodologies might call for cooperative grouping, but with special education students, that can be very challenging. Mix in attention-deficit, hyperactivity, behavioral or emotional disorders, physical impairments, and you could be doing more behavior management than teaching.

The majority of classrooms at the middle school level may start the year with desks in rows. This helps for teachers to seat students in a specific order to help expedite attendance procedures, announcements, seating requirements, etc. As the school year goes on, teachers then design the room to fit the needs of their students. Another area you may want to consider in your room especially if you have a cross-categorical resource room, is a quiet corner. This is a place where students can go to take a break, chill-out, or quietly work if there is too much stimulation going on in the classroom. You could set this area up with a portable boom-box, headphones, a variety of school-appropriate music, or even a computer. Students can use this area to journal, draw, or anything to help give them a sensory break if need be.

If you have shelves at your disposal, line them with dictionary and thesauruses. Also, have extra copy of student textbooks that fit into the curriculum. I can almost guarantee students will not always have their supplies with them, so instead of having them out in the hallway losing instructional time, have extra sets of textbooks to minimize lost instructional time. Another key tip is to have a student supply area. Label the supply bins/cans for what is in them. A policy that I always have in my classroom is “deposit a shoe”. Now, you may be thinking, “That is weird” but I wanted to have a way to get my markers and other supplies back. Students have a way of walking off with classroom supplies and I was forever replacing them with my own money. So when students borrow a classroom supply with the exception of loose-leaf paper, they always deposit a shoe by the classroom supply area. With one shoe off, it helps students to remember to put supplies back so they don’t walk out of the classroom with my supplies and one shoe on their foot. Once their foot hits the cold, tile floor, they automatically remember, “Hey, I need to return the supply I borrowed.” This also eliminates me from having to run around and chase down students to return supplies. It puts the responsibility on them.

Your teacher desk is an area that should be off-limits to students unless you give them permission to be at your desk. Unfortunately, supplies have a way of disappearing if everyone has access to your desk. Again, make sure you have ample supplies of pens, pencils, highlighters, tape, staplers, staples, and any other office supplies you can think of on hand. The more you label and keep things organized, the better off you will be. Another desk must is a calendar. Whether you choose a desk calendar, assignment notebook, monthly or weekly planner, that is up to you. Two things in special education are paperwork and meetings. So be sure to have a calendar handy to write down quick dates and times for things. Another desk friendly item to have is a telephone pad that has makes a carbon copy as you write. This is for two-reasons. First, you can rip off the top copy and easily take it with you to make a phone call but still have a back-up copy. The second reason is if you have a parent phone call or meeting, you can write notes and give the parent one copy of the note and keep one for yourself without doing double the work. This phone pad really makes taking messages easy especially if you have a teaching assistant who had to answer the phone and take a message in your room in your absence. Leave a cup of pens and a telephone pad by the classroom phone just like you would at home. You never know when you have to quickly write something down and you don’t want to be searching for a pen and paper at the last minute.

Setting up your classroom also entails decorating the walls. Now, being in middle school you don’t want to overdue it with the decorations. Going to the teacher store can be a daunting task but fun at the same time. The best thing to do is take a stroll through the curriculum you need to teach and find some posters to match in the teacher store. Usually resource special ed teachers are reinforcing basic grammar, math, and reading. So find posters that are middle school age-appropriate and reinforce basic facts. Borders that you may want to use depend on your personality, but I found borders that are plain in color or that have American flags work best. If the borders are expensive, make sure to have them laminated so you can reuse them year after year. Also, laminate all your classroom posters. Before you laminate though, make sure your name is clearly marked on your posters and borders. If you ever have to move classrooms, you want to take your supplies with you. They cost you money. Speaking of money, you may ask, “Doesn’t my school provide me with supplies?” The answer to that is two-fold. Some schools may give each classroom a budget of $100.00 to buy supplies. Also, supplies are usually ordered in the spring the previous year. So if you are a new teacher, you may have to get a few supplies from the school secretaries such as staplers, staples, tape, pens, and pencils, but anything decorative in nature you will probably need to purchase on your own. In the spring you might get a chance to order your supplies for the next school year.

If you have a large white-board of chalkboard, another great tip is to measure some space to use for an assignment board. Some colored tape will do the trick. Just map out what classes you teach and measure enough space to be able to write your homework information. If you are teaching a self-contained class, this may be the space you use to have pictures and words to set-up your classroom routine. Remember in special education, routine and stability are key for these kids. Students may complain, but at the end of the day it is extremely helpful and makes transitions much smoother.

Classroom rules is something that should be posted. Base your rules on your student needs. If students are able to communicate, coming up with classroom expectations can be a class project. Students can sign their name to the document and it can be posted in the room. I have found that when students have a say in their classroom, they tend to behave more appropriately. If your students are unable to orally communicate, having picture cues with written rules is a great tool to help identify classroom behavior and routines. There are software programs and apps for Ipads available to help with pictures. Check with your supported education facilitator, technology department, special education team leader, or your mentor for suggestions.

Setting up your grade book is another area that is not taught in school. The first thing to do is get a class list of students from the secretary or whoever does scheduling. Make sure to get a list for every class that you are teaching. Typically reporting periods for grades are done every quarter with four quarters in a year. So the first thing you do with your grade book start with the first page you record on. Write the names of your students in alphabetical order. I choose to do it by last name, but you can do it by first. Since my class sizes are smaller I have the luxury of skipping lines between each name. Grade books are usually set-up in rows. You can write in grades and assignments going across two-pages. Typically, you need two-pages per quarter. So once you set-up your names on pages, start counting and grab eight pages and paper clip together behind the first page. This way you have your pages accounted for that particular class for the year. You continue this for all the classes that you have.

Keeping in touch...

Please drop me a line to say hi...

Taking a Step Back and Refocusing Part 2

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Hello Educator Beat Subscribers...

It has been a busy couple of days. I have a couple of accomplishments that I wanted to reach out and share. First, I am proud to say that the content of this blog post will be featured in the Teachers.net Gazette edition coming out July 1st. My June 18th blog post titled, Taking A Step Back and Refocusing has been revised and I added a couple of more tips. I decided to post the revised piece for all the benefit.

The second bit of news is that my blog post titled, Working Mom’s Plight has been nominated for the Most Fascinating Blog of 2012 in the Special Education category. You may have noticed that I put some links to the nomination on my web site. I am really honored to receive this nomination. I would appreciate if you would pass the word about my web site and blog, as it is my dream to help as many as I possibly can. In addition, I would love to receive your vote for The Most Fascinating Blog of 2012!.

The voting opens July 2, 2012.

Now, onto Take A Step Back and Refocusing

This morning I received an email from an educator who was the job search funk. Not a technical term but this is an overwhelming reality for so many that I have come into contact with in the last few years. This particular educator has been applying for every available job that her certification allowed and not getting anywhere. As I was responding to her email asking for advice, I decided to post my response on my blog as I feel it would be helpful for all. Again, this is what my blog is about right? Now I just have my little notice here that my advice is just that, my advice and not the opinion of any particular school district. I have gathered this information from working on professional committees, asking district office staff, readings from graduate school, and interview committee conversations.

Tip # 1: First and foremost, invest in a book called Competency Based Resumes. It

may change how you write your resume. You resume and cover letter need to stand out. Resume writing can be VERY tricky and believe me when I say, I had help. Seek out principals, human resource managers, or department chairs, in your district you have worked with, to see if they can offer any advice. If you have an objective on your resume, my personal advice is eliminate the objective. Staff want to see your core competencies and what you bring to the table right away. If you are applying for a particular job, that is obviously your objective, to get the job you applied for. Seems like common sense right? I wish someone would have told me that a LONG Time ago!

I have written a few interview tips that I believe are really the way to go. I have recently spent time on a school-level interview committee and our questions went the distance in all areas.

Tip # 2: My first bit of advice is to truly know what 21st century education is all about. It is so much more than just technology. It is about "creating a culture of innovators" and helping our students learn the world is a very large place. Key words to think about are world focus, reflection, engagement, integration, and diversity. Keeping answers student focused, as that is the reason you became a teacher.

Tip # 3: Truly have understandings of differentiation. It means more than just having different options of homework for LD, ESL, or gifted learners. Differentiation means having an understanding of Des Cartes and how it can drive our instruction for students.

Tip # 4: What does it mean to be a lifelong learner? What are some ways that you as an educator are a lifelong learner? Be prepared to show how you can utilize social media or Professional Learning Networks (PLN) to showcase your commitment not only to lifelong learning, but more importantly educating our students.

Tip # 5: Knowledge of current practices or innovative teaching methods such as

flipped classrooms will be extremely helpful here. Keeping up to date with Robert Marzano, Tony Wagner, or other education experts in the field are vital.

Tip # 6: Never underestimate teamwork. Creative thinking and thinking outside

the box are welcome changes. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas and be innovative. Having a strong knowledge base of planning for special education students, ESL students, and gifted and talented students are essential. If you are unsure, know when to ask for help and be reflective in your practice. If you are asked, “What do you think you need from us in the first year in this position?” Answer truthfully. Don’t answer what you think the team will want to hear. All of us at some point need help with new curriculum, the ins and outs of how a school building works, and we need our colleagues to mentor us.

Tip # 7: Common Core Standards knowledge is a must! How is CC going to impact you and your students in the classroom? Strong knowledge in reading strategies and how

to teach those strategies through content will be essential.

Tip # 8: Last but not least, technology. Assistive technology is huge! I don't mean augmentative recording devices. Ipads, Ipods, knowledge of applications and how they can enhance learning will almost get you a step ahead of the game.

Tip # 9: Have a small interview portfolio and pen and paper with you for the interview. Teams more than likely do not have time to look through your portfolio, however when asked a question about how you would handle a situation, have some work samples you can reference and show to back up what you are saying. As an interviewer, it says to me, this candidate came with his/her game on and wants this job! It has been my experience that interviewers always ask the candidate, “Do you have any questions for us?” Take out your pad that you have written your questions down on ahead of time and ask. Take notes on the responses you are receiving. It shows the interview team your attention to detail, that you are highly interested, and that you listen.

Tip # 10: Do your research! Know a little bit about the philosophy and demographics about the school district. Why do you want to be a part of our district? May seem easy, but if you are not prepared, it will be a tough question. Stay away from using jargon in your answers and please don’t ever respond to answers with “Cool!” “Nice!” or “Right-On!”.

Graduation!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Well this weekend marked an important milestone in my life and career. I graduated with my Educational Specialist degree in Administration and Leadership. Three simple letters are now a part of my daily vocabulary, Ed.S.

Over the past few days I can’t help but think about all the sacrifices, late nights, endless writing, reading, and papers that were done to get me to this point. It was truly a labor of love!

As I sit and reflect upon this journey that is my life, I think about the path that I have taken to get here. What many don’t know is that I actually failed out of college the first time around. I went to the local community college when I graduated high school. I could not deal with the transition from high school to college. I had been programmed to be in classes five days per week for six hours per day. When I went to college, my schedule became so different. I was in classes two or three days per week for maybe three hours at a time. I wasn’t prepared to handle the change.

I spend the majority of my time at the community college skipping classes, hanging out in the student cafeteria, and just not doing the work. This resulted in the obvious failing grades and my dropping out of school. Now you may be asking yourself how I went from a community college drop out to an educational specialist? Well, the truth is that it didn’t happen overnight.

I ended up getting my first full-time job working for a manufacturing company doing customer service. Now I wasn’t a stranger to working as I had been working since the age of 15. However, this was my first full-time job. I was making the big bucks (or so I thought) a whopping $10.65 an hour. I was officially on my way to the high life!

But what ended up happening after a year of working this job was that I felt I was at a dead end. I had no options. I started to take inventory of my life and decide what my passion was. I remember as a little girl, I was always playing school in our basement. I loved helping others, regardless if it was young children, animals, or family members. I decided that teaching was the profession that felt home to me.

As I shopped around for different colleges, I remember my cousin giving me some advice because I was torn about going away to school or staying home to commute. By this time I wasn’t the average college student. I was going on to the age of 21 and I remember my cousin saying to me, “ Randee, you aren’t going to school to meet your best friends any more, you are going to get your education.” I took that advice to heart and my mom ended up calling a family friend who was a principal to see if I could seek out some advice from someone in the field. I remember the advice I received from this former administrator. “A Teacher is as good as their bulletin boards.” Something about that statement inspired me to get my butt in gear and get moving on moving my life forward.

Fast forward to 12 years later, I am now a proud mother, wife, and special education teacher. I have completed three degrees and my life is full of choices. I have learned that receiving an education opens the doors up to so many of life’s possibilities.

So if I had one piece of advice to give the readers of this blog, it is to follow your dreams no matter how far reaching they may seem. Dreams do come true!

In this current economy, there are many people who are struggling to make ends meet, put food on the table, let alone work in a job that they are passionate about. I have seen many struggle and I am not exception. My husband and I struggle daily to navigate the endless amount of bills, student loads, work schedules, daycare, and the list goes on and on. Earning my latest degree is really a family accomplishment for us all. My husband has been supportive despite his own employment set-backs, and he has been my sounding board and my rock. I am so thankful for his support.

I am receiving multiple emails from educators seeking out advice about what to do to navigate the job market. My best piece of advice is really to keep trying. It is difficult and there are many bumps in the road. How we choose to handle the curveballs life throws at us is the true measure of our character.

Remember that life hands us a lot of things that challenge us on a daily basis. Keeping your resume and cover letter updated, staying on top of your regional office of education job feeds, searching internet job sites, and networking as much as you can are huge keys to success! One thing I have always kept near to my heart is always keep in touch with former colleagues and employers. You never know when your paths will cross.

Just remember to keep your chin up, keep searching, and above all else, have faith! Life is full of choices and no matter what happens, I firmly believe that if you have a positive attitude, initiative, and kindness in your soul, all will be ok.

Good luck and keep me posted on how your week goes, if you have comments, or feedback. Take a moment to visit the Keep in Touch page and submit your comments.

I really want to here from you!

All the very best this week~

Taking a step back and refocusing...

Monday, June 18, 2012

So it is all over the news, teachers in CPS possibly going on strike because of issues with the work day and contact negotiations. Or pension reform and the State of Illinois not funding teacher pensions. But what seems ironic to me is that little is done to shed the light on so many teachers who have been rifted (reduction in force) and are unable after a couple of years to get another teaching job. This morning I received an email from an educator who was in this situation. As I was responding to the email I decided to post my response on the blog as I feel it would be helpful for all. Again, this is what this blog is about right?
Now I just have my little notice here that the thoughts here are just my opinion from working on committees, learning in graduate school, and interview committee conversations. My advice is just that, my advice; and not the opinion of any particular school district.

I got the job, now what?

Sunday, May 27, 2012

The phone call came and you accepted your first job. This is very exciting, but scary at the same time. Someone from the personnel office called and although you were listening on the phone, you have no idea what was said. Here is a quick guide to what you will need to know when you go to the personnel office. Again, every school district is different, but filling out essential forms are the same across the country,

As a first-year teacher in the school district, you are not tenured. More than likely you will be asked to sign a contract; which states that your employment with the school district is for the upcoming school year. Now, remember you are a probationary teacher and this is something that every teacher has to go through. It is a good idea to bring with you to the personnel office your drivers license and your social security card. You will need to fill out the W-4 forms for the government. In addition, your school district may provide a variety of benefits to you as an employee. Health insurance is one of the most important benefits you can have, so make sure you sign up. School districts handle the cost of insurance differently. This is something that will be explained to you in your meeting with the personnel office. There are HMO’s, PPO’s, POS’s etc. It can be very confusing. Each plan offers different coverage and has varying price points. If you are a person who rarely gets sick or may need minimal coverage, an HMO may be better for you. If you like to pick your own doctor instead of having referrals, perhaps a PPO is your best choice. Some school districts pay a large portion of the premium for you, which when you are starting out will make a world of difference. Other benefits you may have are vision, dental, and a life insurance policy.

Another benefit that may be offered is a 403b account. Now, if you are not familiar with a 403b, it is similar to a 401k plan. 403b accounts are extremely important. Even though you are just starting out in your career, it is never too early to start thinking about putting away money towards your retirement. There are a variety of plans and your district will have a few different vendors who can provide you with up to the minute information on 403b’s. A very simplified explanation for this type of benefit is; you have money taken out of your paycheck pre-taxed and held for you until you retire. Most plans require a minimum of $25 or $50 per pay period to start. A financial planner may recommend 10% of your paycheck should be put away, but if you are anything like me just starting out, I needed every penny out of my paycheck. So I took out $50.00 per pay period because that was comfortable for me at the time. As my salary increased and I was able to, I gradually increased my 403b deduction. The best thing is to always consult a financial planner or a family member who may have experience with this area. You can always look up information online and do your research!

Now, school districts may be required to contribute to your retirement in your state retirement fund also known as your pension fund. Check with your local state board of education. You will also contribute to your pension as well with your paycheck. Now, what percentage gets taken out is a question for your personnel department. Every state may have different rules and regulations on what is pulled. The bottom line is the more you know; the better off you will be. You work hard for your paycheck and you want to make sure that you know where every penny is going.

Salary is another important benefit of course. How is salary determined? Usually school districts have pay scales that were put in place and approved by the teacher union and the board of education. When you go to sign your contract, the salary scale may be placed in front of you for you to see how it works. Teacher salary is based upon their experience in the classroom and their education. The more education and years of experience will equal a higher salary. Some school districts will publish their salary scales online and some may not. A sample of a salary scale is shown below. Keep in mind, this is a very simplified version and there was no systematic calculations or cost of living taken into effect. This is for visual purposes only.

Don’t let the scale scare you. It really can be user friendly and easy to follow. School districts usually go through negotiations every 3 years or so with the teachers union to set up a salary scale. It can be a long and tedious process, but having a scale to refer to is a great tool.

Now you have signed all your paperwork and you are eager to get into the building and set-up your classroom. There are important members of the front office that are extremely important for you to know. The building secretaries are also known as administrative assistants. These assistants are the first impression that you will receive when you walk into the building. Always be polite and courteous to them. They will be the ones who will be helping you the most in the upcoming days as your prepare for the new school year. Any questions you may have about supplies, classroom keys, security codes, student records, etc you will direct towards these assistants. Generally their function is not just to help the teachers, they are in charge of so much more. Their responsibilities are endless and they work for the whole building! So word to the wise is kindness goes a long way. They will be your best friends and you should never treat them poorly.

Graduation, now what?

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Graduation. Walking up the aisle in your cap and gown, collecting your diploma, celebrating with family and friends and suddenly it’s time to start looking for a job. Panic sets in, where do I begin? The first step is to have your resume completely updated. Make sure you use a resume template specifically for educators. Why you may ask yourself? Is there a difference? Yes, there is. Education resumes highlight your core competencies, educational background, organizations, awards, and volunteer activities. Word processing software usually has resume templates. If you don’t find it on your software, check out the world-wide-web. Search engines can locate templates for you that you can easily download.

Once you have your resume completed, make sure you have at least three letters of recommendation. If you are a pre-service teacher, letters of recommendation should include cooperating teachers, school advisors, and former bosses. Current teachers should have letters from administrators, fellow teachers, and team leaders.

Now where do you begin to look for teaching jobs? In today’s society, most school district has web sites where they list employment needs. If you have a school district in mind, do a web search.

If you are unsure of the local school districts, start by locating your regional office of education. You can do this with a web search or going to your university career center. Your state’s Regional Office of Education can supply you a list of local school districts and contact information. For example in Illinois, my local regional office of education in Lake County publishes a list of job vacancies every Monday. It lists teaching assistant, teacher, administrator, and other personnel positions in local school districts. If you don’t have a regional office of education, try your local library. Check with a librarian at the circulation desk. Another great resource is the classified section in your local newspaper. Just be cautious and make sure to research the school districts advertised.

Once you have narrowed down your search and found a job opening, make sure you are qualified to teach it. With No Child Left Behind, school districts are feeling an increased pressure to make sure every teacher is Highly Qualified. If you don’t have the qualifications the position requires, don’t apply for it. Most school districts today have gone to the web, and applications are done online. Make sure to have the following information with you when you are applying: resume, current transcript information, names and phone numbers of references, and if possible try to have scanned copies of your resume, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. It makes the application process so much smoother. If you have a scanner at home or go to your local copying center and see if these documents can be scanned for you. It is a worthwhile investment.

Once you sit down to navigate your way through the application, give yourself at least 45 minutes. Applications are a timely and thought-provoking process. This is where school districts weed out the good, bad, and the ugly. Once you have entered pertinent contact information and educational background, you will be asked what position your applying for. Remember apply for what you want and what you are highly qualified for. The next step is educational questions that will test your knowledge and show your teaching philosophy. Some common application questions you may encounter are:

Describe the skills or attributes you believe are necessary to be an outstanding teacher
How would you address a broad range of student skills in your classroom?
What have you read recently that has influenced your thinking about teaching?
What has been the most creative, independent, proactive activity that you have had your students do?
Describe the skills or attributes you believe are necessary to be outstanding when working in student support services.
When your students look back on their school years, how do you want them to remember you?
Please explain how your past personal and professional experience make you a quality candidate for the position for which you are applying.

In my experience, these questions come up again on different applications. Copy and paste your answers from the application into a word processing document. Save your word processing document as application questions and be ready to have them as a handy reference for yourself.

Once you have successfully submitted your application, most school districts will send you an e-mail or state on the application that you must send hard copies of your resume, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. Do this as soon as possible and don’t delay. Applications are a very serious process and the earlier your start, the better chance you have at a callback. After four days, follow up with a phone call to the human resources or personnel department. Make sure your application has been received and don’t be afraid to ask if interviews are being scheduled. Show a little initiative, but don’t be pushy.

Now you have completed your resume, application, and sent in necessary paperwork to the school district of you choice. The phone rings and you have been selected for an interview. Calmly set-up a time to interview and hang-up before you do the happy dance. Once you have your date and time scheduled, there is hard work still ahead of you. What are you going to wear? What do you bring with you to the interview? Here are a few tips.

What to wear:

For men, a suit is always the best option. Conservative colors are best. You don’t want to be too flashy.
For woman, a conservative pantsuit or slacks and a button down top are always another option.
No matter if you are interviewing in an urban, suburban, or rural district, dress to reflect your personal style. Be comfortable in your clothes. You are going to be nervous enough, and wearing tight clothes or something that you have never worn before will contribute to a raised level of anxiety. Never wear jeans! You are entering the professional arena; leave the jeans for the weekend.

What to bring to an interview:

I am a firm believer that less is more. Administrators don’t have time to look through your student teaching portfolio. So here are some shortcuts that will help you pave the way to a successful interview.

1. Have an interview portfolio. This is a shortened version of your student teaching portfolio. Always have an extra copy of your resume, college transcripts, and letters of recommendation in your portfolio.

2. Have photos or a video of yourself teaching a lesson. A picture is worth a thousand words. Administrators want to see you in action. Don’t be afraid to show yourself teaching. Photos or a video speak volumes and administrators are going to be on the look out for that.

The first process applicants go through is usually an interview with an administrator. I have had a series of administrator combinations. Interviewers could range from building principal to associate superintendent or personnel. However, when special education is involved it is more common for an assistant superintendent of special education to be involved in the interview process. In my current job, I was living out of state and looking for a job back in Illinois. I was lucky that the school district I was working with was flexible, and they scheduled a phone interview with me first. I had a day and meeting time for the phone interview. The assistant superintendent of special education interviewed me. Now, interviewing for a teaching position is stressful enough, but interviewing for a special education position is even more difficult. We are considered specialists and screening interviews can consist of questions such as:

Do you have experience writing Individual Education Plans?
Have you ever written a Behavior and Functional Assessment Plan?
Have you ever conducted Initial or Re-Evaluations?
How would you handle a cross-categorical classroom that has a variety of learning needs?
Have you had experience working with a teaching assistant? How do you plan for a teaching assistant?
How do you involve parents in communication in your classroom? How often do you update parents?
How would you handle a serious behavioral student?
How do you know if a student is discrepant or not?
Have you had experience working with progress monitoring or direct instruction programs? What do you see is a positive about both?
What are some technology tools or programs you have used to help students with special needs?

These questions are specific and will test your knowledge. In addition, it will also let the interviewer know right away what type of candidate they have and if they want to pass you to the next round. My best advice is to practice these questions, but not be over rehearsed. Listen intently to the questions, write down possible responses on paper, and never be afraid to ask an interviewer to repeat the question one more time, or say, “ I need a minute to think about this.” Showing your critical thinking skills is important and tells an interviewer that you don’t want to answer just for the sake of answering. The last component of the interview will be for you to ask questions. It is always important that you have two to three questions prepared to ask. Sample questions may be:

What qualities are you looking for in a candidate?
What are the job expectations for this position?
Will I have a mentor to help guide me during the first year?

If you are called back for round two and meet for a team interview, be prepared. Team interviews can have three to seven people. This round of interviews can be highly nerve-racking. You have so many people sitting around the table looking at you that is can be intimidating. Try to relax and remember you are there to showcase yourself. Positive attitude and confidence go a long way. However, you have to be very careful and remember that confidence can be mistaken for ego. On an interview I had several years ago for a 5^th grade teaching position, I felt that I had done a great job! I nailed every question and appeared very relaxed. When in fact, the interview committee felt I was over confident and cocky. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. I was devastated because I felt I had the experience that made me a better candidate. However, in retrospect I should have taken more time to answer the questions instead of trying to fill up every question with a response right away.

When you sit down at the table for a team interview, you will more than likely be interviewing with the building principal and associate principal. In addition, at the middle school you will interview with the team leader and another member or two of the special education team. This time the questions may be geared more towards your teaching style and team dynamics. This interview process is getting to know you as a person and how you are going to fit into the team. Every team and building has dynamics that are positive and negative. If you reached this point, it is assumed that you have the special education knowledge for the position; now the team wants to see how you will fit in. Again, the most important thing is to be you. Now that doesn’t mean to wear jeans and let your hair down. It means to highlight your strengths as a teacher, show off your communication skills, and most importantly you love for teaching.

The initial and team interview has passed and now you are thinking, “Now what is the next step?” Make sure you got the name of the principal or other top administrators that interviewed you. Drop them a thank you note, it is always a nice touch. Even though they may decide to go with another candidate, the note will leave a positive impression in the mind of the administrator. They may keep those little notes and when a position opens up or they know of something that they think you might be suited for, they might call you in for an interview or pass your name to their network of colleagues. The main message is never burn your bridges. Always walk out of an interview with your head held high and a firm handshake.

School districts handle interviews in a variety of styles. It has always been my firm belief that when a school district wants to hire you, they immediately let you know. The phone call you have been waiting for usually will come within 24-48 hours or even sooner. In my case, I had a job offer by the time I left the interview. Now some may say that is a little overzealous or be warned about school districts that offer you a job on the spot. The thinking is districts might be desperate to fill the position. However, in a well-established school district that you have done your research on, it can be safe to say it’s a good thing when they offer you a job on the spot. The key factor is do you want the position they offer? As a new graduate looking for your first job, the job offer may not be glamorous or even in the district you want. But, it is a job that will give you a wealth of experience that you can’t learn from textbooks. Once you have accepted that first job, be sure to hold on tight because the roller-coaster is just getting warmed up.

What if a week has gone by and you haven’t heard anything? It may be safe to assume that you did not get the job. Don’t be discouraged, keep your focus and don’t give up. If you are comfortable a follow-up email or phone call to the interviewing administrator may be a good idea. It never hurts to ask them, “Is there something I can do to improve in my interview?” or “Do you have any advice on areas that I can polish my interviewing skills?”

You may or may not get the answers that you wanted, and some administrators may not have time to give a new graduate advice, but I think that any administrator who is interested in helping to mentor new, young teachers will take the time and give some helpful advice. After all, they were once in your position. Interviewing is a tricky thing and may not always be the most pleasant. We have all had interviews that we could have done better on, but one of the positives about interviews is that we can all learn from the experiences and make the next one even better!

Gearing up for the end of the year!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Spring break. Two words that are the favorite among students and teachers alike. This time of year is sacred as the drab winter months are finally behind us and educators can see past the state assessments. This year, the focus for me has been "One day at a time". I have had significant challenges in my classroom this year and a couple of months ago I was not able to see past the clouds. Then March came in roaring with spring like temperatures and the smell of summer loomed in the air. Finally,spring break was here! My son and I went to Hilton Head,South Carolina to visit my uncle. My uncle was an immigrant to our country and through hard work,perseverance, and discipline, he was able to capture the American dream. His monetary successes pail in comparison to his success of being a friend,cheerleader, and father-like figure to me. He encouraged me my entire life and always believed in me. To this day, he still is encouraging me.

My uncle hosted my son and I for several days and we were able to see the sun rise along the South Carolina revenues, take in glorious weather, walk the river front in Savannas, and just relax at the Hunting Island Beach. Fun days in the sun. I managed to get some sun and increase my freckle foliage by ten-fold. Throughout our time in the South, I was struck with the natural beauty of the area. The trees,the water, and the genuine southern hospitality. One evening my uncle hosted some neighbors for dinner and one of the retirees, Miss Virginia, was a retired educator. She had been a principal in the Georgia school system. When Miss Virginia heard I was a special education teacher, it was like music to her ears. She said to me, "Miss Randee, tell me everything, how is special ed these days?" "Do you still have more paperwork then anything else?" My response was,"Things haven't changed too much, still the paperwork." Miss Virginia then went on to tell the dinner guests how special of a person I must be for the job I do. She explained to the guests that being a teacher is incredibly difficult,but being a special educator was an entirely different league and no one could begin to imagine the amount of work and tireless effort it takes to do the job. Then Miss Virginia turned to me and said," You have earned this Spring Break! You rest up and relax!" Her words were as sweet to my ears as a mint julip is to my lips. I felt incredibly encouraged that I had a cheerleader in the crowd and I only met this dynamic lady 15 minutes before. So I took Miss Virginia's advice and relaxed. I let it all go! The IEP's, the behavior plans, common core, the stress, EVERYTHING! I truly enjoyed myself.

As the days went on, the educator in me was curious about the schools in Jasper county. Through the car rides, I got to see a couple different schools. The playgrounds, outdoor settings, and the layouts of school buildings. I began thinking about the classrooms,how they were decorated, the learning going on, and the young minds at hard work! The reasons that I had forgotten about for so long.

I felt renewed and refreshed and ready to go back to finish up the year. The feeling of empowerment to go back to the classroom and finish up the year with the rigor in which it started. I am geared up for the bumpy road of placement meetings, IEP conferences, and transition planning. Not to mention the lesson plans for the four different preps and two grade levels of students I teach. I will remember the ultimate goal of learning,rigor, and social-emotional standards. The most important plan that I won't forget to write is my own. My promise for the remainder of the year is to remember the carefree smile my son had when he saw the beach for the first time. The joy and exuberance that I felt watching my son enjoy the seashells and sand beneath his toes is a feeling I will remember when I feel the stress creep up as I near the end of the year.
What will your plan be to make it to the end of the year? As always comments are welcome!

Morning sunrises!

My son's joy and exuberance as he hit the beach for the first time! Carefree days!

A working mom’s plight

Thursday, March 15, 2012

For all the working mom and dad's out there, this one is for you. Spring is just around the corner and I can hear and see all the signs of Spring on the horizon. Just as I am seeing light to the end of the tunnel, Wham! I get hit right in the face with a common winter flu bug that has launched me right back into bed! Now, for some, I might hear, "what's the big deal? Your sick, stay at home and get better!" For someone like me who eats, sleeps, breathes, my career, I can't just sit and relax while flipping through the pile of magazines that I haven't had a chance to read yet. The guilt of missing my classroom slowly creeps in and I find myself checking school e-mail and trying to keep up on the daily grind. But as I am doing this, I quickly realize that I need to start planning the spring and summer activities for my son. So my get well day has turned into the frenzied park district class search to make sure I have viable activities for my son to participate in. EEK! Does the cycle ever end?

So, instead of flipping through the Everyday with Rachel Ray, or Whole Living, I am flipping through three park district catalogs trying to maximize the time and days allotted for activities. The kicker of all of this, is that my mom, who takes care of my son (Fabulously, I will add) two days per week, is going to be the adult in charge of taking my son to his activities. This makes me feel even more guilty, that it is NOT me who is having fun taking my son to his pre-school activities.

So now, I am busily juggling the schedules of my son and my mom, daycare, park district schedules, and thinking to myself, Why? Why do I do this? Why do I do this job? Why do I even care so much about my students who don't seem to care about me? Well, when it comes down to it, I care deeply. I care deeply about my work ethic, my students, and my commitment to the field of education. What I don't care about is rat race. I am so sick of hearing about ineffective teachers, common assessments, core curriculum, core standards, leadership teams, etc. What I want to hear are comments such as, Great Job! You made that tough topic rock! Students are in a better place and more prepared because of having you as their teacher! Simple common courtesies go a LONG way!

I think we have to get back to basics where family is first. Eating dinner together, game nights, quality family time together. It's okay to be sick or take a personal day. Working environments where taking family time is accepted and embraced, not frowned upon. There is so much pressure to be the best, the right teacher, global leader, 21st century skill based teacher. I personally feel split into two people all the time. Trying to be the best mom and wife while balancing being the best educator there is. I don't think it is possible to be both all the time. Finding a balance is key and right now, I have no answers to that. All I know is that I want to be able to find a quality working environment in which I will not be made to feel guilty for taking days when I am sick.

I often have thought about the entrepreneurial spirit. Is it still out there? I have been tossing the idea around for years going into business for myself, what would I do? What can I do? What is out there? Opening a small business is time-consuming and would take me away from my family, but what about a business that incorporates family into it? I have been seriously looking into opening my own early learning center and looking for ways to finance options. I am seriously dedicated to this idea for the simple reason of family. No working parent should ever feel the weight of the guilt and feelings of stress when having to choose child care options. Children are absolutely the most precious commodity and their futures are bright. Finding money to pay for childcare and not just any childcare should not be a luxury item. It should be a right. A right for all families to have equal opportunities for early childhood education. This doesn't just mean state of the art facilities, this means quality teachers, quality learning opportunities for technology, creative arts expression, reading, science, etc.

So, where does this leave me? Definitely relatable to other working parents. I don't have the answers, but always looking for ways to continue to help others. Please know that I have truly enjoyed reading everyone's comments on twitter, linked in, and through word press. Please leave comments on the web page so others can learn from something you might have to say. I leave this last comment. Thank you for reading the blog and I always look forward to communicating and learning from all of you!

Social Media

Monday, February 27, 2012

This week I had the unique opportunity to take part in an online conversation using the Social Media network, Twitter. I have to say that at first it was awkward but after awhile I really got the hang of it. The positives were that I was able to connect with educators from all over the country and have unique conversations that enlightened me. The drawback is that you have to be quick on your texting fingers. I found insightful,relevant comments and educators really committed to change. Throughout the week I have gone back to the twitter feeds and reflected, asked more questions, and actually got some answers. I have really started to fall in love with twitter for the ability to connect with people who are in my mind education royalty. For example, I can follow Barnett Barry, Rick Wormelli, and even Robert Marzano. You can tweet ideas and even get responses.

I even get to read tweets from others and I find new web sites and resources to investigate. It is addicting! If you haven't checked out twitter, you are missing out.

Leading a change for teaching profession

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Yesterday I received my complimentary issue of NEA Today in the mail and I put it to the side for when I had 5 minutes of uninterrupted time to thumb through the issue. I usually pile it on the stack of magazines in my powder room but this morning I found a few minutes to thumb through it. I came across this feature article, Leading the Profession NEA's bold new plan for true education reform by Will Potter and Tim Walker.

It immediately caught my attention because I have often thought over the last few years that our education programs need reform as many teachers are not prepared for the classroom. I know that I wasn't when I first started. The NEA has come up with a three-point plan to help take education reform to the 21st century. I have attached the full plan to this blog for all to read. The three key points are as follows:

1. Raising the bar for entry: Entry into teacher certification programs and student teaching internships need to have an increase of rigor and admission standards.

2. Teachers ensuring great teaching: More advanced teachers should take on more responsibility to mentor and help novice teachers and/or take on more difficult student cases.

3. Providing union leadership to transform the profession: continuing to have a clear voice in policies that effect the state of education in this country.

This is an interesting and timely move by the NEA and I hope that these ideas spark conversation and change to our profession. Teaching is one of the greatest and most challenging of all professions. We are given the tired, hungry, poor, and some overindulged, I-generation of students and we have to educate them to become contributing members of society. Not an easy task at all!

Don't forget as educators we have a responsibility to have our voices heard. Keep contacting your local legislature and stand up when you feel your voice isn't being heard.

Happy Reading and as always comments are welcome via Twitter, on the Blog, or through e-mail at educator_beat@gmail.com

Leading the Profession

Mentor Teaching

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Well the subject of this week's blog has to do with mentor teaching. I have had the pleasure this week of hosting a pre-service practicum student for one and a half days. Having a practicum student allowed me a few moments of self-reflection while driving back and forth to work. First, I want to start off by saying thank you to the special person who was the guest in my classroom. My guest really walked into what I thought was a fire storm. I was pulled in multiple directions and even though I felt a little guilty, I had to remember that this was just part of my normal.

Working with my guest, made me think back to my days of student teaching. I had a awful experience. I was not prepared for the classroom and worked with someone who took me in to make her program look good. What I learned during that time was that I had to rely on myself to get through the 16 week process. I didn't really learn what it took to be a teacher. I was just trying to figure out how to please my cooperating teacher and get her to acknowledge that I was doing a good job. That "good job" never came and I walked away from that experience thinking that I would walk away from teaching permanently. The student teaching experience had scarred me for life.

I wasn't prepared to enter the teaching profession and decided to accept a position as a teaching assistant. I was working in a self-contained elementary classroom and that is where I met my "mentor teacher". Mrs. B, as I will call her, was a long-time veteran special education teacher. She welcomed me with open arms and as I began to get to know the kids and Mrs. B., the more I fell in love with teaching. Mrs. B let me teach lessons, plan a unit, and really built my confidence up. She shared with me tricks of the trade, setting up grade books, documenting for IEP's, and overall treated me with kindness. A "Good Job" from her was priceless and meant so much. A time in my life that I will never forget. From that point forward, it made me realize that this was my personal mission and passion. To help pre-service teachers to be their very best. To give them confidence and wings to carry on for the next generation.

Over the years, I have found that I have come into little contact with special education student teachers. I often see colleagues hosting student teachers for content areas, but none for special education. I start to wonder why? Our job is just as important as others. Our students are just as important. It brings me to wonder what the pre-service programs are like for special education teachers? Are these future special education teachers going to be prepared to enter the classroom with content knowledge or just behavioral knowledge? If our programming for teachers is going to change, our pre-service teachers in all areas need to spend more time in the classroom. Practicum hours are not enough and just like school psychologist interns, I feel and I may be a minority here, student teachers need to have at least a year working as an intern prior to taking a teaching position. Mentor teachers are extremely important to this process and the vitality of the job. Making this commitment is time consuming but I feel worth the commitment.

Mentor teachers have, in my opinion, an obligation to help prepare and nurture, not only the future students; but the future teachers of our country. We have to embrace the model "I do, we do, you do" with student teachers. Student teachers are not there to make our professional lives easier or to do the grunt work. They are there to share in the collaborative process, be a part of the problem solving team, and enhance the profession. Sharing techniques that are new to the industry while learning tried and true tricks that are still relevant. That is the beauty in this process of reciprocity. So after being around the block for a few years, my leadership take-away is that we all continue to strive to learn from one another and we all strive for the "good job". Mentor and/or cooperating teachers and student teachers are a pair that need to work together in sync. One is not good without the other.

In closing, perhaps my blog this week might be to idealistic or self-centered, but it was my thoughts. I don't have any answers but continue to hope that through my professional work at school and my moonlighting as a blogger, some good will happen as a result. Thanks for reading and again, look forward to any comments on the blog.

Have a great week~

Most critical skills for 21st Century

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

So today received an article titled,"http://www.wfs.org/forecasts/index.html"Forecasts for the Next 25 Years"</a> in my email. The article discussed the single most critical 21st Century skill. The top needed skill reported as the most critical to learn was foresight. Those who are able to learn how to think towards the future will fare better in times of uncertainty. Interesting concept to think about. Makes me think about the thousands of young graduates who have spent thousands of dollars on their education to become teachers and there are not jobs available to them when they graduate. When I was in undergrad school, I decided to get my special education endorsement in addition to my elementary education degree. I thought the endorsement would put me ahead of the competition as a young person competing with others in the interview process. However, having the special education endorsement is what helped me land my first job teaching high school special education. Fast forward to years past, one master degree and certification as a reading specialist, and now, finishing up my education specialist degree in administration and leadership, and I am still teaching special education. What foresight do I have for when I graduate with my Ed.S degree? Well, I agree with the World Future Society. Foresight is definitely the critical skill not only for the future, but for the present. Teachers today have to continually remember to think ahead and think about what's next. Advice for future teachers? Make sure you have a specialty with your degree. Whether it is speech and language, special education, bilingual, ESL, or yoga, you need to have something! Otherwise, you may spend the first three to four years post graduation, substitute teaching day-to-day. Don't get my wrong, there is nothing wrong with subbing, it is a very difficult job. It provides wonderful trial by fire experience, but nothing compares to your first year of teaching. So, just curious as to what others out there are thinking as to what the most critical skill is for the 21st Century? Are our schools prepared to lead students into the 21st century?

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