Special Education and Me

 

I’m not the first teacher to admit that I learn more from my students than I could ever hope to teach. I started on my journey around 2013 when I decided to work as a paraprofessional with the Special School District of Saint Louis. This would become the third career path I have followed in my working life. (Out of college, I was determined to work in big time advertising once I completed my University of Miami MBA in 1982. Years later I decided, in 1998, to pursue the avenue of marketing/communication in corporate environments. Fontbonne University was instrumental in preparing me for teacher certification in Missouri with the completion of a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in 2018.

I fancy myself a “lifelong learner” with a couple of key pillars in my personal philosophy: 1. 80% of life is showing up. 2. Little things are BIG things. Showing up, for me, is very much about a kind of mindfulness that allows me to be present. Little things, I have noticed, are so often not small or unimportant at all. Allow me to share some examples that may help you understand what I mean. Names and identities are not shared here and the cases are further obscured by my accounts of observed behaviors.

• A young man was agitated when I tried to calm him down with statements like, “Don’t worry. Calm down. It will be okay.” To which he responded in no uncertain terms “No it will NOT be okay.” His teacher helped me understand empathic listening. By noting the individual showing signs of being upset you may be able to assist in helping him self-regulate.
• A girl in middle school who has hearing aids tries to out-insult her peers (mostly boys) who insist on bullying her. She yells and tries to win by sinking to the inappropriate levels of her tormentors. Maybe, she will gain life skills in combatting such assaults with a calmness that discourages the bully behavior. The challenge is to coach her to try alternatives in dealing with this adversity.
• A boy with Down Syndrome is delighted by participation in a group activity with a colorful parachute. He stubbornly refuses to return to class when the recess is over. This requires finesse to help this boy understand the nature of a scheduled program. and gain trust by empowering the student to a kind of guided independence in routines. His dad would pick him up at the end of the school day – a perfect time to get him used to trusting cues like “It’s time to go.”
• The Individual Education Program (IEP) indicates that a young man frequently complains about classmates not following the rules. Part of the solution, it turned out was giving this student a journal. The book of concerns and complaints became a sort of therapy that helped this youngster channel concerns worth noting.
• Safely securing a student on the school bus often resulted in aggressive horseplay that was a recurring problem for driver and aids. The student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) became more cooperative with a routine review at the end of each day with a visual “social story” that helped him understand what expectations of his behavior.
• Task boxes and instruction that allows a scholar with ASD and Intellectual Disabilities to focus with fading prompts allow a student to gain confidence. Sorting items by shape and/or color practicing dexterity and the use of hands and the body helps build skills.
• A girl with a history of abuse would inexplicitly make noise and fret in class. Her teacher identified a place in the room that was a safe spot with the rhyme “sugar and spice and everything nice”. It became a sort of code to help her feel safe. It can be critical to consider trauma informed care. 
• A student of mine claimed an affinity for science but suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder. He learned about Leonardo Da Vinci and what it meant to be a Renaissance Man. His mother appreciated this awareness as a way to promote interests in multiple content areas and growth/maturity as he sought to improve in his academics.
• Another student with a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder publicly resisted instruction until she learned that actions (within her control) could result in outcomes such as freedom to participate in Cheerleading (good choices).
• Sometimes students show segmented skill sets. A student I knew seemed fluent in reading until the reality showed that he lacked comprehension of what he was reading. (Another student was able to write neatly from work in front of him but also lacked comprehension skills). These two students were dramatic illustrations of the need for differentiation of instruction.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendment of 1997 includes language which describes methods used to identify and support desired behaviors in the school setting. The educational research community has been developing and studying Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) ever since. It seeks to reduce or eliminate poor behavior schoolwide through the encouragement of positive behaviors. 

In my classroom I like to suggest just a handful of rules: Be Safe. Be Kind. Be Cooperative. Be Peaceful.