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 [...]
Spring is here, and yet there is talk about the end of the school year. With less than two months to go, summer vacation will be upon us. Teachers and children are anxiously waiting for school to end, while parents are anxiously scrambling to plan for what to do with their children for two months [...]
Last year, the principal at my son’s elementary school asked me to write a short essay about inclusion of students with special needs for the school newsletter during Autism Awareness Month. I wrote a 450 word piece and submitted it a week before the deadline. She never printed any part of it. I think my [...]
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 [...]
When a student with special needs attends school, it is not just academics that he or she is faced with learning. There are independence, life and social skills lessons presented in and out of class-time. While home and school are not the same environments, there are some things that can be worked on at home [...]
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 [...]
Every day, teachers make a thousand little sacrifices for their students. Sometimes they choose to make the ultimate sacrifice, too. The world witnessed this on Friday in Newtown, Connecticut, when a school principal, psychologist, special education teacher, behavioral therapist, and 2 general education teachers put themselves in the line of fire in an attempt to [...]
The holiday spirit is in the air. The commercials for toys bombard us every day. The cards and invitations for gatherings arrive in our in-boxes and mailboxes. All of this means the winter break is right around the corner. Here are some survival tips to help make winter break a little easier and exciting for [...]
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, [...]
“Retarded.” For some, the word carries a tremendous sting. For others, it is simply a colloquial word akin to “silly” or “ridiculous.” A campaign by the Special Olympics, “Spread the Word to End the Word” asks people to pledge to stop using the word, “retarded.” The project has taken hold in several schools as peers [...]
