Blog - Brooks eAcademy

July 30, 2024July 30, 2024

End of the School Year Wrap-Up

Person writing thoughts in a notebook or journal Reflecting on the school year

The end of the school year came at me fast! Grades, progress reports, and packing up my room were all at the top of the list as my 2023-2024 school year came to an end. This was quite the school year, and I figured it would be fitting to write about the good and the bad that occurred during the year. I know it is almost August. I ended my school year on June 7th when I started working as a behavior specialist for a summer camp. Not to mention, I’m still working on my dissertation and preparing for an upcoming presentation at a conference later this month. I have been busy!

I must start with a disclaimer, especially if this is your first time reading my blog. This year was probably one of the most difficult years I have had since I started teaching. I’m used to working with students who display aggressive behaviors. This means these students may exhibit behaviors that impact their ability to be successful by initiating arguments or fights with their peers or school staff. Hey, it could also be defiant or disrespectful for any number of reasons. I’m big on establishing relationships with my students and families that create an environment where problems may arise, but students are still learning. My kiddos showed some of the same behaviors, but due to added trauma in their lives, it was difficult to work through those behaviors and focus on learning, which brings me to the first thing I learned this school year.

1

The year really made me lean into my research about Trauma-Informed Education. I made it a point to read and study anything I could get my hands on that talked about Trauma-Informed Education. So much so that I created a presentation that I’m sharing with anyone willing to listen. In education, we are given so many new buzz words ALL.THE.TIME. Educators never know what is going to stick and what will fade, like the ink from your favorite stamp pad. Taking the time to analyze what your students are communicating to you through their behaviors is crucial to establishing a safe and supportive learning environment. It takes time, consistency, and dedication, but it is well worth it. Click here to get a free checklist for starting your own trauma-informed classroom.

2

Being able to loop with your students for a second year adds to their success. I usually work with my students for at least 2 years. I always see major progress in the second year. In previous years, I have had students totally reintegrate back into the general education classroom from the self-contained setting with success. This year was no different. My 6th graders were leaps and bounds ahead of where they were in 5th grade. They were more independent and able to advocate for themselves. But don’t just take my word for it; research has shown having a repeat teacher increases students’ test scores while also improving attendance and discipline for lower-performing students and male students of color (Wedenoja et al., 2022). Unfortunately, intentional looping, where districts plan for teachers to progress with their students, is not a “thing” everywhere.

3

Self-reflection is key. According to philosopher and educator John Dewey, “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” Taking the time each day to think about what went right or wrong was helpful to making improvements in my teaching. Being honest with myself about my shortcomings. This post on Edutopia provides tips on how educators can make self-reflection a consistent habit.

4

Practice gratitude even when things are not going well. Reflecting on the negative is not a good way to start or end the day. Having a daily practice of thinking about what you are thankful for can be encouraging. It can also help you focus on what is going well and how to make improvements. Use of a gratitude journal can help get you on the path of being thankful even when it has been a tough day. Check out this gratitude journal for teachers that I created, which is available on Amazon. If you are not a fan of journaling, take a look at this blog post about refueling your gratitude on Edutopia.

All in all, looking back on some of my highs and lows from the past school year has gotten me fired up for the new year ahead. There will be new challenges, including a new school building, classroom, and colleagues. There will also be familiar things, like my students from last year. I’m excited about the new adventures that await us.

References

Wedenoja, L., Papay, J., and Kraft, M.A. (2022). Second time's the charm? How sustained relationships from repeat student-teacher matches build academic and behavioral skills. (EdWorkingPaper: 22-590). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/sddw-ag22

April 29, 2024April 29, 2024

How to Have Difficult Conversations with Parents or Guardians

The other day, I had an unusual (for me) experience with one of my students and their parents. This student struggled throughout the school day, so much so that I grew concerned and wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with the parent at pick-up. Due to the nature of my room, for those new here, I’m the lead teacher of a behaviorally focused classroom so I communicate daily with families in many ways: email, text, and/or phone. I’ve even done social media if any of the above didn’t work. My point is that I don’t shy away from communicating with families even when it can be a difficult and serious situation, and you can imagine that as the lead teacher of a behaviorally focused classroom, difficult conversations are somewhat of the norm.

COVID-19 changed the game for many educators as we were welcomed into the homes of our students through online teaching. We either experienced a spike in communication or radio silence (Fox, 2023). During my preservice years, I don’t remember taking any courses focused totally on parental communication. This is interesting because research shows that addressing academic and behavioral issues with a proactive outlook builds a positive bridge of communication between school and home (Freytag, 2001). Over the years, I feel that I have learned how to effectively build that bridge with every family I have served. Some bridges started out dotted with potholes from previous teacher relationships and/or feelings of mistrust of the school district. With consistent and honest communication on my end, I have always been able to chart a smooth clear path across the bridge.

That is until the other day. Now as I said before, my student had had a particularly challenging day. There was an incident in the morning stemming from a sick friend and after contacting home, I found out he hadn’t slept well the night before. Immediately, I sprinkled myself with an extra helping of my special patience sauce (one day, I might share the recipe), knowing I was going to need it. The day forged ahead. Recess arrived, and my student smacked a student and pushed a couple of others. We worked through those issues only to have him go to PE and intentionally throw a volleyball at a student’s head. Did I mention this was the same student he smacked during recess?! At this point, we are at the end of the school day, and I know that I have to talk to Mom at pick up at the end of the day in addition to the phone calls I’ve already made to her earlier in the day. And I’m torn because no matter what I do (positive calls and/or text messages home) a majority of my communication is about her son’s negative behavior. She has shared with me how frustrated she has gotten over the years dealing with the aftermath of his outbursts. I was worried about continuing to add to this and possibly make her question her capabilities as a parent which influences the development of her child (Ma et al., 2024).

I went out with my student, who ran ahead to hop in the car, trying to leave before I made it there. He locked the door, Mom started to let the window down, and he put it back up. I was able to open the door and start to talk to Mom when my student began yelling that I was a liar, among other things. I gave a short description of the day along with my concerns. Mom, instead of addressing today’s incidents begins talking about an encounter with one of my colleagues from two weeks ago. Apparently, my colleague had told this student to move when he was blocking the exit door. Mind you this was my first time being told this. Realizing the conversation was going nowhere, I politely excused myself after apologizing for the actions of another teacher. I was upset as I walked away. But I also began thinking about how I could navigate these types of discussions in the future, especially if my student is around and mom may not be willing to hear it.

My mind began to work overtime on how to have difficult conversations with parents. In addition to this situation, I work with another student whose mother refuses to talk to teachers, principals, or support staff. Right now, she only speaks with one of the social workers. Daily, there are issues that need to be addressed, but they are not due to a lack of parent-teacher communication. After thinking about it, doing some research, and interviewing others, this is what I came up with:

1. Remember the factors that influence child behaviors also influence the teacher-child relationship which greatly impacts the parent-teacher relationship. SO WATCH WHAT YOU SAY AND CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY!!!

2. Make sure you are communicating positive messages home as well. Do not allow all of your communication to be about negative things. Even if you call to voice a concern, like maybe the student is ill or the student is having an off day, keep it positive! Make the parent feel as though you are all part of the team to support their child because you actually are.

3. Serve a wrap instead of a sandwich. We have all heard of the positive feedback sandwich. We have all heard of the positive feedback sandwich. You give your negative or critical feedback but it is sandwiched between doses of positive feedback. The wrap approach allows you to ask what the parent may feel about their child’s current performance. You can then add your thoughts and have a discussion about it. It is more of a proactive approach to finding common ground and moving forward with a plan of support. I like this approach because it gives us educators an opportunity to validate parents’ thoughts and feelings by simply asking for it.

4. Finally, use the Golden Rule. Treat others how you want to be treated. Practice empathy. I always try to put myself in the mindset of my families. Think about the feelings of overwhelm and powerlessness that may be present and how I would want someone to treat and speak to me if those feelings were present in me.

Remember, you and the families of your students have the same goal in mind: ensure the student is making progress on their academic and behavioral goals. You are a team and there will be some problems along the way, but with respect and empathy, there can be success!

References

Fox, K. (2023). Building an understanding of family literacy: Changing practices regarding homework and other forms of school-home engagement and school community, 33(1).

Freytag, C. (2001). Teacher-parent communication: Starting the year off right.

Ma, T., Tellegen, C., and Sanders, M. (2024). The role of parenting self-efficacy on teacher-child relationship and parent-teacher communication: Evidence from an Australian national longitudinal study, Journal of School Psychology

September 26, 2023October 4, 2023

How Your Personal Legend Can Improve Your Teaching

How Your Personal Legend can Improve Your Teaching

A friend of mine recommended that I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I was embarrassed to say that I’d had a copy of the book for years and had not looked at it. I had skimmed a few pages and wasn’t really drawn in so I placed it into a box with some of my other books and forgot about it. I trust this friend and value her opinion about things so I dug the book out and took another swing at it. I’m happy to say that I’m glad I did.

Alchemist Cover

One of the main ideas of the book is the Personal Legend of Santiago. One needs to understand that your personal legend involves what you decide to do with your life. What do you want your life to look like? Who do you want to be? How do you want to be remembered?Will you look back on your life with regret or fond memories? This got me thinking about my own personal legend. Teaching is referred to as a noble profession. It’s a running joke that those who become teachers do not enter into it for the money. I myself chose to be a teacher because I wanted to help others and work with children.

Teaching is my second career. This meant I had to go back to school, take additional classes, and pass the licensure tests for my state in order to make it happen. Initially, I was convinced I wanted to be an early childhood teacher for kindergartners. I was able to get a job as a substitute teacher and quickly realized how much I enjoyed working with children with exceptionalities.

Paul Coelho wrote about how there are four obstacles that can keep someone from following their Legend. As a young child we can have visions of grandeur. I wanted to be a singing astronaut when I was young. People would let me know you could maybe do one or the other but you needed to be practical. Fortunately, I came from a family of people who followed their Personal Legends. My father and brothers embarked on fulfilling careers in the music industry so I saw first hand how one can successfully follow their Personal Legend. We can not let fear of what others feel is impossible stop us. We must proceed in love. We can not let the fear of defeat get in our way. Lastly, realizing what our dream is.

Obstacles Ahead

How does this first obstacle translate to improving your teaching? As an educator you need to approach each new class and school year with a fresh perspective. You must believe in the impossible as you embark on increasing the academic success of your students. Teachers fight against the impossible everyday in their classrooms. Trying to increase test scores, help students regulate their behavior, and many times working closely with families. We have to make sure we are not allowing our own biases to influence our thoughts on how we can help our students.

Love

The second obstacle of love is crystal clear. We need to have love for the profession of teaching. As mentioned before those who really commit to a life of service as an educator, must have a love for the profession. You do not enter this field with the dream of becoming a millionaire. You genuinely have a love of working with children, academic subject matter, or a combination of the two. It is important to also have a support system of those who can love and support you as you follow your Personal Legend. Knowing you have the support and love of others can help you stay focused on being the best teacher you can possibly be.

Goal Completion

For those of us already in the classroom, we know how rewarding it can be when you have assisted a student in grasping a concept. But what about those days when you go home feeling extremely defeated. The best part of the third obstacle, fear of defeat, is that it forces us to reflect on how we can be better the next class or school day. We can reflect on what new methods we can use to help a student progress academically or behaviorally. Being able to roll with the punches and still maintain a positive outlook can make the most of our path to following our Personal Legend.

Successful and happy students

Ultimately, we find we are our own worst enemy when it comes to achieving goals of any kind. Achieving your Personal Legend is no different. Think about what you want to achieve as an educator. I have become an educator which was one part of my Personal Legend. Now I work on being the best educator I can possibly be. My point is that you must keep going and expanding to the next level. Do not be afraid to spread your influence to students outside of your classroom. How, Kandice is what you may be asking. That worksheet you created can be sold on Teachers Pay Teachers. That new research you have read about could be shared with your colleagues in a professional development session. Or you can present at a professional conference. You are the person in charge of the path on your way to your Personal Legend.

I’m interested to know about your Personal Legend. Please feel free to share in the comments!

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023

TikTok Made Me Do It

So I recently became a fan of TikTok. My daughters were always sharing different videos with me so I broke down and created an account. I had an account back in 2020 when COVID closed down the schools. It came in handy when I couldn’t locate my students through the traditional ways. I made a few videos and started messaging my students through the platform. Guess what, it worked! I was able to get them to attend their online classes.

Once we moved on to hybrid classes, I didn’t see the need for TikTok, so my account just there collecting virtual dust until 6 months ago. I realized some of my fellow educators were creating followings displaying the comic relief that being an educator can be. There are days we need as much laughter as possible. You just need to laugh to keep from crying. I’m not an actress and sometimes it takes me a million years to get things accomplished on technology. Even after creating my own website, an online course, and trying to keep up with this blog I still struggle at times.

I enlisted the assistance of my middle child who was more than happy to teach me the ropes. It was all fun and games until last week. I posted a video using audio from the platform not from my classroom of a student clearly yelling in distress. Not a fight, just a student yelling. I did so to show what educators are dealing with during the month of May or some of us for the entire school year. I teach a self-contained behaviorally focused classroom so there are often days when a student is yelling in distress.

@spedteacherkb
When the month of May hits, even your star students start acting out!! 🤣🤣 #itstimeforschooltoend #summerbreak #teachersoftiktok #specialeducation #specialeducationteacher #educationtiktok #teacherlife #teacherfunny #teacherfunnymoments #teacherfunnyvideos #teacherfunnyteachertok
♬ original sound – BodyDysmorphiaBros

Well, I ruffled a few feathers because I got some negative comments on my post. I was told I suck and some profanity was used. I’m an empath so I felt really bad and after consulting my daughter aka social media manager, she thought I should comment. So I did and the person continued to berate me. Now, I was feeling like I should delete the post, but saw supportive comments from those in the education field. They shared their understanding of what was happening in the video. That is when I decided to leave the post there, but make it into a teaching moment. Hence this post and an upcoming new TikTok and how to deal with a student who is in distress especially for my newbie self-contained teachers.

What to Do When a Student is in Distress

Evacuation Plan

At the beginning of the school year, you should create your evacuation plan. This has nothing to do lockdowns, fire drills, or tornado drills. Your evacuation plan details where you take a student in distress to calm down. There will need to 2 parts to this plan because if the student in distress is refusing to leave the area, then you may need to evacuate your other students. It is also good practice to conduct practice evacuation drills as with other drills so students know what to do and where to go. Make sure you have a point person they will go with if it is not you. If your class needs to leave, then the area needs to be big enough for them to be comfortable and have adult supervision. You may need to stay behind with the student in distress.

Consistently Teach Skills

Now I’m going to get on my soapbox. You should be teaching social emotional skills daily. If you need SEL curriculum suggestions, drop me an email. Students should be taught how to identify their emotions and ways they can self-regulate. We all know that this does not always happen but most students make considerable improvement in their behavior when replacement behaviors are taught on a regular basis.

Be Supportive

If the student in distress is at the point of the student in the audio, there is not much talking or reasoning they want to hear. You can drop gems like, “When you are ready, I’m here “ or “When you are ready, I want you to know how I can support you.” Then walk away but keep the student in your proximity and line of sight. Give them the time and space to calm down.

Keep Them Safe

In my video the student in distress is yelling and I’m sitting at my desk looking from the “student” to the camera, not saying a word. I’m not making any comments, yelling back, or trying to come in contact with the student at this time. I’m watching to make sure they are safe and not trying to harm themselves or anyone else. That is why it is also important to have an evacuation plan in place. Remove others so they do not try to provoke the student or make matters worse. You may even have a crisis team at your school. If so, follow the protocol.

Follow Up

Make sure to take time to follow up with the student when they have calmed down completely and are ready to talk. This may even be the next day, but make sure you follow up! Talk about what happened, why, what they could have or should do differently, and what you can do to support them in the future. Depending on the severity, frequency, and duration of the situation you may also need to call home, especially if the student has a goal on their IEP tied to self-regulation or behavior. Keep parents in the loop as much as possible or to the extent they would like to be included.

February 20, 2023February 20, 2023

How You Can Build Community in a Self-Contained Classroom

A self-contained classroom educates students with disabilities in all of their academic subjects. Students with disabilities make up 14% of the student population nationally (Hirsch et al, 2022). Many of these students are educated in self-contained classroom if their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team has agreed that is their least restrictive environment (LRE). Students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) are most often educated in self-contained due to their specialized needs in social emotional learning, social skills, and self regulation. Due to their disability, it can be difficult for teachers to develop relationships with students with EBD, let alone assist them in developing friendships with their peers. As a teacher of a self contained classroom for students with EBD for over ten years, I have compiled a list of ways you can build community in a self contained classroom.

Believe that your class is a community

A quote that is often attributed to Henry Ford is “Those that believe they can and those that believe they can’t are often both correct.” If we hold a strong belief in one way or the other, it can impact the outcome of any plan of acton we choose to implement. If you have a strong belief in something that is unwavering, you can also help others to believe as well. When your students see you believing that they can be successful at being apart of a classroom community, it can help make that belief a reality.

Model the behaviors you want to see

As humans we learn most of our behaviors by watching those around us. Babies learn speech by repeating the sounds they hear around them. The same can be said of modeling positive behaviors in the classroom. You can create lessons where you break down the behaviors you would like students to use in the classroom. That means showing them how to perform the specific skill. You may also need to give them the reasoning behind exhibiting these behaviors. We need to realize that not everyone has had the opportunity to learn how to relate to others, especially based on their backgrounds.

Be consistent with your expectations

Classroom management is an important part of creating a community in your classroom. The classroom management style of the teacher sets the tone for the classroom and determines the effectiveness of the learning environment. Creating expectations with your students and making sure they understand the consequences if those expectations are not met helps with consistency. Students know what will happen if expectations are not met and will act accordingly.

Be aware of your social and emotional competency

According to the website, Positive Action, the five core social and emotional competencies are: 1) self-awareness, 2) self-management, 3) responsible decision making, 4) social awareness, and 5) relationship skills. In order to teach these skills to students, teachers must be aware of their own competencies. Having self-awareness will allow teachers to understand their strengths and weaknesses which can help with maintaining healthy relationships. Self-management focuses on helping to improve your stress management, organizational skills, goal setting, and self-discipline. That works hand in hand with responsible decision making in order to make important decisions. Social awareness involves your ability to emphasize with others. This also helps in establishing healthy relationships. Ultimately, all this helps with your relationship skills to, yes you guessed it, establish and maintain healthy relationships that add to your classroom community.

Encourage and/or create opportunities for positive peer interactions

According to the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, positive peer interactions lead to the positive social and emotional development in children. Children who are given these opportunities are able to build stronger friendships and connections with others. Teachers are able to create these types of interactions in the classroom through group activities and role playing. Students with EBD may not develop these skills on their own and need more practice. Giving these students the opportunities for positive peer interactions can help improve their social behaviors.

Lead with positivity!

As a classroom teacher, you are the leader and set the tone for your learning environment. Your behavior and attitude can directly influence the behaviors of your students. Having an air of positivity in your classroom will create a supportive climate. A positive teacher leader is the unifier of healthy relationships in the classroom.

Educationally yours,

Kandice B. aka SPED Teacher KB

January 31, 2022January 31, 2022

What is Happening to the Field of Education?

In 2021, 25% of current teachers reported they are thinking of leaving the profession.
Bloomberg.com

If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything at all, it is that everything is fleeting. It can be here today and gone tomorrow, just like that. Systems and infrastructures that were so carefully planned and monitored proved to be the exact opposite. Looking across various industries we see where this has rang true. In the tech and auto industries, the current chip shortage has slowed the production of new vehicles and smartphones. The shipping and supply issues caused by the decrease in the workforce has raised prices and added to the scarcity of items available in stores.

Education has been hard hit as well. The closure of schools worldwide ignited a move toward digital classrooms. Words like synchronous and asynchronous became part of our everyday vocabulary. Remote learning, distance learning, hybrid or whatever term your district decided to use became our way of life before we knew it. Then masks became the new normal. Not only did you have to make sure little Johnny was paying attention, you also had to make sure he had on his mask. I remember the days of clear plastic shower curtains used as protection in the classroom. The anxiety and confusion these things added to the teaching profession has taken its toll on the field of education.

In a recent article on Bloomberg, it was found in 2021 that 25% of current teachers were considering leaving the profession. Many of the largest school districts in the country have dealt with threats of strikes and going virtual due to rising numbers after COVID variants were discovered. Then there are the staffing shortages. While teachers are out to deal with the sicknesses of their family members or their own, schools are scrambling to find substitutes. Ask your teacher friends and they’ll tell you about being asked to cover classes for colleagues daily. COVID has made working in a school setting dangerous and many would be substitutes are staying away. One local district is now offering substitute positions to applicants with just a high school diploma.

If our educational system is going to survive this pandemic, change needs to happen, immediately! First, the thoughts and opinions of those on the front lines needs to be heard and appreciated. Decisions are being made that directly affect classroom teachers without getting their take on it. Another concern is that seeing all that has happened over the last couple of years will deter young hopefuls from entering the profession. What are your thoughts about the field of education?

November 4, 2020December 13, 2020

I’m still here!

I feel like I sat down to recover from school closures in the spring due to COVID 19 and got up just in time to start the new school year. My district continued to be remote for the start of the new school year, but I’ll get to all of that later! In June, I was exhausted. Shelter at home orders meant more family time but that also meant juggling working from home along with it. We enjoyed the drive thru graduation for my high school senior, the actress. We took a road trip to clean out my oldest daughter’s (the adult) apartment in Atlanta. Although I vowed to not work during the summer, I still worked on various re-entry plan work groups. I even decided to do some home improvement projects, that were delayed due to COVID-19. Can anyone say lumber shortage?! I also entered a doctoral program for my EdD in Special Education. Yes, I’m that person. Even when I say I’m going to relax I find other things to occupy my time. Before I knew it, it was August! I decided to keep my youngest, the creative, home for distance learning. The actress was off to begin her freshman year of college as her campus was open. Imagine the usual my child is going to college anxiety amplified by pandemic anxiety. Meanwhile the adult has been home as her college has gone remote. It sucks for her because this is senior year and there still is no word if or when she will return in person.

Forgot to mention, I changed schools and grades this year. I’m now the lead teacher of a behaviorally focused classroom for 7th and 8th graders. I teach all four academic subjects for both grades. In case you didn’t catch that, I teach math, science, language arts and social studies for two grades! That’s EIGHT preps, but who’s counting?! A behaviorally focused classroom is was not something I envisioned doing online. I have to say that my team has been so supportive and the students are great too! Have there been challenges? Does a fish live in water??!!! That’s a post for another day. I just wanted to check in and say hey. So hey! I have some exciting things planned for the blog and my website in the coming weeks. Be on the lookout for new resources that will be offered in both PDF and digital formats for your remote, hybrid or traditional classroom. There will be some lessons for the week after winter break, when our brains haven’t yet returned to the classroom. Don’t worry, I got you! Be sure to follow me on social media for some weekly inspiration and ideas.

March 28, 2020April 30, 2020

School Reimagined

I love movies and television shows that depicts humans struggling through some type of catastrophe. A la The Walking Dead or 2012. I’ve had discussions with friends and family about what we would do if we faced those same scenarios. Could I outrun a hoard of zombies? Would I be able to get my family aboard a life saving boat? Or could I live alone for years trying to find a cure like Will Smith in one of my favorite movies, I Am Legend.

In my mind, I was totally prepared to handle any end of the world scenario or so I thought. On March 12, 2020, I was called out along with every other parent and teacher in America. Due to Covid-19 all schools were going to be shut down for at least 3 weeks. I was at work and all day there were rumors swirling that we were closing down. I didn’t believe it. Sometimes I can be a skeptic. When it was confirmed, it was difficult to wrap my head around it. School closed for 3 weeks?! And possibly longer?! Not only was I unsure how this would play out for my job as an Intervention Specialist Teacher but also as a parent.

My first born diva is a junior in college. Disappointed that she has to end her school year at home as an online student. My middle diva is a senior in high school, who is still awaiting the verdict about prom and graduation. Meanwhile my seventh grader is pleased as punch with everything and just misses hanging out with her friends.

Fast forward to the present, Friday, May 1, 2020. I’m still trying to find a balance between work and home like many people. Working from home makes it difficult to totally get away from work. I’m constantly thinking about things I need to complete. As an Intervention Specialist teacher who also has a resource classroom for Language Arts and Math, I’m definitely busy. The day goes by so quickly and most of the time I feel as though I’ve accomplished nothing during the day. No one was prepared for this.

I caution all parents and teachers to be kind to themselves. Don’t beat yourself up. Do the best you can. If your child is frustrated or upset with their schoolwork, let them have a break. We are all learning to live in this new world. It is scary and our young ones need love and support not more stress and anxiety. Remember, you are not alone!

I’d love to hear how all of you are doing during this time. Comment below and let me know. My sister is allowing parents to share their stories of sheltering at home over on her page. There have been some great experiences shared. Click here to read them on her Facebook page.

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020

Helping Your Child Deal With Grief

Happy February! The start of 2020 has been rough for me, in fact January was one of the worst months of my life. My mother suffered a mild stroke the week before the start of winter break. She was hospitalized but sadly passed away on January 2, 2020. I don’t know if there is a word in the English language that describes how I felt or how I still feel. There is an empty space in my heart that aches. My parents divorced when I was about 10 years old so my core family became my mom, my two older brothers and me. Both of my brothers passed away unexpectedly years ago, only 18 months apart. My mom helped me get through that. Now with her gone as well, I feel so lonely like I have no family, no history. All of that to say, these past weeks have been beyond difficult managing my grief and that of my three children. I lost my mom, but they also lost their grandma, someone they were very close to.

I realized that I needed to keep an eye on my daughters. Yes, they had experienced loss before through distance family members but this was the first very close death they’ve experienced. They were very young when their uncles passed away, so I knew this process was going to be different. And then Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 7 others lost their lives in a horrific helicopter accident. Grief become center stage around the world. I knew many of my students looked up to Kobe. In fact one of my students has his name. This just heightened my concern about not only my children but those in my care during the school day.

The initial response to grief is that we have to fix it or make it go away. But grief is not a problem to be fixed. It’s an experience that we go through. When dealing with children and grief, we need to help them process their grief and learn how to continue to live through it. Depending on how much the child identified with the person, this can be a daunting task. We have to take into account that the child must now learn to live without this person in their life. Even if it was through sports, entertainment or a close family connection it can be hard for a child to make sense of it all.

What to Do

It can be overwhelming to think about what to do, so I came up with some beginning steps that will be helpful when navigating the grief experience with a child:

Plain English Please!

Or whatever language is your primary language. Sometimes when we speak to children, we want to use what has been termed kidspeak. Our way of bringing things down to a child’s level. Feeling if we use words like death or dead, we are traumatizing the child. If we are making things up or giving a fluff version like, “Nana went to the big garden in the sky.” We leave room for confusion. A child could feel like Nana would rather go to a big garden than be here with me? Use clear language and explain words if needed.

Honesty is the Best Policy

This goes along with using clear language. While using clear language be as honest as possible. If the person was sick say that. If there was an accident, say there was an accident. They may not be ready to digest every single detail but communicate from a place of honesty. Kids know and understand more these days than we give them credit for.

Open Book Policy

Let the child know that anytime they want to talk you are available. If you as the adult need to talk about the person, do it! If you avoid saying the person’s name or talking about them at all it gives the child the impression that it is not acceptable to do so. Talking about my mom is so therapeutic for me and I’ve let my children know it’s ok to tell a story or say they miss her.

I’ve created an infographic that can also be helpful. Check out the website www.childrengrieve.org. They have a great section with “Dear Me” letters. Adults write letters to their younger selves as they are going through the grieving process. There are some powerful words written there.

**Tips to Help Children Deal with Grief**

Remember the grieving process is different for everyone. I’d love to hear how you have helped any children in your life with their grieving process. Comment below!

December 26, 2019January 2, 2020

ELA Lesson Plans for the First Week of School after Winter Break

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That time when we are enjoying spending time with our families and friends. For some of us that can also translate to spending all day in our pajamas and binge watching TV shows on Netflix. Whatever you are doing, it is safe to say that you are not thinking about what you are planning to work on with your students when you return to school in the new year. We all have those coworkers who have already made their copies and have everything ready to go while others of us are sitting back like, I’ll deal with that on January 5^th. I must admit that I’m that coworker. My copies are ready to go and I have my plans all set. This is a great thing for you, because I’m here to share 5 days of my Language Arts plans for the week after winter break.

These lessons can be used one each day or depending on your kiddos, you could do two things on one day. If this is your first experience with my blog, I’m an Intervention Specialist Teacher (I’m important so I capitalize it) and I teach resource room Language Arts and Math. This year, I focus primarily on 6^th grade, but I feel that my lessons can work well as low as second grade, especially if you have some students who enjoy a challenge. These lessons can also be used as centers or morning bell work. Just figure out how it can work for you.

This bundle consists of two writing prompts, reading comprehension and some vocabulary work. For day one I have a winter break writing prompt because my students always want to share what they did over breaks so why not turn it into an assignment. Students can use the graphic organizer to gather their thoughts. It can be used to focus on one paragraph or make copies for student to compose a multi-paragraph piece. For the rest of day one or even on day two, students can take those thoughts and create their sloppy copy. From this sheet they can use whatever editing strategy you are using with your class. My kiddos are a little older so they are using a self-editing checklist. You could also do peer editing or have students work directly with you through writing conferences as I like to call them. Once their edits have been approved by you, they could move on and type a final copy in google docs and even present in front of the class. Excuse my crude “Sample” handwriting, lol! Still getting the hang of using a writing pad with the computer.

Day three brings in some reading comprehension. This is my own original story. Yes, I know that there are no Newbery Medals in my near future, but it gets the job done! Students will need crayons or colored pencils to complete this activity. I usually don’t allow markers on this because if you have a student that doesn’t have a steady hand, the paper can get a little messy. Some students will speed through this activity, so this would be a good day to complete any benchmarking tasks or fluency checks you need to do. You could also have students start on the next activity which is about finishing the story or save it for day four. Students have to use their imaginations to complete the story. You could also have them go through the editing process with this piece as well. Once the final copy is complete, again they could present to the class. Day five students are reviewing some new vocabulary words from the story. Yes, I threw in some words that students don’t see everyday. They have to find the definitions and use each word in a sentence. This can also be completed quickly by students but if people are also presenting stories and editing work, you will have a lot going on in your classroom!

I hope this has eased some of your anxiety so that you can get back to binge watching that show! I’m offering this bundle for sale on my website for only $5.00, but for my blog readers you can get it for 50% off (yup, only $2.50) using discount code WINBRK. The discount code is good until January 12, 2020.