MTSU Instructional Technology Support Center Webcast Certificate: "Certificate of Participation
Middle Tennessee State University
James Stanton
participated in a one-hour educational webcast for K-12 teachers or students from Middle Tennessee State University entitled:
Differentiated Instruction From A to Z: What is it & How do I Get Started?
on
Friday, November 05, 2010
Total Time the Participant Spent Viewing This Video: 1:10
www.mtsu.edu/~itsc"
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Issues in Special Education
It's been fun working as a substitute in several different schools the past few weeks. Most of the classrooms that I work in are teacher centered and angled toward teaching towards a test. There is quite a bit of busy work involved as well!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of working at a new school, Northside Elementary in Smithville. I taught fourth grade reading and spelling. The teacher blew me away with walls covered with big, colorful, fancy words and all sorts of definitions WITH examples. There were a couple of stations in her classroom and a ton of activities that involved higher level thinking skills during breaks. But the one thing that caught my eye was how she wrote on the board what the students were to learn for the day followed by the state standards. Her desk was neatly arranged with files for every student and programs such as RTI/DIBELS. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was intimidating to see how well she has prepared for her class and I was definitely in awe of her. We are all preparing to educate in some way or another, and I'm sure that most of the teachers in this class would make me feel like a dork with all of their preparations. It's one of those things where I know I can be a great teacher, but I'm not sure I can make my classroom as learner friendly like she has, at least initially.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of working at a new school, Northside Elementary in Smithville. I taught fourth grade reading and spelling. The teacher blew me away with walls covered with big, colorful, fancy words and all sorts of definitions WITH examples. There were a couple of stations in her classroom and a ton of activities that involved higher level thinking skills during breaks. But the one thing that caught my eye was how she wrote on the board what the students were to learn for the day followed by the state standards. Her desk was neatly arranged with files for every student and programs such as RTI/DIBELS. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was intimidating to see how well she has prepared for her class and I was definitely in awe of her. We are all preparing to educate in some way or another, and I'm sure that most of the teachers in this class would make me feel like a dork with all of their preparations. It's one of those things where I know I can be a great teacher, but I'm not sure I can make my classroom as learner friendly like she has, at least initially.
Issues in Special Education
I just got an email about "Special Education Week". Maybe some of you have received this, maybe not. I googled "Special Education Week" and this was the only thing I could find about its existence. (New York Times)
National Cause of the Moment
By LISA BELKINJuly is International Group B Strep Awareness Month, Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month and UV Safety Month. Come August we’ll have Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, National Immunization Awareness Month, Psoriasis Awareness Month, National Minority Donor Awareness Day, and National Health Center Week.
Also, Special Education Week. A time to focus attention on students with special needs, along with the schools that educate them and the parents who love them. Or so says the message that’s been traveling the internet.
Sounds like a heart-warming cause, right? Michelle Buzgon, a grief coach in Washington, D.C., and mother of a boy who struggles in school, is not so sure. How many of these commemorative events are actually feel-good rumor? And about whether National Fill-in-the-Blank-Day (or Week or Month), make a difference even if they are real?
Grief, Interrupted
By Michelle Buzgon
The well-meaning post showed up on my virtual doorstep late the other night, delivered by a Facebook friend I have haven’t spoken to since high school. It had all the hallmarks of chain post: weird breaks and spacing that were evidence of a cut-and-paste job, heartstring-tugging text and a guilt trip.
It was a sweet, kind message encouraging acceptance of children with special needs. The news peg, according to the post, was that it was Special Education Week.
In recent years, this mission has extended — for better or for worse — to rescuing people from getting sucked in by online rumors. I usually grab a line of text, plug it into a search engine and, voila, it shows up on Snopes or another rumor-debunking site. I send my evidence off to the person who sent me the chain letter and hope I’ve done my small part to slow the spreading of Internet litter.
So, as you see, these kinds of posts bug me in general. But this one struck an apparently raw nerve. Even though it didn’t have anything to do with me specifically, my mama-bear claws came out to stop what I perceived as a possible slight to my child with special needs and others like him.
It was that part about Special Education Week that really got to me. “Was it really Special Ed Week?” I wondered. In SUMMER? Are you kidding me? It would be the height of commentary on special ed kids’ status to have a special ed week when school’s out of session. Are you saying we can celebrate our children and their educators only when no one’s around?! Just perfect. It would be just one more way my child would be marginalized. It didn’t any make sense to me. And I like when things in my world make sense to me. The former news editor in me still has a thing for accuracy. The mom in me wants my child – a super-sweet, 7-year-old boy with an unidentified genetic syndrome — to be celebrated, not hidden.
Sure, my logical brain knows that these things float around the Internet forever. But in that moment, it didn’t matter. I was indignant, and I wanted the “truth” (as much as you are able to find such a thing online). So, even though it was already past my bedtime, I immediately set off on an Internet investigation.
It was actually harder to find info on Special Education Week than I thought it would be. In 10 pages of Google search results, the closest I came was an Examiner.com story claiming knowledge of a nationally recognized Special Education Week in March. I saw an article somewhere about a state special education week in April and found some items on Catholic sites.
When I began searching, I expected to quickly pinpoint the real Special Ed Week dates so I could point out the error and go on my merry way. The absence of evidence made me wonder if there is even a Special Ed Week at all. And that REALLY made me feel like these kids don’t matter. Which makes the post in which people purport to care all the more ironic.
I did track down various versions of the Facebook post going back months, so at that point I felt pretty confident that this week wasn’t Special Education Week and whipped off a response on my Facebook friend’s page that was both grateful for the thought and informative about the so-called Special Education Week.
Did I accomplish my stated mission, to help stop the incorrect part of the message from spreading? Hard to tell. People continue to post the same or similar words to their Facebook statuses every few minutes. (You can see them march by here.) It’s possible, I suppose, that my comment may have prevented one stack of dominoes from falling, but I’d have to go on a full-scale assault against this annoying but basically harmless post to make more than a tiny dent. Is it worth it?
The momentary flash of frustration is gone. I’ve more or less satisfied my curiosity. I’m no longer feeling indignant. I do have to wonder, though, does a well-meaning post urging people to accept children with special needs make any difference?
Is it a just passing bit of pablum or will there be at least one person out there in cyberspace who will take it to heart and change something about the way he or she approaches children with special needs? Will any of the hundreds, if not thousands, of social networkers who posted this – and don’t already act in the way the post suggests – become truly more understanding. Will it have more parents teaching their children to be kind to the quirky kid in class? Will it cause a grocery shopper to be less judgmental of the stressed-out parent with the tantruming 10-year-old who may have autism? Will it encourage the parents of typical kids we meet to have their children try a playdate with my sweet but shy son? Is the feel-good factor enough?
A post script: I called the U.S. Department of Education, where an assistant in the Office of Special Education Programs told me he’d never heard of a Special Education Week, though he wouldn’t be surprised if there is “something like that.” He then put me on hold and went off to ask others in the office.
He came back after several minutes and told me, “We found National Disability Employment Month. That’s the closest we could come.”
Also, Special Education Week. A time to focus attention on students with special needs, along with the schools that educate them and the parents who love them. Or so says the message that’s been traveling the internet.
Sounds like a heart-warming cause, right? Michelle Buzgon, a grief coach in Washington, D.C., and mother of a boy who struggles in school, is not so sure. How many of these commemorative events are actually feel-good rumor? And about whether National Fill-in-the-Blank-Day (or Week or Month), make a difference even if they are real?
Grief, Interrupted
By Michelle Buzgon
The well-meaning post showed up on my virtual doorstep late the other night, delivered by a Facebook friend I have haven’t spoken to since high school. It had all the hallmarks of chain post: weird breaks and spacing that were evidence of a cut-and-paste job, heartstring-tugging text and a guilt trip.
It was a sweet, kind message encouraging acceptance of children with special needs. The news peg, according to the post, was that it was Special Education Week.
Children with special needs don’t have an illness, so there is no cure and it’sBefore we go on with what happened next, it may help to know that I’m one of those people who discreetly lets you know about the spinach in your teeth, warns you that your zipper is flying low or tucks your tag back into your shirt. “It’s part of my mission in life,” I say with a smile to keep it light and minimize your embarrassment.
notcontagious. They want what we all want – to be accepted. Most of
youwon’t copy and paste this, but will you do it and leave it on
your statusfor at least an hour? It’s special education week and …this is in …honor…… of all the kids who need a littl…………e
extra help and understanding…..pleasepost it.
In recent years, this mission has extended — for better or for worse — to rescuing people from getting sucked in by online rumors. I usually grab a line of text, plug it into a search engine and, voila, it shows up on Snopes or another rumor-debunking site. I send my evidence off to the person who sent me the chain letter and hope I’ve done my small part to slow the spreading of Internet litter.
So, as you see, these kinds of posts bug me in general. But this one struck an apparently raw nerve. Even though it didn’t have anything to do with me specifically, my mama-bear claws came out to stop what I perceived as a possible slight to my child with special needs and others like him.
It was that part about Special Education Week that really got to me. “Was it really Special Ed Week?” I wondered. In SUMMER? Are you kidding me? It would be the height of commentary on special ed kids’ status to have a special ed week when school’s out of session. Are you saying we can celebrate our children and their educators only when no one’s around?! Just perfect. It would be just one more way my child would be marginalized. It didn’t any make sense to me. And I like when things in my world make sense to me. The former news editor in me still has a thing for accuracy. The mom in me wants my child – a super-sweet, 7-year-old boy with an unidentified genetic syndrome — to be celebrated, not hidden.
Sure, my logical brain knows that these things float around the Internet forever. But in that moment, it didn’t matter. I was indignant, and I wanted the “truth” (as much as you are able to find such a thing online). So, even though it was already past my bedtime, I immediately set off on an Internet investigation.
It was actually harder to find info on Special Education Week than I thought it would be. In 10 pages of Google search results, the closest I came was an Examiner.com story claiming knowledge of a nationally recognized Special Education Week in March. I saw an article somewhere about a state special education week in April and found some items on Catholic sites.
When I began searching, I expected to quickly pinpoint the real Special Ed Week dates so I could point out the error and go on my merry way. The absence of evidence made me wonder if there is even a Special Ed Week at all. And that REALLY made me feel like these kids don’t matter. Which makes the post in which people purport to care all the more ironic.
I did track down various versions of the Facebook post going back months, so at that point I felt pretty confident that this week wasn’t Special Education Week and whipped off a response on my Facebook friend’s page that was both grateful for the thought and informative about the so-called Special Education Week.
Did I accomplish my stated mission, to help stop the incorrect part of the message from spreading? Hard to tell. People continue to post the same or similar words to their Facebook statuses every few minutes. (You can see them march by here.) It’s possible, I suppose, that my comment may have prevented one stack of dominoes from falling, but I’d have to go on a full-scale assault against this annoying but basically harmless post to make more than a tiny dent. Is it worth it?
The momentary flash of frustration is gone. I’ve more or less satisfied my curiosity. I’m no longer feeling indignant. I do have to wonder, though, does a well-meaning post urging people to accept children with special needs make any difference?
Is it a just passing bit of pablum or will there be at least one person out there in cyberspace who will take it to heart and change something about the way he or she approaches children with special needs? Will any of the hundreds, if not thousands, of social networkers who posted this – and don’t already act in the way the post suggests – become truly more understanding. Will it have more parents teaching their children to be kind to the quirky kid in class? Will it cause a grocery shopper to be less judgmental of the stressed-out parent with the tantruming 10-year-old who may have autism? Will it encourage the parents of typical kids we meet to have their children try a playdate with my sweet but shy son? Is the feel-good factor enough?
A post script: I called the U.S. Department of Education, where an assistant in the Office of Special Education Programs told me he’d never heard of a Special Education Week, though he wouldn’t be surprised if there is “something like that.” He then put me on hold and went off to ask others in the office.
He came back after several minutes and told me, “We found National Disability Employment Month. That’s the closest we could come.”
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Issues in Special Education
What a wacky way to find out information about special education issues. I didn't know what to expect when I began asking parents, general education and SPED teachers, policy makers, SPED supervisors, and administrators about issues in SPED and how to solve them. I was floored at how much I could communicate with the Supervisor of Special Education. Funding issues were her main concern and I found it easy to elaborate or understand everything she discussed. It was a great conversation. The administrator answered very short much like the SPED teacher, but answered the questions regardless. The parents seemed a little confused by the questions and I had to give a little input on different issues.
The question/answer scenario that surprised me was the general education teacher. The teacher discussed the issue of ELL/ESL learners. I didn't want to interject and ruin the interview and I'm glad I didn't. The teacher explained the difficulties of teaching students who have little knowledge of the English language and requested that they be sent to a class that taught them English. After they learn the basics of English, they should be sent to her. This is a problem, but it is not a Special Education problem. While the teacher was talking, I remember writing about my SPED case involving foreign language speakers and how they tested poorly because they couldn't read English. The students that tested poorly were placed in special education and termed menatlly retarded. The case was called "Diana vs. California" and ruled that these students were to have directions and questions read to them while taking the test. Once they were given the test orally, the students scores increased dramatically and were taken out of Special Ed.
The reason that I was amazed at the teacher's response is that the issues that affected this teacher were not special education issues in the first place. This school promotes inclusion and there are several students participating in the class. I thought I would get a good idea of issues revolving around special education, but I got a good idea about the difficulty of teaching English language learners. Not that this is a bad thing, it just surprised me.
The question/answer scenario that surprised me was the general education teacher. The teacher discussed the issue of ELL/ESL learners. I didn't want to interject and ruin the interview and I'm glad I didn't. The teacher explained the difficulties of teaching students who have little knowledge of the English language and requested that they be sent to a class that taught them English. After they learn the basics of English, they should be sent to her. This is a problem, but it is not a Special Education problem. While the teacher was talking, I remember writing about my SPED case involving foreign language speakers and how they tested poorly because they couldn't read English. The students that tested poorly were placed in special education and termed menatlly retarded. The case was called "Diana vs. California" and ruled that these students were to have directions and questions read to them while taking the test. Once they were given the test orally, the students scores increased dramatically and were taken out of Special Ed.
The reason that I was amazed at the teacher's response is that the issues that affected this teacher were not special education issues in the first place. This school promotes inclusion and there are several students participating in the class. I thought I would get a good idea of issues revolving around special education, but I got a good idea about the difficulty of teaching English language learners. Not that this is a bad thing, it just surprised me.
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