Common Disabilities Which Receive Special Education Services

1. The child might have a Learning Disability if . . .
   • He or she has average ability but is significantly behind in a subject area. (Typically a student with a learning disability is not behind in all academic areas).
   • He or she is having difficulty processing information in visual or auditory manner (testing may be needed to determine this).
   • Multiple interventions have been tried and have been unsuccessful.
2. The child might have an Emotional Disability if . . .
   • Emotional problems are making it difficult for your child to learn.
   • He or she has significant difficulty with interpersonal relationships that interfere with learning.
   • He or she has inappropriate behavior under normal circumstances.
3. The child might be eligible under Other Health Impairment if . . .
   • He has a documented medical condition that adversely impacts education (ADHD is the most common medical condition under this category)

What Makes a Great Teacher!

1. Interpersonal skills trump professional skills.

Students like the teacher, like the class, and like school. This happens because they know the teacher values them and what matters to them. They can tell this because they are treated with kindness and respect.

2. Give students a job and let them do it.

The teacher has faith in his students, respects their expertise, and lets them do their assignments without interference. Although he is there to help when they need it, students have the room to try new things, and can fail without being a failure. This makes the success students' success.

3. Be open and collaborative, but step in when needed.

The teacher values opinions and ideas expressed by students. Discussion and disagreement are valued and used in the process of learning. However, a level of control is expected and maintained.

4. Be visible.

The teacher talks to students, in the cafeteria, the hallway, on the way to the bus, between classes, and all of the non-class times.

5. Keep a sense of perspective.

The teacher realizes school is about the students. Academics are important, but not the most important thing. The test is important, but not the most important thing.

6. Finally, be a decent human being.

A single word to describe the teacher is "decent." The teacher doesn't lose his temper, put down a student, or treat anyone disrespectfully. His sense of humor is never far from the surface. He rarely accepts credit, but credits others for the school's wins. He is honestly humble and self-deprecating.

Be Responsible, To Make It Better!

Accountability means holding everyone with responsibilities to high standards of performance.

We look to school districts and states to invest in classroom resources and support teachers. For example: set clear expectations, help teachers develop their craft, provide meaningful support that is tailored to the teacher’s needs, and then provide a fair review of how well teachers are serving the educational needs of our students. We also look to districts and states to drive improvements in schools that fall short year after year.

We look to principals to establish a safe, welcoming and rigorous school culture with a coherent and compelling vision for learning and growth. We look to principals to foster excellence by recognizing top teachers, providing support to help struggling teachers improve, and replacing those who aren’t showing improvement.

We look to teachers to help every student learn and not just those students who are self-motivated learners. We look to teachers to model that love of learning and learn new ways to engage students, master their subject matter, seek advice and accept critical feedback, and get better at their craft every year.

We look to parents to partner in their child’s education and make learning a priority at home, and understand how they can help make things better in their children’s classrooms and schools.

And we should all look in the mirror and ask: What more can I do to improve educational opportunities for our kids?

Class Observations

When the Dr gave us the assignment where we should attend at least 8 periods in a class with a specific teacher, I thought that it would be a piece of cake. But after finishing 7 observations, I found out that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Observing how a teacher manages a normal class was really helpful. I liked the teacher a lot, she was really good and patient.
Observing the teacher allows us to study her moves, and then reflect on them.
When it comes to me I don't like someone observing me while working, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't know what other teachers think or feel about this, but I think they feel the same.
Two weeks ago, the Dr asked us to observe a cooperative lesson in the class. So, I asked the teacher when she's going to do it, but she told me that she already did it. I was lucky to observe the last period of the cooperative lesson. And I was surprised to see that it was a role play where students are put into groups and each group of five has to act the story out. I assumed that the only thing they learned was how to act!!! I didn't notice that there is an academic objective, and also the teacher graded students individually. But I noticed that she did guide her students and gave them clear instructions. And when all of the groups finished their performance she asked students about what is the things they liked and disliked about every group.
Cooperative learning is group work, but not every group work is cooperative!!

Sharing Child Assessment Results With Parents

This webinar was presented by Dr Laura L. Balet, who is a licensed school psychologist, she shared her perspective on child assessment and how to convey results with authenticity and confidence to parents.

Assessment is a process of gathering information systematically and interpreting it to plan educational activities going forward. We should be aware that it is not a diagnosis or an indication of the child's entire future, it provides a snapshot of the child's current skills and helps determine if instructions are having a good effect. 

We all as teachers face some barriers when it comes to share the assessment with parents. Sometimes we fear sharing because we don't know how they would react, or maybe because we don't know how to start or finish.

Dr Laura gave us some tips that can help us prepare for the conversation. We should plan what we will say and how, have a written document to guide us, start with  the child's strength and be kind, honest and family-friendly.

Teachers should emphasize that the child's development is a shared responsibility between home and school. And assessment is not a long term indication. Sometimes parents get teachers wrong so they should pay attention to what they say.

A Glance at Last Year

The first student which teaching him was challenging for me was Ahmad. Ahmad, an 11 years old boy who was in grade 4 last year. I couldn't have him speak or even smile, it was pretty frustrating to me at the beginning. But with time, I found a way, I discovered something he adores "basketball". 
One day I asked students what they want to be in the future, Ahmad's answer was a basketball player. So, I glued a picture of a basketball player on the back of his chair. And after a while and a lot of attention and care I managed to build a good relation with him and made him feel secured. 
Ahmad changed completely academically and socially, he was improving rapidly. I was very happy and content with the results.
After succeeding in communicating with Ahmad, he started sharing with me all of his bad experience with other special ed centers, teachers and even his peers. It was really a bad experience which shows how ignorant they are. And for the centers he told me about, they were messy and the most important thing is that their main concern was money.
After two months of hard work, Ahmad was able to read and write. He improved a lot and surprised his parents after they were desperate and thought that their kid will never improve. 

Anything But a Teacher!

"Anything but a teacher" was my answer to anyone who ever asked me what do you like to be in the future. And what's really funny is that I've been teaching for four years and I'm only 23. I guess God had other plans for me, and these plans made me find my real passion. It turned out that teaching is my passion and special education is where I feel content. Although it was a new and a different experience to me, I managed to hold myself together and do my best.
I think my hard work last year actually payed off , the coordinator specifically assigned to me the responsibility of  teaching the elementary classes. It's pretty hard and complicated as I'm working with different levels and different problems (ADHD, Autisim and Dyslexia..) at the same time. 
Sometimes I feel that my head is all over the place, but the good thing is that I always have a backup plan and I'm good at improvising.
The one thing I can never describe is the way I feel when I see my kids improve. Seeing them glowing up is what keeps me motivated.