Why Do I Do It? January 30, 2006
Posted by Daniel Dage in Backstory.comments closed
01/29/2006
Sunday
Tomorrow is the moment of truth. In the 6 years I’ve been here, this will be the biggest test of my abilities in dealing with parents and tense situations. I have headed off many other disasters. Will I be able to deal with this one? We will see.
Given the stresses of dealing with involved and sometimes difficult parents, the possibility of being regularly assaulted (I gat scratched to the point of bleeding many times) and even getting sue, why do I do it? Why am I sticking my head into the jaws of the lion? Why do I keep at it with the intensity that I do? There’s obviously a lot of pressure and stress in dealing with aggressive kids alongside of sometimes medical fragile ones.
Honestly, flying high without a net has some appeal. Some people skydive and rock climb. I teach students with severe disabilities. Just as every cliff face is different for a rock climber, so is every student different. I think every teacher can attest to that. But these kids are on the extreme. I could do little or nothing, like Mr. Pyle, or do the minimum required. But where’s the challenge and thrill in that? No, there is so much to do. I go amongst them and there is no shortage of tasks to be performed, both physical and mental. It challenges on every single level.
Regular education and other Sp. Ed. teachers are primarily concerned with helping their students acquire greater cognitive skills. Getting their kids to think and behave as increasingly mature and responsible people. This is a challenging enough task, in itself. Now imagine doing this in addition to motor skills (fine and gross), leisure skills and self help skills such as feeding and using the bathroom. In a room with eight students, only 2 are able to use the bathroom fairly independently. Meaning they don’t wear diapers. They still can’t button or snap their pants independently. The rest are all in diapers. There is a lot of lifting involved. Remember, these are high school students! Even the smallest one is pretty heavy. And they can be strong, so they often don’t cooperate when being changed or fed.
If I don’t feel like working on cognitive skills, there are stretching exercises, walking exercises, getting them to sit up or just stand up. Transferring from one chair to another. All of these are physical tasks. If it is above 50°, I don’t bother with a long sleeved shirt, because I can get warm enough just with the work we do.
It is challenging. Rewards? Well, I do think I get paid well enough although I can always use more. But occasionally there is a small breakthrough and that is satisfying. A kid finally begins to communicate more or learns to play with a peer. These are small but significant things. Probably I get the biggest strokes from the parents, who are appreciative of what we do. Also colleagues, giants in their own right, who marvel at what we do. But yes, I think I’m good at what I do. I feel competent and confident here.
This is probably why this business with tomorrow’s IEP is so irksome. My competence is being called into question. Maybe I need to be taken down a notch.
I think that we educators can get too caught up in all the negativity surrounding our business. NCLB, being Highly Qualified, AYP, school choice and school vouchers…these are all fine issues for debate. But on a day-to-day basis, these issues are navel gazing. Yes they affect us all. But when you close the door to your classroom, you are still the captain of that ship. We all have to jump through more and more hoops, endure more criticism and abuse from parents, students, administrators, politicians and the general public. There are so many insanities in educational institutions at all levels. I’m all for realism.
But there is room for optimism. Everyday we have the chance to make a difference, however small. Teachers do it all day long in ways that they are not even aware of. By and large, local communities do support their teachers. At least in the recognition that it is a very honorable and noble profession. It’s because we really are a cut above. Who do you think you neighbors trust more? School teachers or politicians? Constantly acting like victims will not get us more respect. Acting like the responsible and dutiful public servants that we are will. Holding our heads down will not have the same impact as holding them high. We ARE professionals and we have important jobs to do. We are not irrelevant. We are on the frontlines in the war against ignorance. Stay strong and keep the faith.
D.
What’s Up with the Title of this Blog? January 23, 2006
Posted by Daniel Dage in Backstory.comments closed
I suppose I should explain the title of this blog. I had several ideas in mind, but when I looked over and saw my boys playing, I realized what is was going to be. My journey into special education and exceptionalities began long before I was married and parents.
I graduated from Iowa State U. with B.S. in agriculture education in 1987. I liked my ag. classes in high school, and thought I’d like doing it. But there were not many jobs teaching ag. in those days and I struggled to find a half time position, only to see that evaporate under me in a year. I went back to school and got endorsements to teach science. It was during that extra year in school that I had a couple of experiences with special ed. One was being a volunteer tutor at a Mesquakie Indian settlement. The other was being a volunteer at a special preschool with hearing impaired kids. Unfortunately it was at the end of my money to consider another career change. But I had a great time. And I reflected back that my best teaching seemed to be with the slower kids.
I was looking for warmer climates and looked for teaching jobs in Florida but eventually settled in Georgia. I taught science for a few years at a private school in the Atlanta area that specialized in teaching (rich) students with ADHD and learning disabilities. I decided to go back to school again and get my Master’s degree in special education, specifically for learning disabilities. But an instructor at Georgia State convinced me that I’d be good in the emotional behavior disorders (EBD) program. So that’s what I ended up doing. It was instant job security. But it was also instant headaches.
The most hideous teaching job on the planet is EBD self-contained. And after I applied for a paraprofessional position in a metro county, they interviewed and hired me as a full-fledged teacher despite not being certified and no experience with these sorts of kids. THAT was a mistake for them and me. I was enticed by the money, and they were enticed by having a warm, male body in a classroom for these kids. I don’t know why the skid marks on the wall didn’t warn me. I lasted until October, when they had me finish my one semester contract as a long-term substitute. I had a chance to spend time with all the kids of all disabilities in the high school and junior high. I might have been able to land a job in the county except I was blackballed. Or that’s how I felt. I finally did get that paraprofessional job at a psychoed center the next year. It was a wonderful experience.
Psychoed centers in Georgia are unique to this state, and serve students with severe emotional behavior disturbed (SEBD) kids. Everyone in the building serves SEBD kids. Everyone works together and pulls together in the same direction. While inclusion and mainstreaming are fine concepts, there is no substitute for having an expert and well-trained staff working together to deliver first class services.
During this time, I met my wife and was finishing my Master’s. I ended up teaching for 4 years at a Child and Adolescent unit at a state mental hospital. These kids were in the worst of the worst shape, emotionally and behaviorally. And I saw every type at every age. Suicidal, homicidal, schizophrenic, severely developmentally delayed, gifted, hearing and visually impaired…you name it. I did work with a highly qualified EBD teacher but also worked with some who were teachers pulled off the street who knew nothing of teaching kids with disabilities. People who were as unqualified as me when I first started those years ago. I became a parent during this time. When my son was 8 months old, he had a series of seizures which were eventually brought under control with Phenobarbital.
I wanted something different once the state governor decided to close down our unit. And that is how I ended up in the present position I occupy now. It was also during this time that my son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS. I was actually the one who went to the neurologist and said, “I think we’re looking at behaviors that match up with Autism!” Sure enough, Thomas would not begin speaking until he was almost 4 years old. Today, he chatters incessantly.
I’m teaching special education largely because it is a profession that has chosen me. Certainly the business of teaching severe and profound kids. My experience and expertise with autism landed in my lap as both a teacher and a parent almost simultaneously.
I made a lot of choices in my life, but this is a profession that seemed to call out to me and draw me to itself. I think many teachers find themselves drawn into their professions. There are certainly easier ways to make a living and things a person could do to make a lot more. But I’m not complaining about what I get paid. I’ve had harder jobs that paid a lot less, too.
dick
Transitions January 22, 2006
Posted by Daniel Dage in Special Education.comments closed
01/21/2006
The most important part of any special educational program is the IEP. This is the key document that will govern what can and cannot be done with a child during the coming year. It determines what will be taught, where it will be taught and somewhat who will be doing the teaching.
Now that I have a new student, preparing for this IEP is job #1. And step #1 is getting as much information from the parent as possible. I want to know what a parent’s dreams and aspirations for this child. I want to know what he can do. I want to know what the parent struggles with at home and in the community. What issues does the parent have? While academic and adaptive skills in school are important, the parent is with this child pretty much forever. Teachers come and go. School eventually ends. What happens beyond school? This is so critical. Even at the preschool level, we need to have an eye on post-school transition. They may be in school through the age of 21 or 22 (In Michigan, through 26) but if they live even a modest life span, they will spend the majority of their lives out of school. There is NO legislation governing post-school placement. No one HAS to take them. They can spend YEARS waiting for placement in a group home after school. Even DECADES!
Getting parents to think about this bigger picture is important. The only reason I’m so intense on it is because I am a parent of two young ones beginning the process. But I teach students at the end. I am the undertaker and the pall bearer of the special education process. I’m the last school teacher many students and parents will ever have. Do I simply try to console them and make their passing as comfortable as possible while I wait for retirement and my pension? Or do I keep fighting and advocating? I hope to do the latter, but the temptation to do the former is quite powerful. I know what lies beyond, and it is almost too grim to think about. Graduation day for special education students, if they graduate at all, is not the happy time it is for typical students. While all students have some anxiety, those graduating from special education face even more daunting challenges. And for my students, the parents bear the entire burden. The law is gone. The mandate for accommodations and services is gone. Free and reduced lunches…GONE. Teachers and paras and administrators that can be sued…GONE. The IEP with its mandate for services, supports, accommodations, plans and goals…GONE. This system of support vaporizes in a single day.
There are services out there, but these are mere husks of what existed in the school system. As teachers, the responsibility can be overwhelming if we think too much about it. As parents, it’s easier to live in the present struggle and keep pushing those thoughts away. We don’t want to face it. We can keep hoping for quite awhile, that things will eventually turn out “normal.” Again, I do face the enormous temptation of denial. Denial exists because it feels comfortable, and I admit to taking refuge there more times than not. But I know the day is coming.
So during the IEP and assessment process, I am measuring the parent as well as the student. I need to know how prepared the parent is, and help them along. But unlike most of my colleagues, I have a lot more compassion and understanding as well as a sense of urgency. Every student represents a possibility. I look into a parent’s eyes and see my own future. I respect and admire them all, even seemingly uninterested and uninvolved ones. There is no possible way they have an easy life. Can I blame them for trying to take shortcuts? I don’t blame them for not showing up to IEPs as the system, despite safeguards, is stacked against them. My oldest is in kindergarten and I’M sick of it already!!
I’m sure I’ll write more on this later on. I don’t have any students graduating this year, but a bunch going next year. At that time, there will be much more to say.
dick
Paraeducators January 20, 2006
Posted by Daniel Dage in Special Education.comments closed
They are sometimes called paraprofessionals, teacher aids, assistants, support therapists, support staff, one-to-ones…they go by many different names. But they are important to any special education classroom. I spent a year as a support therapist in a psychoed center; essentially a para. They all are supposed to be working under a certified teacher who is responsible for training and supervising them. Unfortunately, teachers are not trained to supervise other adults. In fact, most would rather not do any supervising at all. They want paras who already know what to do, and do it without complaint.
Paras want and like structure and explicit expectations. They don’t want someone shadowing them, but they need direction. They like autonomy but also like teachers to invest in their training and who give constructive feedback. This does not happen very often, unfortunately. Paras often are left in the dark to figure things out on their own, and only get feedback when things are not going well. They are expected to be mini-teachers with less than half the pay and none of the training!
Until NCLB, most paras had little more than a high school education. Some had some college and a precious few, like me, were college graduates. Now, all paras are expected to have at least 2 years of college and/or pass a test. Ruth is the only one I have who has not passed the test even though she has taken 4 or more times. She has until June to pass.
As teachers, we do really welcome having another set of hands. But teachers do need training as to how to supervise paras in order to do it in a professional way. Parents of special needs students should realize that paras might have more to do with the day-to-day activities of their child than the teacher. This is especially true when a student is included in a regular classroom with para support. That para is probably getting little or no feedback from a special ed. teacher or the regular ed. teacher. The para and the student often are secluded and excluded from what other students are doing.
I did some research on training paras, using the ones I had at the time as participants. They all improved in their teaching with some training and they all enjoyed the training. In addition, I had evidence that indicated that having a better trained para resulted in superior student achievement. I’ve since made it a regular part of training all paras coming through our program. As far as I know, I’m the only one in the county doing such a thing.
dick
Acronyms January 20, 2006
Posted by Daniel Dage in Special Education.comments closed
Acronyms
In the world of special Education, we live on a steady diet of jargon and acronyms. So this will serve as a lexicon of sorts that will guide you through the sometimes confusing world in which I live.
IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1992, 1997, 2004). The original law was called PL 94-142, or the Education for All Handicapped Students Act (1973, 1976, 1982, 1987). These laws guaranteed a free and appropriate education for all individuals with disabilities. It is supposed to be renewed every 5 years, but you’ll notice a big gap between 1997 and 2004, mostly because of a certain war in Iraq.
NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act. This law was the first law G.W. Bush signed after taking office in 2001. It was a bipartisan bill originally drafted by none other than Ted Kennedy in 1998. The new version made sweeping changes and enforced them by tying federal funding to the requirements. I’ll get to NCLB more later.
IEP – Individual Education Plan. This is the document that determines how a child with disabilities is to be educated, according to IDEA. It is, in essence, a mini piece of legislation drawn up by parents teachers and the school system for each child. The law requires that this be reviewed every year. As a teacher and as a parent, it is an extremely important document. It also causes a lot of stress.
IFSP – Individual Family Service Plan. Part H of IDEA provides services to disabled individuals from birth to age 3, when school systems take over. The IFSP is essentially the IEP for children under the age of 3. These services do vary a lot by state, but all states offer them.
LRE – Least Restrictive Environment. According to IDEA, a child must be educated in the least restrictive environment in order to meet the child’s IEP goals. There is a continuum of LRE, the least which is a regular education classroom and the most restrictive being a specialized facility.
LEA – Local Education Agent. There must be a LEA present at each IEP meeting in order to represent the school system’s interest. This person should have enough knowledge of the system’s resources as well as the law in order to speak for the district. In addition to my own IEP meetings and those of my own children, I attend several as an LEA.
EBD – Emotional and Behavior Disorders. This is one area of disability I’ve dealt with. EBD students may also have intellectual impairments, but mainly they have behaviors which interfere with their and other’s ability to learn. Pragmatically speaking, students with EBD end up being served with this label because their parents are not savvy enough to advocate for an LD or OHI label.
LD – Learning Disabled. Sometimes it will be SLD or specific learning disability. An LD student usually has one or more performance discrepancies in math, reading or written expression.
OHI – Other Health Impaired. The largest group of OHI students are those with some form of attention deficit disorder (ADD) such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But OHI can also be used as a catch-all for students who have a mixture of problems that don’t necessarily fit other categories of impairment such as severe asthma, epilepsy or chronic illness.
OI – Othopedic Impairment. These are students who may be in wheelchairs but whose intelligence otherwise falls in the normal range. Cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy may cause OI. Stephen Hawking is an example of someone who would be served within the OI model today.
TBI – Traumatic Brain Injury. When Coach joined our staff, he was assigned to assist a TBI student. The student had been in a car wreck and could not eat, toilet,talk or walk without assistance. Yet he still had most of his marbles. A lot of these students are served by OI teachers. To my knowledge, we have no OI teachers in Magnolia county.
MID – Mildly Intellectually Impaired. We used to say “Mildly Retarded” before middle school students and the media co-opted the word “retarded.” I.Q. is generally 55-70. EBD, LD and MID students make up the largest segment of the special education population in most schools. Students may have several labels, such as MID/EBD or LD/OHI or MID/Speech.
MoID – Moderately Intellectually Impaired. These are the Wal-Mart greeter types you see, many with Down Syndrome. They are usually verbal, can read a few words and know some numbers and colors. I.Q. is 40-55. These are generally the most loving and kind people in any school. If you are a teacher and are feeling depressed, walk into a class full of MoID kids. They’ll hug you and love you and admire you no matter who you are.
SID – Severe Intellectually Disabled. These kids may or may not be able to walk and talk. They’ll be lucky to recognize their own names, let alone write it. These are some of my kids. Since many are nonverbal, they communicate with behaviors, many times aggressively. Toileting and eating independently are iffy for this group. Some can but many can’t. Other kids can play games while these folks have few independent leisure skills.
PID – Profoundly Intellectually Disabled. Most of these are not walking. None are talking. They need assistance with everything, sometimes even to eat and breathe. I.Q. is below 25. There are often a lot of medical issues with this and the SID population. I’ve had to do tube feedings and catheterizations with this group. Other teachers are doing trach suctioning, oxygen management, colostomy care and other healthcare procedures. Out of my 8 students, only 3 can use the toilet independently. Everyone else is wearing a diaper or pull up. Only 2 can speak and be understood without an assistive device.
GPS – Georgia Performance Standards. This is the curriculum that all students in the state of Georgia will be using next year. My students are on a functional curriculum but some lunatic decided it would be good if severe and profound students also were aligned with GPS standards. Grade level standards. Meaning my 9th grade severe kids have to be aligned with language arts, science, math and social studies on the 9th grade level. Right.
GAA – Georgia Alternate Assessment. This is the assessment process students with severe disabiloities use instead of the syandardized tests regular kids use in order to comply with provisions of NCLB. It is basically a portfolio of stuff that is supposed to show that the student is engaged with grade-level tasks and materials.
O.T. – Occupational Therapy. Assists with fine motor skills
P.T. – Physical Therapy. Assists with gross motor skills.
SLP – Speech Language Pathologist. Assists with speech, language and communication issues. Often SLPs also assist with feeding and swallowing issues. We currently have a severe shortage of SLPs, OTs and PTs in Magnolia County if any of you are interested!
VI - Visually Impaired. This can refer to a student with that disability or the therapist that serves them. I’ll let you know which I refer to, but I currently have no VI students so I’m not even sure who our VI person is in the county anymore!
CBI-Community Based Instruction. This is where we go into the community and to job sites. We practice shopping, purchasing and generally just behaving right when being out around regular people.
APE – Adaptive P.E. A sort of extension of PT, where students participate in various sports skills. They might not play base ball, but they practice hitting, throwing, catching and base running.
FAPE – Free and Appropriate Public Education. Under IDEA, all students are entitled to FAPE until they turn 21.
IEE – Independent Educational Evaluation. Under IDEA ‘97 and 2004, parents are entitled to free independent educational evaluations. The school can refuse to pay for it, but in order to do so they would have to file for due process in order to defend their own evaluation.
I’ll probably add more as needed. Hopefully this is helpful.
Characters: Mi Familia January 20, 2006
Posted by Daniel Dage in Backstory.comments closed
Mi Familia
In 1996, the Dalton family officially began when I, Dick, took Jane as my lawfully wedded wife. This blog is not about our relationship but we do have our differences. My undergraduate degree was in agriculture education, but by the time I met Jane, I was half way through my master’s program. We were married almost as soon as I finished it. She has a degree in early childhood education but decided not to teach right after her student teaching. She was working at a doctor’s office when we met. After we married, she went back to school and got her LPN license which has never been used since she was pregnant as soon as she graduated.
The pregnancy was normal in every way. It was with the birth that things started. Thomas spent the first few days of his life in the Newborn ICU due to a pneumothorax…a tiny hole in his lung. With oxygen, this did heal up and we brought him home. A few weeks later, he was back in the ICU because it was suspected he had gotten some fluid in his lungs. But he was okay and we brought him home again. At 8 months old, he had a series of grand mal siezures. These were stabilized with Phenobarbital, but the phenobarb probably contributed to Thomas’ developmental delays. He has been seizure free ever since.
Thomas did not speak until he was 3 1/2. He was in the early intervention program and also participated in a communication research study.
I was the one who suggested to his neurologist that Thomas might have autism. The neurologist agreed, sort of, and Thomas was diagnoses with PDD-NOS. Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
Thomas learned to communicate through pictures, then signs and finally with spoken words. In between, he got a voice output communication device through the study and his language really did take off. Now he talks constantly. He does have behavior and social issues which we can discuss later.
A few years later, Percy was born. Jane was on some sort of bed rest almost the entire pregnancy, but the birth and delivery were normal. Easy, compared to Thomas. Percy has progressed normally, pretty much, except for a few language and fine motor issues. We just had his first IEP a few months ago as he did qualify as significantly developmentally delayed. I’m not sure about that, but he is getting some services so I’m okay with it for now. While he does talk, he is pretty shy around his peers. Jane is a lot like that, so hopefully it is just a personality thing.
The closest relative is Jane’s mother who lives 350 miles away and who isn’t in that good of health. My parents, siblings and her parents and siblings live more like 1,000 miles away. So support is in short supply, at least in the way of family help. We sometimes find ourselves very much alone. The church does provide some assistance to us, but we are very proud, self-reliant people. And we do a good job, for the most part.
dick
Start HERE! January 20, 2006
Posted by Daniel Dage in Backstory.comments closed
So I’m setting up shop to serve a very under served group. That would be parents and teachers and students with exceptionalities. Special Education. Special needs, whatever you want to call it. This blog is about the world of the people who have special needs and those who care for them. But unlike most other writings this is going to be honest and gritty. I mean really gritty. That’s the way the truth is, sometimes. It isn’t always nice, pleasant and easy. And with persons with disabilities, it can get very raw in the reality. So brace yourself. Don’t worry, there will also be some warm, funny moments here. You will be informed as well as entertained. And often shocked. So let us begin.
I’m going to be anonymous, but there will be some personal info here where someone may just be able to figure out who I am. I’m okay with that. If you see me in real life, pretend you know nothing about the blog. Difficult if you happen to be in it, but I am going to change names to protect the innocent and not so innocent.
I am a special education teacher and have been for over 10 years. I’ve taught almost every disability category recognized by school systems, mostly in the secondary level, although I’ve worked with younger kids. I’m currently working with students with severe and profound disabilities. I supervise one other teacher and 5 paraeducators. We’ll get to them later.
I started my special education career working with students with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD). I did self-contained for a few months, and then worked in a psychoed center and then a state mental hospital, before settling in to my current spot.
Somewhere during this odyssey of becoming a Sp.Ed teacher, I got married. And then had kids. My oldest has some significant developmental delays along the autistic spectrum. He’s almost 7, in regular kindergarten and is doing well. My youngest, age 4, is also in special ed preschool part-time.
So, yeah. I know a thing or two about special education from both sides of the table. And just to sweeten this even more, when I was in 7th grade, I was tested for special education! So it takes one to know one, or something like that. While I didn’t qualify for anything, I never forgot meeting in a janitor’s closet with some strange guy doing all these tests with me for 2 or 3 days straight. I remember being kind of embarrassed about the whole thing. More on that, later. Maybe.
So I have a story to tell. I’ve also got things to say as a teacher and as a parent. I think I’ve got things to contribute. I also have a lot to learn from other teachers and moreso other parents. I admire fellow parents who have already blazed the trails and those still blazing. There’s nothing easy about this business.
