Musings - 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.

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?

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!

November 25, 2019November 23, 2019

Emotional Safety is Key to Learning

Throughout my time working with students, I have read many studies about how to keep students engaged during lessons. What many fail to consider is how do we engage the child who is not quite ready to learn. Maybe this student didn’t get a good night of sleep or the student deals with feelings of self-doubt, especially when it comes to academics.

But what is emotional safety? The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments defines emotional safety as “an experience in which one feels safe to express emotions, security and confidence to take risks and feel challenged and excited to try something new.” Our emotions have an impact on how we feel about ourselves, the way we communicate with others and how we learn, Let me reiterate that: Emotions have an impact on how we learn!! They help us to process information and aid with comprehension. It can also be termed as social and emotional learning.

According to the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments by focusing on children’s social and emotional learning, we are working to create children that are skilled in five critical areas:

They are self-aware. They are able to recognize their emotions, describe their interests and values, and accurately assess their strengths. They have a well-grounded sense of self-confidence and hope for the future.
They are able to regulate their emotions. They are able to manage stress, control impulses, and persevere in overcoming obstacles. They can set and monitor progress toward the achievement of personal and academic goals and express their emotions appropriately in a wide range of situations.
They are socially aware. They are able to take the perspective of and empathize with others and recognize and appreciate individual and group similarities and differences. They are able to seek out and appropriately use family, school, and community resources.
They have good relationship skills. They can establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships based on cooperation. They resist inappropriate social pressure; constructively prevent, manage, and resolve interpersonal conflict; and seek and provide help when needed.
They demonstrate responsible decision-making at school, at home, and in the community. In making decisions, they consider ethical standards, safety concerns, appropriate social norms, respect for others, and the likely consequences of various courses of action. They apply these decision-making skills in academic and social situations and are motivated to contribute to the well-being of their schools and communities.

Not too long ago, I write a post about creating a trauma sensitive classroom. Those steps can also help foster an environment that encourage social and emotional learning. This year the school where I work has incorporated a social emotional curriculum into our school day. We are using the Caring School Communities curriculum and it has been very successful thus far. Do you use any social emotional learning during your school day? If so, what do you do? Comment and let me know!

August 5, 2019August 4, 2019

Is it August already?!!!

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I feel like I literally went to sleep on the night of June 5th (my last official day of school) and I woke up and it’s August. How was your summer?

I had a productive summer working with students in support of reading, writing and math IEP goals. I also read 8 books, some professional development books and some to include in my classroom. I started the hashtag on my Instagram page. Check out #1bookperwork2019. I plan to keep it going for the rest of the year. I also plan to review some of the titles in upcoming blog posts. Be on the lookout! Speaking of reading, my current book choice is Brene’ Brown’s Dare to Lead. This is my first Brene’ Brown book and it’s great so far. Comment and let me know if you have read any of her books.

If you are like me, you are slowly pulling yourself back into the real world – meaning back into classroom mode. Fortunately for us, Teachers Pay Teachers is having a back to school sale on August 6th and 7th. Get 25% off of creative and engaging teaching resources created by your fellow teachers. Just use code BTS19 at checkout. Visit my TpT store to get 25% off of my teaching resources. Get one of my most popular resources, The History of Black Wall Street on sale as well!

Also for more of my teaching resources head over to the printables page and use the same code (BTS19) for 25% off of all of my printable resources. The code is valid from August 5th until August 17th. If you are already back at work, I wish you an awesome year with awesome students and co-workers. You got this!

June 24, 2019June 23, 2019

Paraprofessionals – The Backbone of the Classroom

I could just as easily call this post my ode to the paraprofessional. When I made the decision to seriously pursue a career in education, I had no idea where to start. I knew that I had to go back to school in order to get my teaching license, but beyond that I had no clue what I was getting into. My first thoughts were to get a position at a school so that I could get some first hand knowledge of what goes on in a school. To be honest, I wanted to know what teaching was really like. I got hired as a substitute teacher and I loved it. Never mind that time a student cut his hair with scissors (LOL!) I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. After one year of subbing, I was hired as what was referred to then as a teacher’s aide. I had no idea what that meant! I just knew I had a full time position in education with medical benefits. I wasn’t the teacher so it shouldn’t be that difficult, right?!

What is a paraprofessional?
Paraprofessionals generally assist teachers in the classroom, supervise students inside and outside of the classroom, provide administrative support in the classroom.

Anyone who is or has been a paraprofessional before knows how difficult the job can be. Whether you are assigned to work one on one with one student, working in a general education classroom or assisting in a resource classroom, the responsibilities of a paraprofessional can be demanding. This is not to deter anyone looking to for a position as a para. It is definitely a very fulfilling position. Having a well trained and capable para by your side in the classroom can be the saving grace for a teacher. They can be the extra set of eyes and ears for the teacher. Sometimes able to stop issues between students getting out of hand before the teacher is even aware of it.

Paraprofessionals are helpful in the classroom

So what does a paraprofessional do exactly?

Support students in the classroom: A para may work with one or more students depending on the needs. This may entail providing accommodations like scribing for a student or making sure students have all their materials for class.
Support students outside of the classroom: A para may accompany students to their special area classes like physical education, music, art, etc. Depending on the level of need, they may also go on field trips as well to monitor behavior.
Collect data: Para may need to monitor student behavior using a checklist or spreadsheet of some kind that needs to be reported back to an intervention specialist or teacher.
Classroom administrative tasks: You may be called upon to make copies or correct student work.
Assist students with class work: A para may work with small groups or even one student to assist them with class assignments. I’m always reminding people that this means reminding the students of strategies that they can use and not just giving the answers.

Paraprofessionals support students inside and outside the classroom

What are some qualities that are important in a paraprofessional?

Patience: You are dealing with children, some that are dealing with their own struggles which extra care and attention.
Ability to multi-task
Basic reading and math skills
Empathy
Kindness
Understanding
Assertiveness

Bottom line, paraprofessionals are the backbone of the classroom no matter the setting. It is important that students see the teacher treat the paraprofessional with respect. In my classroom, I always refer to any paraprofessional as teacher. My students know that they should give the same level respect that they give to me to the paraprofessionals in the room. If you get the opportunity to work with a paraprofessional, please embrace it! It can change your teaching and add to the feeling of community in your classroom.

I would love to hear your experiences, drop a comment below!