Teaching Children Social Skills...

      Children need to learn social skills to be successful.  Our students in our program, really needed to work on these skills. This past summer, during our Extended School Year,  my Special Education team, worked really hard with our students on social skills.  One of the ways we did this was to include a variety of games in the academic portion of ESY.

UNO Card Game

  One of the challenges in Special Education, is the variety of ability levels our students are in the classroom, along with the needs of every student's needs.  We started off teaching the students to play UNO.  The card game that many young people in the US mainland are familiar with.  What I learned right away, is that games like UNO are not well known here in Saipan.  So, I had to work with my aides and other teachers to teach them how to play so they could help the kids.  The staff had a great deal of fun learning how to play the game, and this helped the students later when the staff was helping them.  The students saw our staff having fun and they wanted to have fun too.

  Why UNO?  First off, my higher functioning students needed work on learning social skills, and UNO was a game that allowed us to play with many people and teach them those skills.  UNO also has numbers and colors, that helped some of my students who are having trouble with those skills.  Finally I have a few students who have areas of need that relate to their ability to grasp and hold objects.  UNO being a card game, gave them a lot of practice on these skills.  All the while we were playing, all students where included in the activity with the help of the staff. 

   Now that we are in November we have found that the areas we were targeting for each students seem to have retained.  However we do not have as much time for the games as we did during ESY.  This is why we are currently trying to build time into our scheduled to play other games to reinforce those lessons our students learned over the summer.  One of the ways we are planning on increasing the social skills of our students is to invite them to play games at some of the down time we will have during classroom parties.  We are also going to start having a variety of games our during lunch break so that the kids can interact with their peers who are not on an IEP.  Some of the games we are looking at are, Chess, Checkers, Scrabble, Dominoes, UNO and Boggle.   Each of these games, are games that reinforce critical thinking and social skills. 

   My ultimate goal is for my students to be able to play these games at home with their family and friends.  When I was in college, a friend of mine took me to his home for Thanksgiving.  It seemed if there was a nonstop game of Spades being played.  It was great fun and the entire family took part in the games.  The day before we were to go back school, I taught my friend's family how to play "Liar."  You may know the game as "Bullshit"  but the school safe name is "Liar."  I think many of our students will benefit from this, and I know that many parents want to be able to interact with their children in ways that are fun and educational. 

A Prezi for you!

Here is a link to a Prezi I created for my masters class.   Visual Schedule in The home.

Please let me know if you find this helpful.

A Reflection on Chapter 5...

Fialka, J. M., Mikus, K. C., & Feldman, A. K. (2012). Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities: A Dance that Matters. Corwin, A SAGE Publications Company.

In our final article on this book, I want to talk a little about how educators and parents can better work as a team.  As we have explored in this series.  Over my career in education, I have dealt with a number of people just like those described in this book. Every , student, child, parent, teacher, and person is unique.  If we as professionals take the time to engage each and every person we come in contact with, then we will do a great deal to closing the divide between professionals and parents.  

In my own career, I want to take the approach of Mister Rogers.  "I like you just the way you are!"  I grew up watching him on PBS.  I will try to live up to the standard he set for himself.  

Reflection #1 (135)

Write a brief note to a parent or professional partner sharing something you valued or appreciate about him or her...

Dear Mr. XXX,

     I wanted to thank you for attending the IEP meeting for you your son, JJJJJ.   Your son, is a wonderful young man. It is clear that you have spent a great deal of time working with JJJJJ and that you care about him very much.  

    It was a pleasure to meet you and your wife today, and I look forward to working with you, your wife, and JJJJJ.  Please feel free to contact me if you ever need anything.  

All the best,

Garrett Jackson

----

As a professional educator, I think that is important that we work as a team with parent, and ensure that their concerns are addressed.  A parent is always going to be the best advocate for a student. Their input is valuable and should always be welcomed by professionals.

A Reflection on Chapter 4...

Fialka, J. M., Mikus, K. C., & Feldman, A. K. (2012). Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities: A Dance that Matters. Corwin, A SAGE Publications Company.

     Continuing with our series on A Dance that Matters  We are going to explore Chapter 4, the final chapter of the reading.
     As a review, the book, has addressed a number of issues relating to Parent and teacher relationships. A good number of case studies are presented in Chapter 2, to help the reader to see how dynamic the relationship can be between both the professional and the parent.    Chapter 3 gave a some great information on how to build upon the relationship that have been established.
Chapter 4 addresses how to handle those times in which the relationship is on the verge of a breakdown.  From the professional stand point, this happens when the parents are Angry, or when the Parent does not attend (112).   Having been a special education teacher for over 6 years, and in education over 12, I have unfortunately encountered both of these situations every year.

Reflection #1 (113) Think of a time in your own life when you experienced someone else's anger.  Where were you? What did you instantly feel?  What did you do or not do?

    In my professional life, I have had the experience of dealing with parents who are angry.  To be honest, as a professional, it really doesn't matter why they are angry, it is my job to deal with it.  Initially I feel as if I am being blamed for all of the problems.  While I might be the reason why the parent is angry, I have to step aside and let the parent vent.    Having worked retail, I learned that any times the anger show, is an act.  Yes, the parent is mad, yes the parent many times has reason to be.  However, it a lot of times is for show.

Reflection #2 (114)
 List the Feelings that the mother is experiencing at this moment.
  ANGER... Dispair... Self-Doubt... Helplessness... Fear.....

Reflection #3 (119)
If I remember only one thing from my reading about understanding anger, it is..

Anger is shown in many different ways.  People who are angry, can lash out to even people who are trying to help.

Reflection #4 What are your thoughts about how Diane's communicated with D.J's Mother?
Persistence pays off...I think that in many ways, depending on the community, there is a since of shame about our kids.  There may also be a sense of shame, if the parent has some of the same issues. The note at the end really reflects, that parent is concerned and is thankful for the efforts of the school.

(Please be advised the date of publication may be off due to an error, and this being stuck in my draft bin.. Acutal posting was 8/24/17 ChST)

A Reflection on Chapter 3...

Fialka, J. M., Mikus, K. C., & Feldman, A. K. (2012). Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities: A Dance that Matters. Corwin, A SAGE Publications Company.

    Getting behind in work, is always a challenge especially when your 5 month old is the reason.  My son has been under the weather for the last several days, and is just now getting back to feeling better.  That of course has put me behind in my classes. (Sorry Dr. Balderaz, I am trying the best I can.)  So as we begin to explore Chapter 3 of the reading, I am reminded about how parents, work and have lives outside of meetings.  I am also reminded that everyone needs to be a little more understanding on the roadblocks and obstacles we face in our everyday lives. 

    Being a parent for only 5 months, I have had to learn a great deal about young children.  Being a teacher has helped some, but a baptism by fire is the best description.  I really think that this experience has helped me understand a little more of what parents go through, especially when they want to help their child. 

    Chapter 3, provides a number of suggestions for both parents and professionals to help build a team that is able to provide the needed supports the child requires.  What this chapter provides is a set of guidelines each side should have when they are coming together with others to work on the issues the child and family face.   While many of these guidelines seem to be common sense, I have found that many times when people are scared, unsure, nervous, that a simple reminder of some of the guidelines are helpful to help keep the focus on the problem and the task.  It is also a good way for both parents and professionals to seek a common ground.  

    The first part of Chapter 3, deals with the guidelines that parents need when dealing with professionals, and the second part of Chapter 3 deals with the guidelines Professionals need when dealing with parents.   One important aspect of the relationship roles, is that I expect Professionals to be more understanding of the needs of parents than they seem to be portrayed.  What I mean by that statement is, that as a Teacher, I do a lot more "Dancing" than the parents do, with a variety of different partners.  I think that a seasoned teacher should be setting the example for other less experienced teachers.  For me, I was very fortunate that when I entered in to Special Education, I had a great group of ladies who were willing to help me as I got started and continue to this day to be a resource that I can draw upon. 

   (Page 97) Reflections, "As I review this list the three that caught my attention are"

1. Communicate
2. Read Carefully
3. Learn

The 3 guidelines I chose, are the ones, that I want the parents of my students to focus on.  I really think that each one of these components can help build a better relationship with the team as a whole and will also, prevent some uncomfortable meetings.   

     I would like to take take this one step further.  While each of those three elements I think are important, they are not the only elements that a parent should focus on.   I would encourage my parents to also to make documentation a habit.   I also would like parents to really ask questions about how to document. I would also like them to seek out information about what is going on with their child from some reputable sources.   I would also like to see parents show up to some of the workshops that the district puts on to help educate parents.  I want to see my parents more than once a year at an IEP meeting and I want to talk to them more than when there is a problem.  

(Page 100) How does the reframing of "in denial" impact your thinking about what families might experience?"

   I agree that the words "in denial" are poorly chosen.  I think the book is correct to point out that in disagreement is a better term to be used.  As I write this blog, I think of my former teachers, and their views of me when I was young student labeled as "Learning Disabled" well before I was diagnosed with Aspergers in college.  I also think of what my parents must have thought about what those professionals said and thought about my abilities.   I think that no one ever expected me to be an over achiever.  I certainly never had the grades my younger brother did.  To include college grades.  When I reflect on what I have accomplished in education and life I have shattered a lot of views of my abilities.  However it took a great deal of work on my part.   I think what both sides need to consider is what are realistic goals.  Early childhood intervention is a good thing.  I also think that we need to be setting goals that provide rigor and are challenging, but not impossible.   I also think that we need to also start to address transition early on.  I know that IDEA mandates that we address secondary transition by 16, however I am of the opinion that if you are waiting that long, you are not doing anyone any favors.  I think secondary transition should begin with the first IEP.   I also think that as the book states, that many of the goals should include input from the student.  As a student matures, and gets older, they should be not only informed of what is going on with their education, but they need to be team members who have a say in their outcome.  They are the one who are going to deal with the disability for the rest of their life, we need to be teaching them now how to make others "dance" with them.  

(page 103) "Name two other strategies you can use to promote partnerships."

1. Refrain from using Jargon.
2. Strive to learn about the parents as a person.

I think that we as professionals use Jargon to often with parents as we use it all the time with our peers and co-workers.  I think in many cases that can lead to a sense of making parents feel uneducated, and intimidates them.  I think that parents also are afraid to ask for explanations.   I think that when we prepare ourselves for meetings, we should be working from an outline of how to make the meeting progress.  (This is what I do in any meeting)  When I use an outline, I look at it like a script that I have things planned out, and it helps me avoid talking over the head of everyone in the meeting.   I also think that too many times, we as professionals don't try to learn about the parents.  I think the nature of being an overworked teacher with so many students on our case load makes this worse.  I also think that in some ways, parents also don't want to run into us either.  In the high school setting where I teach, I have very few parents come in for open  house, or parent teacher conferences.  Those parents that do come in, are the ones I have the best relationship with and are the ones, I really don't need to see.  I think that when we have IEP meeting, we need to set around some time to talk about something other than the meeting.  I think that will also help set the stage for a good open conversation and I think it will help put everyone at a more relaxed mood.

(Page 106)  "What strikes you as important to remember when meetings are beginning?"

I think all the suggestions in the book are good ideas, but I will admit I won't use all of them.  I will tailor my meetings to the dynamics of the group, and the relationship I have with the parents.   If I were to pick one of the suggestions as being the one I would concentrate on the most, it would be to create an environment that is welcoming to the parents and their child.  I think that will do more to set a good tone for the meeting than anything else.   I think that this is best done, with my approach of using an outline of the meeting. (This is also good, so I don't forget anything during the meeting if we get a bit side tracked.)  

(Page 108) "One thing I want to remember about beginning and ending meetings is."

From the reading it would be to encourage parents to follow up with any questions concerns after the meeting.   One thing I did not see in the book that I think should be is for professionals to be respectful of the time parents spend in meetings.  We are paid to be at the meetings they are not.  In many cases, parents have to take off work, to attend meetings.  That is why, when we plan meetings, we need to be accommodating to parents schedule, but we also need to make sure that all of the people who need to be at the meeting are at the meeting. 

AUTHORS NOTE TO READERS:
The posts in this series are for credit in my Masters Program at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

A Reflection on Reading, Chapter 2

Fialka, J. M., Mikus, K. C., & Feldman, A. K. (2012). Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities: A Dance that Matters. Corwin, A SAGE Publications Company.

      Continuing in my series on Children with Disabilities: A Dance that Matters,  I am going to reflect on Chapter 2.  While chapter 1 one offers a look at a dance and how people interact, Chapter 2 is like a play.  I get the sense the author wants the reader to see each interaction between the parents and the professional as independent scenes of an ongoing production.

  Reading through Chapter 2, I begin to see that each side shares a lot of the same concerns and apprehensions.  Each trying to hide from the other what is going on, as to avoid showing fear or weakness.  From the parents perspective, they not only have to put on a brave face for the professional but also their child whom they have a deep amount of concerns for. This adds a great deal of stress from the self-doubt that the parents have because of the lack understanding and inability to help their child without going to a professional.   For the professional, the brave face is to reinforce to outsiders that they are knowledgeable in the area.  The professional also has a great deal of fear, because they want to be sensitive to the needs of the family but this is after all an awkward time for them.    The ideas portion after each scene is great as it really puts into perspective what is going on.  In many ways, these are really rules or guidelines that should be in place but not really taught.  I would venture to say, that one of the downfalls of our society being so digital today, is that we are losing our abilities to interact with each other on a personal basis.  We are losing our understanding of how to communicate our needs and build that personal relationship with a service provider.   Below are my reflections to the two case studies presented in Chapter 2.

My Reflection on Sam. "As you read the Story of Sam, What feelings did you experience? What do you hope to remember and use as you build a partnership?"
     I think one of the issues that we face as professionals in education is that when we address parents in the role of parents we take time to digest and review the data we collect before we discuss what that data with the parents.   This is something that parents can find very frustrating.  I can understand why.  If we take our child to the Dr. because of medical issue, we start working on a treatment immediately.  If our child gets a surgery, we wait for the Dr. to come out and talk to us about that surgery and how it went. Something is done immediately.  We aren't left to wait and wonder the results.  I think that the challenge here for many is between physical issues that we can see, and neurological issues we cannot.  What I hope to remember is how to open up a dialogue with parents that treats them as a partner in their son's education.

My Reflection on Rachel. "As you read the Story of Rachel, What feelings did you experience? What do you hope to remember and use as you build a partnership?"
 Unlike Sam, Rachel's parents are familiar with the school and the people working in it.  I think that you also have a situation here where the parents have dealt with issues of being parents before and are more seasoned to address the issues they are facing.   I feel for the parents in both the cases of Sam and Rachel, as it is heartbreaking for any parent to deal with these issues.  I think in this case, the parents are wanting to make sure that their daughter gets the best services in the least restrictive environment.  I also think that they want to protect her from the negative aspects of being labeled as being a special needs student, as that term holds a stigma that can stigmatize young people among their peers, and the peers of their siblings.   What I hope to remember from this case, is that we are not just dealing with the individual, but we need to address the concerns of the entire family.

AUTHORS NOTE TO READERS:
The posts in this series are for credit in my Masters Program at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

SPED Law.... Wrightslaw: Special Education law

Wright, P. W., & Wright, P. D. (2014). Wrightslaw: special education law. Hartfield, VA: Harbor House Law Press, Inc.

      I am not a Lawyer, and I am not giving any legal advice here.  I am simply tell you, the reader about information that is out there.  Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop put on by the Oklahoma Disability Law Center, about Special Education law.  The workshop, which only lasted a day, taught me more about being an advocate than my previous years of being a teacher.  

     One of the the books, that I received at this workshop and was taught to use was the book pictured to the left.  One of the interesting things about this workshop is that they taught me how to use the book to find the answers, instead of spoon feeding me the answers to my questions.  The old adage of "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" is the the approach that was taken.

      About 3 years later I again had the opportunity to attend the same workshop.  With my previous experience, I was more than excited about attending. ( I am the type of guy who can watch a movie, or read a book over and over again and still enjoy it as if it is the first time.)  What I found was the second time I attended the workshop, I learned so much more than the first time.  It was a great experience because, even though I had been introduced to the material, the refresher of what I knew, and my further experience allowed me to understand more of what was going on in the class. 

      Some of what I tell parents and fellow teachers is that you should seek out training such as the Wrights Law workshop.  It is a great tool to help you understand the rights of a Child in education.  Further, I also recommend that everyone get a copy of Peter Wright's book and the Updates. It is a book that is a great reference for parents, advocates, teachers and others.  More importunately, you need to be taking notes in the book about what you are looking up.  This will help you ask the right questions in meetings. 

     Peter Wright, also has a number of other books on the market that are there to help parents and professional provide the required services for children.  If you are able you should add them all to your library.  This may not be possible, so if I have have to recommend a single book for you to get it is this one. It has a number of resources in the back, as well as a fairly comprehensive glossary of terms. 

     As to the layout of this book, it is not like a novel.  It is more like a law book, because that is what it is.  You need to understand that the book is the Law, and as such, a lot of the good information is in the footnotes, and the commentary section.  This information doesn't appear in the law available online. 

     As always, I want to include a few links to give you some other places to go for information.

General

http://www.wrightslaw.com

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/

http://specialedlaw.blogs.com/

http://specialeducationlawblog.blogspot.com/

https://scholar.google.com/

http://www.scotusblog.com/

Oklahoma Specific

http://www.okdlc.org/

http://sde.ok.gov/sde/special-education

https://www.oscn.net

Texas Specific

https://www.disabilityrightstx.org/

http://tea.texas.gov/Academics/Special_Student_Populations/Special_Education/Special_Education/

CNMI Specific

http://www.nmpasi.org/

http://www.cnmipss.org

A Reflection on Reading, Chapter 1

Fialka, J. M., Mikus, K. C., & Feldman, A. K. (2012). Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities: A Dance that Matters. Corwin, A SAGE Publications Company.

Over the course of my career as an educator, I have had many experiences working with parents. Many of my experiences have been very positive. Unfortunately more than a few have not been as I had hoped. As part of an assignment for a graduate class, I was tasked to read Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities: A Dance that Matters.
     Reading through the first chapter, I was able to get a sense that the authors have many of the same experiences in dealing with parents that I have. It is clear from the onset of the book that the the book is designed to help foster a working relationship between teachers and parents. It does this by explaining the various roles of people at a meeting, and the function of each. It also uses a variety of case studies as demonstrations on how it is easy for people to get off on the wrong foot, and some ideas on how people can salvage a relationship that is heading the wrong way.
I was not surprised that some of what was discussed was covered in a different way than I had seen them before. For example, the book uses a three phase approach to the relationships. The approach seems very similar to the Tuckman's stages of group development that was introduced in the 1960's. The three phase are Phase 1: Colliding and Campaigning, Phase 2: Cooperating and Compromising, and Phase 3: Creative Partnering and Collaborating. Each one of these phases relates specifically to meetings held at a school setting as apposed to Tuckman's stages which I think are more of a generalized group dynamics.
     What I think was the most interesting portion of chapter one, was the case studies as examples. While these case studies are used to highlight disagreements that team members might face in an Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting, it also shows me as a professional that I am not the only person who has had these same issues. More importantly, are how the case studies are used to show some techniques to help create a stronger sense of direction between team members.
      Some of the key points I was able to take from the book are:
"Opinions on solutions, interventions, or next steps are fiercely held, and the ideas or approaches of the other may seem unfamiliar or contradictory... the behaviors seem negative and difficult such campaigning is actually a positive reflection of the partners' strength of commitment to the child or the program." (13)
"As trust emerges, so does a spirit of cooperation."(20)
"Teams never out grow their need to listen to each other." (33)
While there are number of other key points that are talked about, these are the ones that I took to heart. I think mainly because of my own interactions with parent in the past, and different ways I have tried to build relationships with them.
     Lastly, I wanted to also comment on transition, which I found to not be specifically addressed by the authors, but is present in the case studies. When we as teachers receive a student on to our case load, it takes a great deal of time for us to learn about that student. Parents also have similar apprehensions about the change in the case manager and the new challenges their child is going to face in the very near future. I teach in a High School, and short of some time as a substitute teacher, my teaching experience is confined to the secondary education. At the high school, we deal with transition in a number of ways. Primarily we are looking at post secondary outcomes. While this is an important part of the IEP, it isn't always the whole part. I was able to see some of the positive aspects of having portions of the IEP meeting run by the student as described in the book as part of the section on Phase 3. I think having students part of the IEP meeting is an important part of teaching the child to be an advocate, and to help them understand the parts of the IEP and how they suppose to help. Specifically in this case study, a presentation was used to introduce a new student to the new IEP team and school. Upon further reflection of this, I think that we as educators should do more vertical integration between school with regard to transition.
     So far, I really like the book and the way it is presents the information. I think that this book would have helped me a great deal more when I entered Special Education as a teacher because many of the topics discussed so far I suffered through learning. No doubt several parents that I worked with were suffering right a long with me.
   
Now for the Reflections:
(page 9) What can be done or said to ease the awkwardness, ambivalence, or initial uncertainty?
I think the first step is to start a relationship with parents that does not revolve around a high stress event such a discipline mater.  I think it is important for teachers and parents to be able to meet each other on a level playing field. The classroom is a great place, but it provides the teacher with a lot of home field advantage.  Perhaps, a neutral location would be a great place to start, and have the meeting be informal.

(page 11) "If I remember only one thing from my reading about the parent-professional partnership and the dance metaphor, it is:" that the expectations of each partner is going to vary based on experience.  Teachers who have been teaching a while will view things differently than a new teacher.  The same is true for parents. Parents are the product of their initial experience with teachers.

(Page 12)"What can professionals and parents do and say to acknowledge and ease some of the awkwardness of these initial meetings?"

Check the ego at the door.  I think of late we have parents who are very much helicopters and feel to be a good parent they have to fight for the child no matter what. I also think that teachers tend to place themselves as the expert with regard to learning.  I think the best way to combat this is to acknowledge it is the Child we are wanting to be successful, and the conversation should start with what are we wanting to accomplish.  What are the goals for the child.

(Page 14)" Think about a time in your own personal life when you felt strongly about a situation.  Describe the circumstance. What did you want to have happen?  What was the underlying that desire -- what values, dreams, past history, and expectations? What did you want the other person to understand about your perspective?"

In my personal life, dealing with my mother as her care taker was one area where I felt very strong about the situation.  I was challenged with the role of being her care-taker and advocate. Unfortunately, my mother, suffered from powdered-butt syndrome, and did not listen to anything I said.  My goal was to get her the best medical care, and work with her to overcome her challenges.  Unfortunately, because of the way our system of health care is setup.  It was difficult to advocate for my mothers best interests because of her situation.  I wanted the Doctors to understand her medical needs.  I think that in my particular case, I was able to find some medical professionals who let me speak, and took what I said under advisement.  At first, they did not act upon my request, but over the course of some time, they eventually realized that my information was more valuable to them, and they later supported me.

(Page 17) "Describe three feelings that the parents are experiencing and three feelings that the professionals are experience.  Identity some of  the interests and values influencing or shaping the two different opinions about where Josie should be next year- from both the parent's and the professionals;s perspective. "

I think in the case study, that the parents and professionals are experiencing some of the same emotions.
Fear, anxiety, uncertainty.  What I think the underlying issue here, is that the parents in this case, want their child to receive the same opportunities as all other children. This is shown directly when the father says that keeping his daughter in another class is segregation.  There experience with education is limited at this point to their own experiences and that of the older children.  They also are showing that they have had a good relationship with another teacher and feel that that relationship has been successful for them in the past. I think in this case, that I would have asked the parents if we could have another meeting and invite both teachers to the meeting, to see what we can come up with.

(Page 19) "Now that you've reviewed the list of possible next dance steps take 10 minutes and write a dialogue - a conversation between the parent and the school psychologist.  Free write what each might say.   "

(SP)  What are areas of need that you see for you child?
(P)    I want my child to be successful in school and learn like the other children.
(SP)  Tell me how do you measure success?
(P)    Good grades.
(SP)   When you say "learn like other children?"  what do you mean by that?
(P)    I want my child to not be separated out from the other kids.  I want her to have the same experiences our other kids have had.
(SP)  How would you like the school and teachers to achive this goal?
(P)   I do not know.
(SP)  PE Class with other students?
(P)  Yes
(SP) Same lunch period as other students?
(P)  Yes
(SP) Same curriculum as the other students?
(P) Yes
(SP)   What accommodations do you think would best benefit your child?

After this question, now we are not talking about what needs to be done, we have moved to what the parents are willing to do.  That makes it easier for the professional to make suggestions and give the parents some say on what is going on.

(page 20) "If I remember on one thing from my reading about the phase of "Colliding and Campaigning": it is:"  That parents and educators are both advocates for the child.

(Page 26) "If I remember only one thing from my reading avout Cooperating and Compromising, it is:" Parents and teachers working together, make life a lot easier on both.

(page 33) "If I remember only one thing from my reading about Creative Partnering and Collaborating it is:" Teams never outgrow the need to listen to one another.

     One last note, I wanted to include a link to some great transition information, and IEP help.
Dr. Amber McConnell works at the University of Oklahoma. She has published a IEP script to help educators and parents integrate student participation in IEP's. Here is a link to that. http://ambermcconnellphd.com/iep-script/

Toondoo

One of the neat things about the internet is how you can easily create new content and publish it.  Toondoo is a website that is fairly straight forward and allows you to create a comic strip.

Ideally what I would use this for, is to have my students create a comic strip of something they learned, and that would be the Authentic assessment that I would grade them on.  This would be an easy project to implement because it is fairly low cost, as in free, and it allows students who are not able to draw an opportunity to  be creative.

There are a few drawbacks though, this type of an assignment requires lots of planning.  I personally would have a rubric ready to go at the start of this assignment.  I would also, make sure to teach my students the basics of how the website works.  Another drawback is, that since this is in the cloud, you are at the mercy of the internet.

Pintrest!

So, I had the brilliant idea as a New Father, with a new job, that I had enough time on my hands for a masters degree.  So, I am not only doing all that, but I am finishing up an EDTech class, that started before Christmas.

One of the things I am working with is Pintrest.  Now if you are not familiar with Pintrest, let me bring you up to speed.  It is a way to pin ideas to a digital bulletin board.  You can look at other peoples boards and copy pins, you can add your own pins, and you can even have secret boards.

In both my Masters and my EdTech cohort, I have had to to do work with Pintrest.   The process is very simple to get started.

First navigate to http://pintrest.com
Sign up for an account, and then tell Pintrest what your interests are.

As a Sped Teacher, I spend a great deal of time looking for ideas to help my students, and I create boards to save those ideas.  Here is a look at some of my boards.

One of the homework assignments was to create a board for Autism.   I was to also look for different Pins to help me address my students with early intervention.

Here is a look at that board.
  http://pin.it/yUuKgh6

One of the really nice things about Pintrest, besides it is free, is that it is very visual.  In fact, a lot of the time, just by seeing the photos, I get ideas on how I want to attempt a project.

Let's be honest for a second, this site is not just for women.  It is great for men too.  In fact, I have found a bunch of things that intrest me, on this site, that isn't work related.  Lots of projects, DIY, and shooting sports ideas.  So take a look at it.

Audio books & reading....

Garrett Jackson

     If you have been following me on Twitter, you will surely know that I have been swamped with work, and my new born son.  In fact, having my first child has taken a great deal of time away from personal projects such as this blog.  It will continue to do so.  So while I may not post as often as I would like, I will continue to work on this project and I hope, to add a great deal of information to the education community.

    With this being said, I want to tell you about a couple of books that I am reading. Both books are extremely interesting to me and I wanted to share with you  how I  plan to adapt the lessons to the classroom.

     Any book you read, be it nonfiction or fiction, offer you an opportunity to help you in your classroom.  It could be you learn about vocabulary, you learn about people, or you simply are able to relax and enjoy something not related to work.  It all comes down to your personal growth.  I don't mean the endless "sit and get" professional development that we all hate.  Take for instance the book The Lincoln Lawyer.  Here is a work of fiction, that has nothing to do with being a Special Education teacher.  The premise if you haven't read the book or seen the movie is about a Lawyer who is hired to defend a client on a murder charge.  In the course of the investigation he gets information that is not accurate.  He moves forward to defend his client, but is ambushed with the actual facts of the case. (If you are a SPED teacher, you may be starting to see the parallels.) Moving on and not to ruin the book, but the case reminds him of one of his first cases where he did not do his best work as he was new to the profession.  As a SPED teacher, I found myself relating to the main character in his professional life.  Here the similarities revolve around the fact that both SPED teachers and Lawyers are advocates for people.


     While I am reading the paperback of The Lincoln Lawyer, I am listening to the Audio book to Spy the Lie. Many people do not think that listening to an audio book is the same as reading, and that may be true, but I found that I am able to have a great more access to good information when I can multitask.
   If you exercise you most likely listen to music while you work out.  Before moving to the Northern Mariana Islands, I delivered Pizza's for Pizza Hut.  I was able to listen to a number of books on my drives to deliver food to the many people in need. (Shameless plug here, but if you order food for delivery, you need to be tipping at least $3 for the trip, even if there is a delivery charge.  The people who are delivering your food, barley make enough to cover gas and vehicle repairs.)
     I found my Audible account to be a worth wild investment, and I also found that many of the topics I was listening to were in preparations for my classes that I taught. So as a SPED teacher, who taught students with low reading skills, I would play excerpts of the audio books to help my students.  It had an amazing impact on what knowledge the were able to retain.  It also helped students expand their vocabulary, and learn how to pronounce words that they did not use on a regular basis.
      So that brings me to Spy the Lie.  I have to say, I like it.  It is one of the most interesting books that I have listened to in a long while. While I am learning about how people can be deceptive, the book is making me reflect about some of the body language  my students use in the classroom and what it is telling me.  It is teaching me how to read body language.  Something that we as SPED teachers sometimes need to pay more attention to those nonverbal cues than we do.    While the book does not specifically talk about people with special needs, I am doing a lot of reflecting about how my students use body language to communicate with me and their peers.  I am also trying to frame the lessons of the book in the context of IEP meetings so that I am better able to understand what people are trying to tell me.
    Anytime you can listen to a book, read an article, or sit down with someone new, you have an opportunity for self-enrichment. Think about how much time you spend in the car driving, or working around the house.  Can you break up your routine and add a audio book?  Try it!  Audible.com offers a free audio book to try out the service.  As to reading a paperback, I love to do that too.  Reading stimulates my brain in a different way than listening does, but I find both to be great ways to improve myself.

Opportunities & Failures

    The opportunities offered today to our young people are as vast as any ocean. The opportunities that our young people throw away are as vast as the stars in the sky.  As adults we observe young people through the lens of personal failures, personal success, and personal values.  It is no wonder why many times adults, think young people waste opportunities presented to them. Besides that, failure can be a wonderful learning experience for our young people.  What they learn from their failures can serve to make them a better person in the future.  More importantly, without a doubt a young person will fail at something.  If they do not learn how to accept that and how to deal with that, then we are doing them a disservice.

     Experience is learning that takes place over time, as a result of the good and bad decisions a person makes.  Each person will end up with a different experience that we will shape what we view in our life forever.  Good or bad, it is Experience, that shapes most of our views.

   I too fall in the trap of being to critical of young people when they make poor decisions about life.  That is not to say that a healthy does of criticism isn't good, but many times we overlook the all to real lack of experience that young people have.

     I cannot tell you how many experiences I have that are the result of bad decisions.  What I will tell you is it is a lot.  It takes time for people to learn the lesson from good and bad experiences, and often times that knowledge isn't tested until an opportunity presents itself.  For young people to get experience that is meaningful and helpful to them, students need to be encouraged to jump on opportunities.  The quote at the top of the page is just a text-bite of what he said.  Just too the right is what he said along with the first line.  He talks about how he was never better than the job he had.  He talks about hard work and how each job provided him with a new opportunity.
   
    With our young people, we need to be not only encourage them to get off the game console and get outside more, but we need to continue to help them seek opportunities to learn about themselves and the world around them.  We need to be there to guide and support them on what the best decision is, but allow them the space to make a bad decision and fail.

     As someone who has failed at a few things in the past, I can speak from personal experience, that it sucks.  It also taught me something about my self each time.  Those lessons are certainly something we need in the future generations.  We need our young people to know how to accept failure and how to rise from the ashes of that failure and to continue to move forward to bigger and better things.

    I you are a parent, teacher, friend or neighbor.  Don't be quick to fix things for our young people.  Let them have the opportunity to experience failure.  It is a lesson that will serve them well as they go through life.

Leadership... A winning trait...

Watch the video first then read the article.  


     My last article was about the misunderstood coach. People who I call friends who inspire others to be better.  Writing about my friends prompted me to go down memory lane.  Growing up I was a huge baseball fan.  I often think of some of the most amazing things I shared with my parent, and I think baseball had a huge impact on me as an adult.

      I intentionally posted at the top of an event that I recall with such vivid detail, it is indelible mark on my persona.  I am an avid Texas Rangers fan, so it is no surprise that when I watch the World Series I support the underdog.  The 2016 World Series, for a lifetime of fans, was an epic experience, one that people will talk about for all time.  Though for me, the 1988 World Series is one that is a true David and Goliath story.  

  Unlike the 2016 Chicago Cubs, by all accounts the 1988 Dodgers had no business being in the World Series, much less winning it, except for one little detail.  Leadership.  The two players that I recall from my youth that had the most influence on the out come of the Dodgers year were Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson.

   Without getting into too much detail about what these men did as individual feats, I want people to realize that it was how they inspired their teammates that made the Dodgers contenders and ultimately World Champions. 

     In education, many times we as adults forget about the valuable influence that students have on their peers and we many times miss opportunities to let students help each other.  Edgar Dale says,     "We remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see, hear 70% of what we discuss with others, 80% of what we personally experience 95% or what we teach others."  While, I believe this to be absolutely true, I want to add, that many times, peers can explain things better than an adult.  

     So it begs the questions, why don't we allow more young people to be peer tutors?  Why don't we have more peer mentoring?  The answer vary.  What is true though is that, when people are given responsibility they thrive.  

     One of the lessons of baseball, that we can apply to the classroom is that our classes, are full of leaders.  They need to be given the opportunity to lead.  Teachers would find it beneficial for students to take ownership in the classroom and for the learning that takes place.  It is an important life skill that all young people and adults need to learn.  

     I am going to leave you with one last video.  It is a picture of what I think is the Single most important play of Kenny Rogers career.  It is the catch that saved his Perfect Game. A game I might add, that I along with my dad and brother were in the stands for.  Team work is always required to win a game, and even if Rusty Greer didn't catch this the Rangers would have won, but Kenny Rogers would not have thrown his Perfect game.  We all can be successful when we work as a team, and that like Kirk Gibson's homer and Kenny Rogers Perfect game, allows for some spectacular individual achievement.  

The Misunderstood Coach...

      Being reared in Southwest Oklahoma, there are two absolute truths that you learn early on. First, oil is the number one cash crop and two, sports are the center of the social hub of many communities.  In my part of the country, Texas & Oklahoma, that means in the fall football, in the spring Basketball and wrestling, and in the summer baseball. If you played another sport, good luck with that. For a very long time coaches in the classroom got a very bad wrap.  For a number of reason, the stereotype of a coach reflected around them reading the newspaper and not teaching, and being assigned to the history department.

    I had a number of coaches for teachers during middle school and high school.  As a student, my opinion about them was reinforced by what I observed taking their class. When I started my teaching career as as a substitute teacher, back in 2004, and later as a History teacher in a High School, I brought with me my opinions from being a student.  I was very fortunate that in both middle school and high school, I had many coaches who were excellent teachers.  Unfortunately, I did have a few coaches, who left a lot to be desired.  I am thankful that the latter were few and far between.

     I want to take a moment to tell you about some of my colleagues who are both coaches and teachers.  I want you to know about what kind of teacher they are, and what lessons we can learn from them. I admire the coaches I have worked with, both personally and professionally.  Three of the many I have worked with are Reed, Brayden and Diane, not their real names.

     When you think of a football coach, you think of the rough and tough, no holds bar demanding coach. A person who is loud and shouts at people and looks for anyway to win. I know when I think of a football coach I think of Mike Ditka  or Tom Landry.  These types of men demand respect. Reed  may very will be a similar type of man, but I never saw it. Where as Ditka and Landry command respect, Reed earns it.  He is caring, quiet, and professional. Reed is not the head football coach, that would be his dad. Reed  is soft-spoken, firm, and gentle man, who will stop what he is doing to help someone out. Reed spends a good amount of time each semester building relationships with his players, and his students. It is his time building the personal relationships that I believe makes him excellent teacher and a great coach. The  thing I admire most about Reed  is how he brags on his students and his players.  He is quick to praise them publicly, and he is always mindful of the needs of his students. He is never afraid to redirect both his students and athletes to task, and motivate them to make better decisions. He always has something positive to say about everyone, even those students who are less than perfect.  I believe that when he looks at students and athletes, he finds the good in them and helps them express that in his class and in the sports he coaches. He looks for ways for young people to succeed.

      I got to know Brayden over the years he had the classroom next to me, we shared many stories of growing up, sports, and life ambitions.  Where Reed is soft-spoken, Brayden on the other hand is quick to point things out. The approach he takes on and off the field is to show the young people around him to take responsibility.  He will tell you when something is embarrassing and he takes his job as teacher and coach very seriously.   Brayden is very much goal and detail oriented two traits that are no doubt valuable to him on the baseball diamond, and in the Math classes he teaches.  This is exemplified with how he carries himself, and how he dresses.  When Brayden walks into class, he wastes no time getting started.  He looks for opportunities for people to succeed  and he believes in his students many times when they have given up believing in themselves. Perhaps the thing I admire most about Brayden, is how he treats everyone as a human being.   He talks directly to people making eye contact and expressing exactly what he thinks.

      Diane is all together different than Brayden and Reed, like Brayden and Reed, she teaches Math. There goes the idea all coaches teach history.  In fact, she not only teaches math but she even organized the schools Pi day celebration. She takes her teaching from the approach that not everyone is going to love Math like she does, but she wants her students to not be fearful of it. She is just as a demanding of her students as she is of herself.  She encourages her students to try new things and to explore ideas and concepts.  She always has time for another project, to include making home made marsh mellows, and coconut cream pies for her friends. ( I do miss those by the way.) One of my first times working with Diane  was when I was asked to chaperone a bus full of kids up to a Basketball game in Tulsa, and she was the bus driver.  I observed how student oriented she was, the mere fact that she was driving a school bus on a Friday night to Tulsa some 3 hours away, meant that she was sacrificing a great deal of time from her family to ensure our students had an opportunity to cheer on their school.   Diane  also took time during the trip to tell me about all the school traditions, that new teachers were expected to know. She helped me ensure that the students entrusted to our care hundreds of miles away from home, were good ambassadors of our school and of our community.

     As a teacher, I learned to appreciate all of my colleagues, including the coaches, and have been blessed to have them as allies.  Many times, they knew of ways to get through to a student who was either a troublemaker, or were apathetic.  They spend countless hours outside of the classroom and the playing field being good role models, and encouraging young people to do the same for others.  In so many ways, my friends, were not just coaching athletics to students, but they coached their peers on people skills.  If you take nothing else away from this article, take this.  Teachers who are coaches, want students to succeed not just in school, not just in the sport, but in life.  

Time to Transition....

     As we approach the second semester of the school year, many of our students are excited that the end of school is approaching.  Yes, I know it is only January, but May is not far away.  For me, this is the time where I want to get to my Seniors, and talk with them about life after high school, and for my Juniors, to start thinking about the next 18 months.

     As part of an, Individualized Education Plan, IEP for short, schools are required by law to consider transition starting in 9th grade or by age 16 whichever occurs first.  For many parents, when they first encounter this, it is a bit overwhelming because a 9th grader is still a young person who needs a lot of hand holding.  Many parents are facing for the first time the reality that their child is having to look at life outside of their nest.  As a special education teacher, we are ever mindful of this, and we do our best to make this reality as painless as possible. For parents who students who aren't on IEP's, you too face the same reality of your child transitioning in a few short years.  

  

  Here is some advice for all parents on how to help you child transition from High School.

1. Relax....  Things will change, but not overnight.  You and your child will grow during this process.

2. Breath....  Okay, I know telling you to relax may not have helped like I had hoped but trust me on this, breathing is required.

3. Plan...   You and your child need to have a very open discussion about life after high school. Both of you need to be writing down goals to accomplish, ideas for post high school education, potential jobs and careers. As a parent allow your child to drive the conversation, but be prepared to ask questions to prompt them to think about what they have told you. In other words be the "devils advocate."  This is also a time where you child may change their mind several times.  Do not worry about that.  The important part here is that they are considering the future and starting to look at what options are available to them.

4. Encourage...  You might say "Wow! That should be easy... I do that already."  That is good. Keep it up.  However in the busy life of a high school student it is easy enough to forget that students need to be Encouraged all the time.  I would suggest that you look to encourage your child academically, and to encourage your child to be a community participant.  By that I mean, give them the support they need for school work, but also encourage them to become part of the community and volunteer some time to help improve the community.  Many programs within high school, are designed to give students to the opportunity to volunteer within the community. Some of the organizations are 4-H Key Club, Leo's Club, National Honor Society, and JROTC.

5. Require... So this one is easier said than done.  You need to require your student to meet certain expectations.Many of these should include learning skills at home such as cooking, laundry, and cleaning to name a few, but others items such as getting a drivers license, take the A-C-T, take the ASVAB, registering to vote, and for males registering for selective service are important. One item that can be helpful for both you and your child is a transition assessment.  I have included a link to several at the end of this article.  These assessments can help you gauge areas that you need to help you child work on.  In the case of the A-C-T, it is a good idea to take that several time.  One of the nice things about the A-C-T is that many colleges will take the best scores.  Many of my students have also improved their scores taking the A-C-T multiple times.  

     While I know that this is not an all inclusive list to help you and your child transition from high school, this should will help you both start with a plan to be successful.  Remember if you start when your child is a 9th grader, then you should have about four years to get this going.  If you are starting a little later, even as late as second semester senior year, don't worry to much. The world isn't going to end.  You most likely will have been doing a good majority of what I have recommended here already.  You child's school should also be talking with your child along the way about graduation requirements, and upcoming dates for important events, such as A-C-T registration and the FASFA deadline.   

Here are a few links to help you out. 

http://www.act.org/

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat

http://www.rpesd.org/AgeAppropriateTransition.aspx

https://fafsa.ed.gov/