Styer-Fitzgerald Training

I am currently north of Seattle in a training for a new Functional academic curriculum that I will be implementing in the next school year. My district's thoughts on the program are high, and I'm excited to see how this goes. I'll be coming back to this program regularly with testimonials and reviews. If you know it or have used it, please share your experiences in the comments.

-ECS


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

February 2011 Update

I realize I have not posted much in the past few months, but you can 't blame me because I'm a new teacher still learning the ropes, and I'm really really busy.  But maybe that's a good thing.  I am not one to accept failure.  I enjoy a chance to take on many challenges.  The level of focus required helps me stay sharp.  However, the last few days have shown to  be a valuable critique on my teaching style.  And that is that I rely too much on myself and not on a curriculum. 

The only advantage to this s that since i have so few students, I can meet them right where they are and help them build skills specific to their needs.  On the other hand, I have to be present in order to implement it, the students don't quite know what's coming, and everything becomes too subjective. 

How do I overcome this critique?  Well, it is easier to add flexibility to structure than to add structure to chaos.  So I'll find a social skills curriculum and accommodate it to my students.  A LOT has happened this year, and it seems to have been a long year already.  But I know that when June comes, it will feel as if the year has ended far too quickly. 

The Vast Differences Between Parenting and Teaching

Are there any?

I don't think that being a parent or a teacher makes you any better or worse at being the other. However, I do have a better understanding of the parents' perspective.

So, back to the original question: Are there any differences between parenting and teaching?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Conferences

In spite of snow days and reschedulings, I finally made it through my first round of parent-teacher conferences. Now, I know I only had a couple parents to talk with, but I am very fortunate to be working with some great parents this year. Parents who want the success of their students, and parents who have the mindset to work with the teacher (me) for that success. It i reassuring for me when parents walk away from a conference with a smile on their face, and giving me permission to challenge their child to reach the expectations I'll be setting for them.

I know this is not always the case, but for now, I am glad that it is.

Visualization vs. Application

As an athlete, one of the strategies coaches would tell me was to visualize myself making the play in games.  This is an effective tool since it brings a certain level of familiarity to a stressful task/performance and alleviates some of the anxieties associated with it.  

This strategy has followed me through life, and I found myself with a clear vision of what I wanted my first teaching experience to be.  

However, as an athlete I knew that once I stepped onto that field, events would not transpire the way I had envisioned.  If we get everything we want, then life becomes a meaningless pile of accumulated uselessness.  If being a Special Education Teacher was easy, then everyone would do it.  But it is not easy, and I knew that.  I knew it was going to be difficult, it is a lot of paperwork, that sometimes you get on the good and the bad side of parents, and that sometimes you struggle with students' learning or behavior.  I worked as a para-professional for over five years, so I knew all this coming in to this year, and yet I was still caught off-guard.  

I can't say that it is any one thing that has caught me off-guard, but the combination of things.  What has been unexpected to me, is needing to become a 1:1, and in-turn feeling like I've had to put the other students on cruise-control and ignore them in order to work with one.  What I did not account for was not having a time during the day to plan or collaborate with others in my department or building.  I do not want to fail my students, but I am only recently feeling like I'm coming out from being behind the 8-ball.  I am finally getting the help that is necessary for student success. 

I am not making excuses, and when I threw an interception in a game I didn't complain about it, but made sure that the guy was tackled so I could get to the sideline, evaluate, and fix the problem.  It is not what has happened to this point in the year that will dictate the way this year progresses, but the way My team and I are able to respond to these adversities, critiques, and obstacles. 

Something that is coming up, is that I am going to have to alter my leadership style to a certain extent.  However, I will save this topic for another post.  Thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to comment or follow.

October Reflections

Good afternoon,
Thank you for taking a minute to check out my blog.  I have a little bit of time to reflect on my first 6 weeks as a teacher.  I want to touch on the good things that have been going well, the things that are still causing stress and not going so well, and end with looking forward to the next couple months and the holiday season. 

The GOOD:
I was fortunate to step into a classroom that had a majority of returning students who knew what was expected of them, who knew the building, and who had a working program in place.  I have two 8th grade students who have been able to go to their GenEd classes and perform well there.  I also have a 7th grade student who came in the first day and jumped right into his visual schedule and routines as if it was business as usual, and he has been amazing all year.  My most difficult student had newly transition to where I am from the elementary school and we have had some success helping him learn the boundaries and expectations, and getting some of his old systems and activities in place in the new setting. 

My team has been amazingly helpful in putting together new things for the students to be working on, and in keeping them headed towards meeting their IEP goals.  We have even been able to create activities that challenge students who seem to show mastery over last years curricula.  I am so glad that I have been able to mesh with my aides in the way I have, and be able to openly brainstorm ideas to see what may or may not work with students.  In addition to my immediate team, the entire TFMS building staff has been incredibly supportive of me as I'm trying to get students to be challenged and successful this year to prepare them for either the HS next year or for more success here next year.  The parents, have been a positive factor in transition being smooth for me, and for their child transitioning to getting used to me this year as well. 

Needs WORK:
Though fortunate to not step into an empty class with no materials, I am still having to weed through the materials and equipment in the room, and decipher the organization of items I have stepped into, and see how to get it to work for me.  It has proven to be a work in progress.  I also feel like I am finally going to be heading in the right direction with my most difficult student.  I think some positive things are finally getting set into motion, and we should see some changes soon. 

The OUTLOOK:
Over the course of the next couple months until the Christmas Break, we will be adjusting and solidifying new and old behavior plans, slowly evolving an extensive visual schedule into a simpler, more differentiable one to handle more activities and flexibility.  We will be looking at what students are doing, and how we can continue to challenge them towards new heights.  We have had some rough days, but even on those days we have seen some positive growth from all of our students, and we will continue to pull the best our students can give us from them. 

Survival of the Fittest... or Diversified

I remember the old General Motors commercials when they were hyping their pick-ups and their cars were not fairing so well; their slogan was something like "Do One Things Well."  This they did; their pick-ups have been the #2 selling automobile in America as long as the F-150 has been the #1.  But of these two car companies, Ford did not need or take any bailout money to make it through the first part of the current recession.  Why?  Ford had already diversified.  They had the Explorer, the Escape, and the Taurus which where the best selling (domestic) autos in their respective classes. 

What does this have to do my Life on Special Education? Everything.  I tend to get restless if I have only one plate spinning at a time.  Since I have finished my Master's in Education, I have been trying to figure out what venture I will add to my pot next.  I'm thinking that this next venture will be consulting with parents to help them create a proper home environment for their child(ren) with special needs.  This will be the first of many other consulting services that I'll probably be doing over the years. 

So, the question is, how do I take the next/first step and get started?  And the answer is that I'm not sure yet, but I'm researching around, and I'm gonna figure this out before too long. 

Intricately Simple: Behavior Modification

I have been teaching for four weeks now, and have been referred to as the behavior expert several times.  Maybe this is because I am the Life Skills Teacher, or maybe it is because of how I have been able to have relative success with the severe behavior students that I have in my class.  Either way, i think it is a flattering, but presumptuous term for me.  I do not consider myself to be an expert on anything at this point, but I know that I enjoy the challenge that behavior modification presents. 

To oversimplify behavior modification into one sentence, I would say that it is to hold out until you get the behaviors you want from the student.  

There are a varying number of factors that play a role in implementation:

1. Why is the student engaging in the behaviors?
2. What causes the behaviors?
3. How long has the student exhibited these behaviors?
4. Were these negative behaviors reinforced intentionally or unintentionally in the past?
5. Where did the student learn these behaviors?
6. Can the student be redirected, or do they need to be removed when the behaviors arise?
7. Are the behaviors a result of their OCD, or are they in somewhat control?
8. And the list goes on.

Behavior modification required one to be fearless in the face of raging students, and patient enough to outlast the tantrum until the student gives in to the expectations that were set in front of them. The biggest detriment to behavior modification is inconsistency on the part of the staff member implementing the program.  You must be willing to wait for EXACTLY the behavior you want, and nothing less.  This is not easy, but it is simple thing to do.  If anyone has watched HITCH, the 90-10 Rule is a great illustration of behavior modification. Hitch is soft and steady in his tone, but rigid in his expectations. 

Enjoy:

As I mentioned before, behavior modification is intricate, but simple.  So stick to your guns, hold the line, and never back down!

Staff Meeting

I got the privilege of being at the focal point of this morning's staff meeting.  I have a difficult student who was turning into an Urban Legend because none of the staff or students have had a chance to see or meet him.  My class has taken on the characteristics of a petting zoo where people wanted to come and see what the fuss was about.  However, I would not have people in my classroom when a student is having trouble expressing themselves.  In the staff meeting I was able to field some answers regarding possible concerns about student and staff safety with an aggressive student, and what to tell students regarding this particular student. I've gotten good feedback about how the meeting went, which is good.  I'm just glad I was able to convey an understanding that this particular student is not a "bad kid", but a child who is missing the appropriate means of expressing himself. 

Sir! Yes Sir!

The problems I had last week with a student, have not disappeared, but they are more in check today.  Today is done, and my most difficult student was not my most difficult today.  Why?  The answer to this is easy.  He did have a Behavior Intervention Plan, he does have materials to work on, and he does have a schedule in place, but he did last week as well.  What is the difference?  The strategy of implementation.  I was able to have a very simple question answered after the students went home on Friday.  This question was a matter of strategy when dealing with this particular student.  Do I give him time to adjust, or am I a Drill Sargent on the expectations?  The answer made me happy, because it was to be a Drill Sargent.  Today was MUCH better than last week! 

Week One in the Bag

One of the biggest things I can say about taking over a classroom for the first time is that communication is everything!  I am expecting to have a completely different week next week because of a single understanding that I have now, as opposed to before the school year began.  That understanding was simply how hard to push a very... very difficult student.  in my eyes, the plan can be flawless, but without a clear strategy, there is no clear understanding about implementation.  My question was whether the behaviors he was presenting was a matter of him needing time to adjust to an increasingly familiar place (new school), or if it was a matter of direct, immediate, and absolute behavior modification from the outset.  in other words, do I give him space, or do I become his drill sargent.  Drill Sargent I can do... Letting a student (regardless of diagnosis) bite me and scratch me to the point where I'm bruised and bleeding I do not do well.  Next week will be a better week.  A long weekend, a renewed strategy, and hopefully one more body to help manage the other students in the afternoon.  Next week can only be better. 

Tech Kick-Off

Finishing up my lunch break during the tech Kick-Off event.  It is an amazing thing that the Snoqualmie Valley SD was able to get a technology levy passed, and i think that the commitment to the students will payoff in a big way over the next few years.  Considering the ranking of this district, I feel very fortunate to be in a school ranked in the top 15 in the state of Washington, and on a community that understands the importance of investing in their child's education. 

I'm excited to get this year started.

Education Reform, Like Democracy, Starts at the Bottom

Certification Update: I am currently waiting for my Institutional Recommendation to be mailed out to me from the University of Phoenix.  Once I have that in hand, I can apply for my Arizona Teacher Certification and my Washington State Teacher Certification as well.  But I'm just waiting. 

It is in this period of waiting that I have been thinking about this process I have undergone in order to become a teacher.  Do I think that an individual with ONLY a Bachelor's Degree should be able to teach?  Absolutely not!  DO I think it is necessary for someone to be unpaid for up to 7 months (much like my scenario) in order to become a teacher?  No.  I think that there can be a differentiation in the paths taken to become a teacher.  In the same way that businesses look for education OR experience, I think your time working in schools should factor into your certification process.  I have seen too many kids in college who want to be teachers go from school to more school to teaching without working in the schools.  In this scenario, I think it is important to have an internship period where the student is immersed in an education setting.  This would work ideally for students who are able to do their certification in a one year program.


What is the result I'm looking for?  I have a friend who had to turn to working construction to support his growing family.  I had another friend who did the quick school route and burned herself out in a year and has not returned to teaching.  I have another friend who used up all his financial reserves to make it through the education portion of teaching.  These are quality people, and they would be great teachers if the process prepared them to be more than just broke.  This year, one of the counselors at the school I was working in introduced me to a kid who was going through his certification classes, because the counselor knew I was doing the same thing.  This kid walked into the school library all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  He had a kid at Disneyland smile on his face, and he walked in like he stepped into Yankee Stadium for the first time.  I was busy working with my student who has Cerebral Palsy, and  when asked for advice, I said simply, "work in the schools." 

HYPOTHETICAL MOMENT: Let's say you have a teaching certification program, that schedules its classes in the late afternoon to evening, and requires its students to work as aides and para educators in the schools in the area during their time in the program.  What happens to those students and those schools?  Let's start with the students.  The students will gain a better understanding of what they are getting themselves into.  They will also learn first-hand how to create APPROPRIATE relationships with the kids they work with.  The kids in the schools will LOVE to be around younger people, and they will be surrounded by COOL people in college; something to look up to... someone to want to be like.  The schools will have an influx of youthful energy that not only wants to be there, but is constantly learning how to do their jobs better, and educate better.  When these students have been working in schools for one or two years, then they should not be forced to be unpaid for 3 months, plus a summer vacation, plus their first month working as a teacher... they will be better equipped to step into a classroom, and they will have had the opportunity to build a relationship with a school, faculty, student body, and district. 

Now, prior to this year, I will have worked in schools for 5 years.  Not only do I know how to work with kids and their parents, but I also understand the ebb and flow of student learning throughout the school year.  I explained this in an interview I did this year.  A Seasoned educator knows how stressful the beginning of the year in only to hit your groove in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas Break.  Then you have to redo your class expectations in the New Year, and you start to get grooving again in time for Mid Winter and Spring Break.  By the time your routine is down pat, then you have kids checking out mentally because it's almost Summer.  Then you have to hope that the teachers before you taught the students what they will need to be successful in your class next year, and that the students retain any of it. 

Education reform is to be done from the bottom up.  The trouble is that it is becoming a political platform for those at the top. 

Stir Crazy

I am definitely going crazy as I am forced into the Waiting Game once again. I'm waiting for one more piece of paper from the University if Phoenix so I can submit for my Arizona Teaching Certificate, and once I get that, I'll have to submit for my Washington teaching Certificate also. Waiting, is making me go NUTS!!! I feel like there's so much I could be doing to get ready if I didn't have to wait.


-- Post From JB's iPhone

Full Benefits Package

I have a HUGE package of materials to go through for the benefits that I get as a teacher. What is best about it, is that I will be able to make sure my kids have double coverage to be able to take care of anything that may arise. I also am looking forward to the TRS retirement plan. Lots of stuff to do. I think I'll spend Tuesday and Wednesday at SVSD summer school and up at TFMS checking out my new classroom. I'm starting to get a bit excited.


-- Post From JoeB's iPhone

Redesign

I'm slowly trying to figure out the best way to organize my new classroom and even the access that I want to make available to the parents of my students. I do mot want to create too much change in the classroom at once, but I know the classroom will be much different (in appearance and in concept) by the Christmas break. I can't wait to see what that means.

-- Post From JoeB's iPhone

Job Hunt: Finished Already!

What a great day.  I was offered the position at Twin Falls Middle School yesterday after my follow-up interview with the principals.  I was able to see the school, and some of te teachers that were there.  I was able to meet the teacher who I will be trying to replace, and also one of the classroom aides.  If you read yesterday's blog post, I discussed my conundrum of trying to figure out how to handle stepping into a new position versus staying at Tahoma.  By the time I had talked with the principals, toured the school, and saw the classroom, my mind was made up.  However, I wanted to take a day and make sure it would work with my family's needs for this next year.  If I waited for another position, I may not find one as good as this one.  I will post about the position later, but I have accepted the position to be the new Life Skills teacher, and I was able to do this quicker than I thought possible.  I feel good about the decision, and though I will miss the Tahoma students I've worked with, I am excited about starting anew. 

Job Hunt: My Conundrum

Today I have a follow-up interview with Twin Falls Middle School.  It is supposed to be more casual, and get a chance to walk around the school and see the classroom.  It is quite exciting.  However being one of two candidates considered for this position is exciting, I am conflicted.  IF (and this is a big "if") I get this position, do I take it, and relax the whole summer knowing exactly where I'll be next year?  I will have a chance to start anew in a new school in a new district where no one knows me or my family (much like when I started in the LWSD years ago).  I will have an opportunity to be known strictly as a teacher, and not as an instructional assistant or a paraprofessional.  I will be able to become the teacher I want to be. 

On the other hand, I have put A LOT of work into the kids in the Tahoma School District, and if given the opportunity, I would like to see them through to their finishline.  So this is my conundrum, but only because I'm not in a position to choose yet.  Once placed in that position, I am sure I will make the right decision for me and my family, whatever that may be.  The kids at Tahoma, I will miss, if I do not end up there, but I will keep in contact with them and check up on them.  My real hope is to be able to choose, and not be forced into a decision.  That is my hope.

Because I said so: Instilling Intrinsic Value

Working in secondary schools I have experienced the entitlement mentality of the society we live in played out in the attitudes of today's youth.  With two kids of my own, my wife and I often discuss how to teach them properly and build a proper work-ethic within them.  We live in a society that does not value anything that is good for us physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.  However, I am not blaming it.  The society is a reflection of its people.  I am not going to sit here and blog about the troubles that we have, because we already know what's wrong.  I want to give you a solution to consider. 

As a parent, I am going to do something that could revolutionize child-rearing for Americans.  I am, with the help of my wife, going to take responsibility for the growth and development of my children mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  We are not going to count on the schools for mental and emnotional development, we will not depend on organized sports to develop our kids physically, nor will we leave it in the hands of the Church to grow our children spiritually.  I believe in the usefulness of these three institutions, but we have lost sight of the most important institution: THE FAMILY. 

The family is at the heart of our society.  Consider the state of our society and the state of families.  How broken and shattered are we as we watch the divorce rate slowly rise above 50% and beyond?  What is a child's first glimpse of what it means to be connected to another but in a family?  What is a gang, but a sense of family that someone gets from outside of their biological connections.  There is a definate formula for families that aides in the proper growth of children.  The constants of this formula are love, stability, security, and trust.  Everything else is a variable.  When one of these constants is missing, then the family unit becomes off center.  The more that are missing, the more off center and dysfunctional this family becomes.  Most commonly, families have been missing trust and stability, which means that there is a 50% chance of survival. 

I am not going to make an argument for or against gay marriage.  But I will say that I have worked with some kids who will take two moms or two dads who want a family over their current situation.  I worked with students who spend more time at their friend's house in order to feel the family connection they are missing in their home. 

How do I practice what I preach?

We have a natural inclination to assign value to things, and to people.  This guys is better than the next.  This lady is prettier than the others.  My dad can beat up your dad.  The problem comes when we do this with our children.  There are two important "why" questions that children ask that we are answering in the wrong way.  When they ask why they have to do something we've asked them to do, we say, "because I'm your father, and I said so."  When they ask why we love them, we give an infinite number of responses.  This is backwards and damaging.  Whatever the reason is that we give them for why we love them or show them affection is the reason that they will begin to think gives them worth.  Therefore, when we tell them to do something, we need to have an infinite number of ways to explain why they need to do what we are telling them to do.  When they ask why we love them, our response simply needs to be, "because I am your father, and I said so." 

If there is nothing our kids have to do to earn love and affection, then there is nothing they can do to lose love and affection.

First Interview in the Bag

I feel very fortunate to have had an interview before finishing my student teaching and before getting into the unknown limbo that is the summer months.  On Tuesday I had my first one, at Twin Falls Middle School, which is in the Snoqualmie Valley School District.  It was for a position in their Life Skills Class, which I think is like a self-contained Special Education classroom. I don't know if I rocked the interview, but I feel pretty good about it, and the program sounds like a good situation for a new teacher starting out.  I was able to learn that the class consists of four students with Autism Spectrum Disorder; two of them spend most of their time in the general population, and the other two spend most of their time in the Life Skills Classroom with their one-on-one aides.  In all honesty, I hope that this position works out; it is a brand new school (build in 2008) in a district that has just passed a technology levy. 

On the other hand, there is a position that I also applied for in the Tahoma School District, where I have been working the last couple years, and am currently finishing my student teaching.  The position will split its time between the Personal Academic Instruction program on the Satellite Campus and the new Special Education Math classes at the high school.  Tahoma is a great school district, and on of the better districts in the area.  For this reason, I know that if I am able to somehow get into this district, it will be a hige blessing. 

I hope to be able to land some more interviews, especially if Twin Falls or Tahoma do not work out.  It would be nice to know what I'll be doing in September before the end of June.  I'm just ready to get moving on this teaching career that I've been working towards for over four years.