Melissa Ferry is a special education teacher for Mt. Pleasant Public Schools. She earned her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University with an endorsement in learning disabilities. Melissa is continuing her education at Central Michigan University in pursuit of a Master's Degree. Prior to her career as a teacher Melissa volunteered at Friendship Circle for seven years.
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the CEC conference in Grand Rapids. While at the conference, I attended a session entitled, “Sane and Savvy Strategies for the Busy Teacher.” While at this session, I listened to the presenters, Erika Lusky and Julie Rains, share a comprehension game called Enbrighton that they created to help [...]
We all know that a student with special needs has the right to a free and appropriate public education. This is mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA 2004). This law also states that a student should be educated in their least restrict environment. Ideally, this would be the general education classroom. We know [...]
Recently I wrote a blog post called 10 Items Every Special Educator Should Have In Their Classroom. One of the items was Hi-Lo Readers. I heard that many readers were curious as to what Hi-Lo Readers I use with my students. What Is A Hi-Lo Reader? First Let me explain what a Hi-Lo Reader is. It can [...]
Special Educators work hard to make sure that their students with special needs develop and grow during the school year. Special Education teachers encounter different challenges in their classrooms than general education teachers and therefore they need different tools. Here are 10 great items every Special Needs teacher should have in their classroom. 1. Fidgets, [...]
“I need to go to the bathroom.” “Can I get a drink of water?” “My stomach hurts, I should call my mom.” These are common phrases heard inside a school’s walls. Students of all ages often make up excuses to leave the classroom. Their cognitive abilities and language skills are developed enough to find a [...]
Back-to-school time is tough for all students (and even teachers!) but it can be an especially difficult transition for a student with special needs. Last year at this time, I wrote on 5 back-to-school suggestions that focused on what the parent can do to be a part of their child’s school year. Today’s Post targets [...]
Summer break represents many different things to many different people. Some people use the summer break for vacation, trips and fun. Some use the summer as the season of projects and renovations, while others work right through it without any change. For special educators the summer represents a little bit of everything, a little bit [...]
A young girl with curly brown hair and a beaming smile looked up at me and handed me this letter: Der mis fre I So LiKe TO. WerK Wef. You. And automatically my stress of the day was erased and I was reminded yet again how good it is to have my job. I was [...]
Being a special educator can be a very challenging task. Teaching, paperwork, IEP meetings and overseeing paraprofessionals leaves special education teacher drained at the end of the day. Its no wonder that 50% of special education teachers leave their jobs within 5 years. Parents can help their child with special needs succeed by helping their special [...]
This past week, I presented at the Michigan Council for Exception Children conference in Grand Rapids. Two other colleagues and myself presented on peer-to-peer support and how we run the program at our elementary school in Mt. Pleasant. I thought I would share the highlights of our presentation as a blog post to help other [...]
