Parent Involvement August 27, 2009
Posted by Daniel Dage in Ed Policy Discussion, IEP, Parent Support, Parents and parenting, Special Education, home schooling, severe disabilities.comments closed
There’s a huge push in Georgia and around the country relating to parent involvement, and right this minute there is one going on in the metro Atlanta area sponsored by WSB-TV and Bethere.org. And there is a lot of research that indicates that parent involvement is one of the key elements of a good education as well as well adjusted kids in general, that you can find at the BeThere website.
In my county, there are a couple of theme schools (elementary and middle) as well as a high school academy that have parental involvement as the central focus. Parents sign an agreement that they will volunteer for a number of hours as well as adhere to a list of rules and guidelines. In exchange, the school promises to deliver a better education and better outcomes based largely on the increased parent involvement.
I agree that parental involvement is a crucial element in education. In fact, I believe parent involvement is more important than the teacher, the principal or the school district in determining academic outcomes. If you could get rid of the entire educational apparatus and replace it with involved parents for every child, there wouldn’t be an educational crisis in this country.
I have a couple of family members who have been home schooling their children, and these kids are absolutely awesome and brilliant. Of course the parents are awesome and brilliant, too, but these kids are as socially adjusted, confident and creative as anyone you would ever meet anywhere else. A well-educated and motivated parent can do things that a school system simply can not do. And with the leaps in technology, the gap between what public schools can offer versus what someone educated at home can get is approaching zero. Throw in some community theater, music, sports and clubs and you’ve got everything pretty much covered. Homeschooling is the ultimate in parent involvement as it involves dedication and commitment far beyond what any of the local theme schools demand, which is why it isn’t for everyone.
We’ve kicked the home school idea around our house. Jane has been to some home school expos and has a number of friends who are homeschooling their kids. And my youngest would do really well with it, but he’ll do well no matter where he goes to school. But my oldest is a big question mark. Right now he’s getting OT and sppech/language services through the school system via his IEP. There’s a good resource on home schooling and special needs found at the Home Schooling Legal Defense Association. I may hit on that more later.
But I do want to speak concerning those of us who are not home schooling and are being asked to be involved. It’s difficult for responsible parents to NOT be involved, so this movement does strike me as a bit bothersome and condescending. We all do know parents who aren’t very involved, but it’s hard to imagine any ad campaign having much of an effect on people who are unable or unwilling to be involved. We do need to face a very real, if unpleasant to educators, fact: the public school system has as a primary function a custodial role; a safe, secure place to keep kids so that parents can go to work or just get a break. We are paid to babysit as much as educate.
There, I said it.
Public schools exist, in large part, because parents don’t want kids running amok all day. A few months off in the summer are about all most parents can stand. They love seeing the bus pull up in the fall! And while many kids won’t admit it, they like having a place to go. they get fed and looked after and if all goes well they might get an education. But in any case, they are in a relatively safe, clean, environmentally-controlled place. Parents can go about their business during the day without having to worry about their kids. And if they do worry, they have a myriad of people to blame and complain to including the school board, the superintendent, the principal and right down to the teacher. There are ample opportunities for parents to raise a fuss and be heard. Plenty of involvement there!
Which brings up another aspect of this parental involvement business. Fact is, schools want parents involved as long as it’s the system calling the shots. As long as parents volunteer to raise money, schools like parents. When parents start wanting a voice in how the money is spent, then there may some problems. In special education, the school system is negatively reinforced for having parents who are not involved. If a parent isn’t present, an IEP can be done in a much shorter amount of time. If a parent is involved and brings an advocate or attorney, then we’re looking at hours. Some parents are in the office a lot, advocating for their child or complaining about something or other. Some are calling their board representative all the time. They are already involved quite a bit! But this is not the sort of involvement the districts involved in the “Be There” campaign are looking for, I suspect.
They are looking for parents to be involved with helping their child comply and succeed with the requirements put forth by the state. They want parents who will help their child (as well as maybe others) with homework, teaching math and literacy and fundraising. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but I am saying that any campaign seeking involvement from parents might want to consider all the ways parents are involved, including those who get involved by suing the school system! I think parent involvement is good when there is good communication and trust between a school and the parents. In such a system, though, a campaign like “Be There” wouldn’t be necessary.
I have a mix in my class. Just by the nature of severe and multiple disabilities, it demands heavy parental involvement. There’s just no getting around it when a student demands total care and supervision 24/7. I totally get that, which is why I try not to make a lot of demands on the parents. They are all doing the best they can. Most have been pretty supportive over the years, and I think I have a decent relationship with all of them. After several years, a body tends to develop a sort of trust relationship as my classroom becomes a second home of a sort. A very CROWDED home, at the moment, but we do the best we can with what we have.
What do you think? Are there some parents who are too involved? Are schools really that interested in a reciprocal partnership with parents?
GAA Tips and Tricks August 20, 2009
Posted by Daniel Dage in Alternate Assessment, Educational Technology, Special Education.comments closed
I just had a local teacher email me asking for some hints on doing a GAA with a student with profound disabilities. Is it possible? Yes it is, and I’ve done it more than once, each time successfully. I could get a potato through the GAA and show progress.
It’s a bit of a charade, but it’s possible to get anyone through the GAA as long as you have an open mind! Even if the student is in a coma, they can do a GAA and show progress. I know it’s stupid, but as long as we’re all willing to wink and carry on and follow the rules, I’m willing to try to keep my outrage to a minimum. Just don’t change the rules.
At this point, you’ll have to look at the academic standards for the student’s grade level from the 2009-2010 blueprint. I just scrolled down to the 7th grade standards and they are not too far off from what I do at the high school. So I’ll give you a basic setup on some possible tasks:
ELA #1 – Reading comprehension: I think every grade has some sort of reading comprehension. At the high school, we have specific areas, like American literature, nonfiction or poetry. Basically, I pick a book or story that has some support with it, or that it will be easy to make things for. During the first collection period, I read the story to the student and have him point to some of the pictures. Take pictures of him pointing, or (better yet) of you holding his hands pointing. You want to keep the baseline very low at this point. Of course, if he can point independently, sure go with that. But for someone who is seriously profound you will be hand-over-hand. Get pictures of this. The second task involves watching a movie to TV show of the story. Same rules apply, where I get pictures of the student watching and perhaps being physically prompted to touch the screen. Keep it all pretty simple and low tech. Remember, this is a baseline and you’ll have to show progress from this point.
ELA #2 – listening, speaking, viewing – I think everyone has this one, too. I have one task that involves a basic scripted conversation: “Hi”, “How are you” I’m fine” and “Goodbye.” This is pretty basic and can be done with a step-by-step single switch or a Gotalk 4+ or similar device. This is the one time where you might try to use audio or video, because the conversation is already scripted and programmed. But I stick to captioned photographs, because I like that medium of data collection and it has always worked for me. The second task could be a different way of giving information or answering questions. I like something like requesting food, because that opens me up to generalization later. We can start at the school cafeteria (or home or hospital) and then expand to ordering at a restaurant during that second collection period thus showing progress and generalization. I’m always thinking of how to increase the level of independence, sophistication or achievement in order to show progress. Actual achievement is the variable that I have the least amount of control and certainty over, so I program progress into it by increasing independence and sophistication using technology. Collection period #1 is very low tech and very simple. Collection period #2 gets very technologically sophisticated and fancy.
Algebra – I usually use modeling addition, but we’re still on QCC standards at the high school, so you’ll have something different. But the basic template is the same. Pick two tasks that demonstrate the same concept and keep it very simple for the first collection period, and use hand-over-hand. During the second collection, you can hook a switch to a laptop and do all sorts of cool things. As long as the student can hit the switch (with or without your help) they can show progress.
Geometry – I’m all about doing stuff with shapes. Again, collection period one involves drawing hand-over-hand and pointing to shapes hand-over-hand. The second collection period involved using a computer and a switch to do some different things more independently. Getting the student to become a switch user is a big key, here.
Social studies – This used to be difficult for me, until they opened up all the standards. Looking at the 7th grade blueprint, you have some nice options. We picked Mexico and did a ton of activities surrounding that place and culture. Collection period #1 involved just looking at books and video, where collection #2 involved doing activities and accessing material using the computer and technology. We actually had so much fun, that we sort of went “around the world” and did a mess of countries and cultures, and talked about food, music and traditions.
Science – I’ve done both biology and physical science tasks and the key is finding sufficient things to support what you’ll do in the second collection period and two separate tasks. Again, one task could involve reading a book or watching a video while the other involved actually doing something with some material. For biology, we planted some seeds, and this was the activity for collection period #1. Collection period 2 involved watering, measuring and perhaps comparing two different plants or similar plants under different conditions. Timing it tricky with live plants as if you start too late, your plants might catch the frost! Start too early, and your administrator might have issues with the dating of the material compared to the rest of your subjects. You’ll have to watch the 3 week window.
A lot of things I’ve said might not make any sense to you right now, but hopefully you’ll get some basic GAA training that will flesh this process out for you. There’s a bunch of niggling rules and details I’m skipping over, but my experience is that planning and designing the tasks is the hardest part. Once that is done, the other stuff fits in and things can be adjusted.
At this point in time, look for whatever it is you think you might want to use for your reading comprehension. See what other grade-level teachers are using. Then, see if you can find an adaptation of it, such as a graphic novel. Also, if there is a movie of it, you’ll have a nice package. For instance, Frankenstein has many adaptations. If you go to the Significant Disability GA DOE Website, and scroll way down, you’ll find a whole unit of activities that uses this story.
Hope this helps!
I
At this point, you’ll have to look at the academic standards for the student’s grade level from the 2009-2010 blueprint. I just scrolled down to the 7th grade standards and they are not too far off from what I do at the high school. So I’ll give you a basic setup on some possible tasks:
ELA #1 – Reading comprehension: I think every grade has some sort of reading comprehension. At the high school, we have specific areas, like American literature, nonfiction or poetry. Basically, I pick a book or story that has some support with it, or that it will be easy to make things for. During the first collection period, I read the story to the student and have him point to some of the pictures. Take pictures of him pointing, or (better yet) of you holding his hands pointing. You want to keep the baseline very low at this point. Of course, if he can point independently, sure go with that. But for someone who is seriously profound you will be hand-over-hand. Get pictures of this. The second task involves watching a movie to TV show of the story. Same rules apply, where I get pictures of the student watching and perhaps being physically prompted to touch the screen. Keep it all pretty simple and low tech. Remember, this is a baseline and you’ll have to show progress from this point.
ELA #2 – listening, speaking, viewing – I think everyone has this one, too. I have one task that involves a basic scripted conversation: “Hi”, “How are you” I’m fine” and “Goodbye.” This is pretty basic and can be done with a step-by-step single switch or a Gotalk 4+ or similar device. This is the one time where you might try to use audio or video, because the conversation is already scripted and programmed. But I stick to captioned photographs, because I like that medium of data collection and it has always worked for me. The second task could be a different way of giving information or answering questions. I like something like requesting food, because that opens me up to generalization later. We can start at the school cafeteria (or home or hospital) and then expand to ordering at a restaurant during that second collection period thus showing progress and generalization. I’m always thinking of how to increase the level of independence, sophistication or achievement in order to show progress. Actual achievement is the variable that I have the least amount of control and certainty over, so I program progress into it by increasing independence and sophistication using technology. Collection period #1 is very low tech and very simple. Collection period #2 gets very technologically sophisticated and fancy.
Algebra – I usually use modeling addition, but we’re still on QCC standards at the high school, so you’ll have something different. But the basic template is the same. Pick two tasks that demonstrate the same concept and keep it very simple for the first collection period, and use hand-over-hand. During the second collection, you can hook a switch to a laptop and do all sorts of cool things. As long as the student can hit the switch (with or without your help) they can show progress.
Geometry – I’m all about doing stuff with shapes. Again, collection period one involves drawing hand-over-hand and pointing to shapes hand-over-hand. The second collection period involved using a computer and a switch to do some different things more independently. Getting the student to become a switch user is a big key, here.
Social studies – This used to be difficult for me, until they opened up all the standards. Looking at the 7th grade blueprint, you have some nice options. We picked Mexico and did a ton of activities surrounding that place and culture. Collection period #1 involved just looking at books and video, where collection #2 involved doing activities and accessing material using the computer and technology. We actually had so much fun, that we sort of went “around the world” and did a mess of countries and cultures, and talked about food, music and traditions.
Science – I’ve done both biology and physical science tasks and the key is finding sufficient things to support what you’ll do in the second collection period and two separate tasks. Again, one task could involve reading a book or watching a video while the other involved actually doing something with some material. For biology, we planted some seeds, and this was the activity for collection period #1. Collection period 2 involved watering, measuring and perhaps comparing two different plants or similar plants under different conditions. Timing it tricky with live plants as if you start too late, your plants might catch the frost! Start too early, and your administrator might have issues with the dating of the material compared to the rest of your subjects. You’ll have to watch the 3 week window.
A lot of things I’ve said might not make any sense to you right now, but hopefully you’ll get some basic GAA training that will flesh this process out for you. There’s a bunch of niggling rules and details I’m skipping over, but my experience is that planning and designing the tasks is the hardest part. Once that is done, the other stuff fits in and things can be adjusted.
At this point in time, look for whatever it is you think you might want to use for your reading comprehension. See what other grade-level teachers are using. Then, see if you can find an adaptation of it, such as a graphic novel. Also, if there is a movie of it, you’ll have a nice package. For instance, Frankenstein has many adaptations. If you go to the Significant Disability GA DOE Website, and scroll way down, you’ll find a whole unit of activities that uses this story.
Hope this helps get you started. I’ll keep blogging as I go, and will add more tips that I stumble upon (as well as vent!). Feel free to toss out any other questions you might have. It’s a lot of work, but is doable. I got my scores from last year with a student who was my lowest EVER (as well as was multiply impaired in many ways) and I got the best scores ever! I just have to remember to not get too worked up about it, emotionally.
Fitting Education to Students’ Needs August 18, 2009
Posted by Daniel Dage in Curriculum, Ed Policy Discussion, Learning Disabilities, Parent Support, Regular Ed, Special Ed., Special Education, severe disabilities.comments closed
This article by Jay Matthews from the Washington Post does a good job of summarizing just exactly why the special education field is so litigious and combative. Even when a parent does all of the right things, follows all of the procedures and attempts to work with the school system to best meet the needs of their children, the school system still finds a way to screw parents and neglect the student. So now everyone has to get a lawyer, which helps drive up the cost of education even higher.
Even though I’m employed by the school system, I do see part of my job as advocating and helping to protect parents from a system that would otherwise trample them to smithereens. Now with a tough economy and declining revenues, school systems are having to set their priorities more rigidly, and we are reminded as to why the IDEA, ADA and the Rehabilitation Act are all needed. It’s needed to protect the rights of those who otherwise would be left behind. In our Soviet-Style education system,
Our educational system is essentially a Soviet-style government-run monopoly that could only be loved by the likes of Lenin and Stalin.
the educational needs of individual students are subverted in order to accommodate the priorities of the larger state community. The national government curriculum that is being developed is not being designed with the needs of my students in mind. If your son or daughter does not fall within the “average” range, it’s not being developed with them in mind either. Basically, the more nationalized, homogenized and standardized the educational system gets, the less tolerant it is toward individual needs and differences.
So while the lawyers go back and forth, Miguel either remains in his public school, and falls further and further behind. Or his family goes destitute in an effort to privately finance the education that he so desperately needs, while the school system continues to tax its citizens for an education that is not meeting the needs of its most needy citizens.
There are things I don’t understand about Miguel’s case. First of all, his mother was able to get an independent evaluation (several of them, actually) and the school system seemed to reject all of them. In light of a recent supreme court ruling, it seems as though the school system is clearly in the wrong because they are refusing to identify Miguel as Learning Disabled, despite clear and overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This case seems to mirror that case identically (Forrest Grove School District v T.A. 2009) or at least up to the stage where Miguel begins attending a private school. I thought the school system had their own team of lawyers? How can they be so ignorant?
Basically, the school system attempts to keep the gate shut by refusing to identify individuals has having learning disabilities at all. This is happening all over the country more and more as Response To Intervention (RTI) begins to be more widely and irresponsibly used to deny and delay services. Second, even after an individual is identified, the school system often drags its feet on actually serving the student. And finally, often when services are provided, it is often executed very poorly by individuals who may or may not be highly qualified. Or in some cases, the conditions under which services are delivered make such services ineffective such as in an area that is overcrowded.
The only thing I can recommend to parents is to push back against the tide that threatens to roll over your children. Institutions can be extremely insensitive until you are willing and able to inflict some substantial pain upon them, usually in the form of monetary damages. While I work for such an institution, my primary concern is for the student and his/her needs, not the needs of collective machinery at the board office or even the administrative office in the building where I work. I believe my fellow teachers who work with the students every day feel the same way. I do feel mostly supported by my peers and the parents of my students. But by administrators and legislators? Not so much. My students fall outside of the margins of the masses and the many and as a result so do I. My needs are foreign and intrusive because my students are regarded as foreign and intrusive. So this year, I am pushing back more. I dislike having to be combative, ornery, whiny and demanding. However, NOT doing so results in nothing happening except an already poor situation deteriorating even further. Somewhere, I have to draw the line and attempt to hold it.
On a more positive note, I have had the opportunity to speak to several classes of regular education teachers and students regarding many of the noises they hear from my students and classroom. It has been extremely positively received. I find myself more and more impressed by the “regular” kids after speaking to them and addressing their concerns and questions. Prior to visiting, there were a lot of complaints from teachers to administrators about the loudness of my group. Hopefully as the year goes on, we can minimize that loudness as the students (both mine and the rest of the school) adjust to a new schedule and new people.
School Pictures August 12, 2009
Posted by Daniel Dage in Special Education.Tags: disabilities, school pictures
comments closed
I hate them. On just about every level, I really and totally dislike them.
First off, as a teacher of the population that I teach, school pictures are a HUGE hassle. And I mean HUGE! It always involves going to a different part of the school and waiting. My kids do not wait well, especially in a large, open area with lots of bright and flashing lights and noise. And that’s even if the place is wheelchair accessible. Umm…I already keel-hauled those folks on that issue. But feel free glom on.
Getting a good pose comes naturally to many of my students. Some of them are able to always smile and sit perfectly still. Actually, that’s not true at all. Very few manage to do that in this environment. Part of it is my fault for not really preparing them for this ordeal, but we only had a couple days notice. I do have kids that are naturally smile-ee, but they do not hold a pose worth a flip. They move, fidget and turn their heads to look around at everyone and everything. And then I have a few who are VERY unhappy. Hollering, jumping and head-thumping mad. It’s for these that I get paid the big bucks to work my wizardry. I first prep the professional camera people.
“Get ready….you’re going to have to be REAL quick!”
And to their credit, they usually manage to pull off a decent shot, with the help of some candy, gum and calming words. And so it was that we survived this ordeal for a third of my class. Those in wheelchairs will be doing it next month.
As a teacher, it is also a royal pain. It’s not like I could leave my kids hanging out alone while I sit for the picture. So I came back during my lunch/planning time. I should have jumped, screamed and thumped more. Unlike the slick and quick work employed on my students, I was suddenly confronted with someone who wanted to be very particular and artsy. I just wanted a quick shot for the yearbook and get out of there. My photographer had other ideas…
“Look here…turn your head…tilt it to the side….bring your back up straight……shoulders forward,… head tilt….look here…chest up…chin down…head tilt….look here…”
What’s up with the head tilt? Why does looking like a confused dog look attractive? Anyway, I finally got my glamour shot. For years, I was able to recycle my first year’s picture for my I.D. but they quit doing that so now you can see how little hair I have left.
As a parent, I find school pictures to be an enormous pain. Jane doesn’t quite see it that way, I don’t think. Basically, they shot a picture in front of a plain background and sell $7 worth of copies for $65. It’s an enormous racket! The schools gets a cut of this, of course which is why they actually do it twice a year in the younger grades. One of those times, you get to preview the picture before you buy it. The other time, you pay before you can see it. THAT is an unholy racket! Fortunately, the boys take after their mother in the looks department and take good pictures so we don’t have many duds. But I’m against the whole principle of spending ginormous amounts of money on something you can’t see beforehand.
The parents of my students rarely buy the pictures that are taken. First off, it really is a lot of money for families struggling to buy diapers and pull-ups every week. Also, not all of the pictures turn out very good. Sometimes, something mediocre is the best we can do. My students simply have not mastered the head tilt.
Wheelchairs August 10, 2009
Posted by Daniel Dage in Special Education, Therapy, assistive Technology, severe disabilities.comments closed
I think I’ll talk about students with wheelchairs for a bit because that is foremost on my mind at the moment.
First off, I had a student get a brand new one today. The Wheelchair Man, the physical therapist and his mother all came to our noisy, crowded classroom in order to be a part of this event. This is his second new chair with me, as each student can get a new chair, paid for by Medicaid, once every 3 years. Once the student leaves the school system, it goes down to about once every 7 years. It makes some sense, since school aged kids are growing and will grow out of their chairs.
Most of my students have custom-made chairs. This is one reason why it takes several months between the time an intitial request is made and the time it finally arrives. First Medicaid has to approve the funding which can take a couple of months. Then measurements are taken and then the thing can finally be ordered. Basically if you start the process in May, you might see the chair by Christmas. Welcome to public healthcare.
Customizations include having a seat and back that best supports each unique student. It also may include custom tilt, brakes and even a custom drive train. I know of some students who have chairs that can be driven and steered with only one hand! And then there are the electic wheelchairs which are an entirely different category and issue.
So what is the deal with students in wheelchairs? Well, for one thing there is the issue of physical space. They take up a lot of it and they need a lot to move and turn. There’s also the accessibility issue of getting around on ramps and elevators. At one time when we had enough adults, we would often ride the Atlanta rapid transit system, and it was a major deal trying to find elevators and places to sit/park the chairs and then tried to negotiate the CNN Center. But that was when I had only 2 chairs.
Now I have many more. And when only one student can drive his chair independently, that means an adult has to push. And in the event of a fire drill, we simply do not have enough adults to move all of our students where they need to be. Just going to the cafeteria becomes a major ordeal! Our community time is pretty much a thing of the past because we need enough people to cover and lift and move students during any emergency. I’m tempted to stop by a nursing home just to get a feel for the logistics!
Over the years, I’ve learned how to make basic repairs and adjustments to most of the chairs. Wheelchair Man comes to our county about once per month, and that is not enough time to service all of the chairs in the county. And if the brakes are loose or a belt comes undone, I have allen wrenches and other tools available to make repairs. Chair mechanic is just one more hat I wear.
Sitting in the same spot, even if it is a custom chair, can get really uncomfortable after a couple of hours. As a result, we try to move everyone out and about every couple of hours. Usually around 10:00 we’re full into diaper changing and then positioning students in standers, wedges, mats and tumble form devices. It takes about 45 minutes to get everyone changed and positioned and it is VERY physically demanding. I’m usually ready for a break after everyone is in place! Once students are positioned, we can work with them on the mat or wherever they are to massage and stretch and just help them relax. After 30-45 minutes, we’re getting back in the chairs and read for lunch.
Transporting a wheelchair is not an easy thing. Many of the parents have a van with a lift but several do not. The lift van requires a lot of fuss and bother getting the chair strapped and positioned securely. Those without a lift usually have to break down the chair by removing the seat and back rest and then fold it. This is not an easy task and is also hard on the chair. Plus the student has to be transferred in and out of the chair. As a result, parents of my students don’t come to many open houses or curriculum nights or other events the school hosts. It is simply too enormous of an undertaking. They shop and buy groceries and take care of other business while the student is at school, hence the major custodial role the school plays. Teachers and school personnel really hate it that schools are mostly in the position of being tax funded daycares, but that is a huge part of what keeps the doors open.We provide safe and engaging places for the kids while parent work or do other activities vital to life.
The special ed. buses are all equipped with a wheelchair lift. While they may be a bit shorter than other route buses, they are still quite large. I drove these for community outings for about 7 years, and often the lift would malfunction resulting in either manually getting a kid off or us not being able to go. One time we had to back a bus up so that a deployed lift fit into the emergency door of a second bus, so a kid could get down and off! It was a real pain when the lift was stuck on the open position and we were out in the community.
I’m getting yet one more student in a wheelchair. I don’t see how I’m going to have room for everyone to lay down, stretch out or move around very much. I arranged my room to create more spaces than every for this purpose, but we’re still going to be short!
Thank you for enduring my rambling on about this topic. I’m so tired, I’m lucky to be half coherent at all!
The 2nd Day of School is Better than the First! August 4, 2009
Posted by Daniel Dage in Paraeducators, Special Ed., Special Education.comments closed
And this is a trend that I hope continues as the year goes on. Fortunately it looks like my new paras are fairly sharp and are rapidly catching on to a new routine and are taking up some of the slack that I inevitably leave in a wake of growing responsibilities. Advocating for my paras is sometimes even more difficult that advocating for my students. Since my students are so dependent on adult support, it’s practically the same thing, anyway.
Today we were all better prepared and met the various challenges head-on. And we did see a few new challenges that didn’t show up yesterday, but we’re all dealing without the wheels falling off. I’m encouraged by the students settling in to what little structure and routine we presently have in place. I was actually able to have a bit of structured class/group time with the kids today. However, 8 is way, way too many to group with this population. The fact is, is that with a population of SID/PID students you have to be in close physical proximity to effectively teach anything. I have to be able to reach out and touch every person I am working with. Yes, having para support is helpful but the teacher needs to be able to physically touch, prompt and otherwise hold attention. My limit is 3 in a group. I have seriously tried and tried working with groups of 4 or more, but with the sort of intense instruction we do, it just does not work well. 3 + me = 4 and that seems to be the perfect setup. Anyone extra becomes a 5th and 6th (and 7th and 8th) wheel. Last year, with 7 students, I had 2 groups of 3 and tried to work the 7th wherever he/she fit. Often someone was absent, so it was workable much of the time. The 3 paras would do 1:1 work with whoever I wasn’t working with or they could combine up so everyone in the room was engaged on some level. This is the way it should be, but when numbers swell so far past the available adults it breaks everything down and no one gets any productive time!
I would say that the behaviors today were probably more challenging on some levels than yesterday. However was able to spend more time probing around and trying to determine the function of these behaviors today. The way to determine function is to try different things in order to elicit the behavior. Mostly eliciting it under various conditions, such as demand, attention or alone conditions. So in the case of someone who is kicking (not an issue in my room at the moment), it means getting kicked a lot more by trying to cause it. Once the cause is found, a program is determined to to replace the behavior or reinforce something else, like attention or compliance. I’m keeping it all simple for the sake of saying that I do have numerous and fresh battle wounds today to show for my behavioral combat. Applied Behavior Analysis isn’t truly applied unless the investigator has sacrificed some of his/her own hide for the cause. If there isn’t blood and bruises, you’re probably not doing it right.
Things will also get easier as I get my legs under me and leave the laziness of summer behind me. I was sore and exhausted yesterday. Today isn’t the same sort of soreness or the sensation of being so bone weary. Yes, I’m tired, but I can still think and move without wincing.
So those of you who haven’t started your school year yet, I hope this will serve as a bit of encouragement. Yes, the first day can be a crusher but it does get better.
Why Experience Counts August 3, 2009
Posted by Daniel Dage in Paraeducators, Special Education, Teachers, Therapy, severe disabilities.comments closed
School officially began and I am almost too wiped out and crushed to write. At the same time, I am feeling almosted to crushed NOT to write!
I’ve found myself in the awkward position of trying to explain to administrators as to why experience and attitude are equally important in teaching students with severe disabilities. While it is important no matter what you teach, there can be some dire consequences for NOT having some background with this population. And if there is a poor attitude, such as a prejudice against kids with disabilities, no amount of knowledge or background will help. We had a case a couple of years ago where a teacher and para got canned because of abuse charges, and they were both competent and experienced. But they didn’t really like most of the students, and took it out on them with some rather foolish misconduct.
It takes at least a year for me to get a para up to full speed, and at least another year before I can consider them fully skilled. Some take longer and some can learn a bit quicker, but it really does take a full year to learn all of the ropes involved in opening school, teaching the GAA, doing all of the Special Olympic events and enduring me through all of my IEPs. For the past several years, it has been almost impossible for me to keep a fully qualified team intact. Sometimes it is because staff members move on, but most often it is because the administration sees a sharp para and they take them away for AYP/political/unkown reasons. This infuriates me, especially when I have an oppressive class load like I do this year. It is basically a case of discrimination based upon disability, considering my students less worthy of highly qualified people rather than the more general population. And I am not putting up with that any more. Next time that happens, there WILL be a letter sent to the office of civil rights. The culture of discrimination ends today.
So just what does the learning curve involve for a new para? First, knowing the kids and their names and the nature of each ones disability. It’s important to know whaen someone is just having a behavioral issue and when someone is having an autistic issue. It’s important to know who has seizures. You have to know things dealing with mobility, physical therapy, communication, feeding, toileting, and allergies. And the preceding list are all things that have to be known simply to get the students through breakfast!! The learning curve is extraordinarily steep, detailed and challenging. Feed them something they are allergic to can result in DEATH! But most of my students have no way of telling us if something is bothering them or what it is. The best way is by knowing them, and it takes time to do that. With regular high school kids, they can tell you all about their summer, what they are allergic to, what they like and dislike, what positions or noises or things make them uncomfortable. Many of my kids just scream, holler and hit their faces or bang their heads, and we have to figure it out. Knowing them over a period of time helps take some of the guesswork out it. And then there’s the work involved in getting to know the new students. It’s difficult for me to quickly get to know a couple of new students if I’m also helping new staff get to know the other 6 as well as the new ones.
The first day of school is stressful for all students and teachers. Many express themselves in various ways by talking about it. Some might act out behaviorally. Some might just poop their pants all day long. Which leads to the next extraordinary facet of my setting. It is totally and utterly physical.
By 10:30, my shirt was soaked with sweat, even though the thermometer in my room read 68 degrees. I felt really bad for the poor kids I was changing as sweat was dripping from me on to them. I tried keeping it wiped off and soldiered on. It was all about lifting, undressing, dressing lifting some more, positioning in a wedge, stander or on the floor and getting the next one, followed by repositioning. I found myself channeling the days on the farm stacking hay under a hot tin roof!
Some folks are a bit surprised that I, as a teacher, change diapers instead of just letting the paras do it all. But I totally believe in leading from the front. Besides, if I have a couple of students that are demanding all of my time for whatever reason, changing might be the most quality time I spend with some! It is a very sad fact that even with only 7 or 8 students that it is often difficult to find a sufficient amount of time to spend with any individual students. So today was spent teaching the 2 (out of three) new paras some of the ropes while also trying to decipher and figure out the new behaviors from the old students and all of the behaviors from my new students. By the end of the day, I was sore and exhausted. I spent too much time laying around this summer!
I do think my new para team will work well once everyone gets up to speed. I also have faith that my students will adjust and be fun to work with, each in their own way. But it is always such a long and steep climb to get to that point! It’s difficult explaining this to someone who does not exist in the world where I’ve been living over the past 10 years. But those who are making these decisions need to know that their seemingly haphazard decisions have consequences.
