So we begin another school year. And, once again I am making a commitment to blogging more!!
After 28 years of doing the beginning of school thing I realize there are many constants this time of year. Some are really good and some things need to change if we are ever going to make this thing called school successful for ALL our students. One of our biggest challenges is to know enough about students to make sure supports and services are in place when they arrive the first day and to not know so much that we already determine they can’t be successful.
Here is what I know for sure…
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When we know what works with a student we need to provide that starting day one.
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We can do a lot of things for students, even those elementary things we don’t traditionally do at the middle school, and the middle school things we don’t usually do at the high school.
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There are some things that need to look different as students get older.
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IEPs from other districts do not always reflect who a student is and what they need.
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We determine how we think about each and every aspect of our lives, including our students. Choose to think positively.
Although I believe students attending their home school in a regular classroom is best for most students, I do recognize and appreciate that some students need a different setting than their home school and the general education classroom. I assert we should assume that a student will attend their home school and be in a regular education classroom and work to more restrictive services from there. We should not assume the more restrictive setting and believe that a student must prove her/his way to the regular classroom setting. The decision to pull a student from their home school is a huge one and an even bigger decision is to place a student in a classroom or school setting where typical peers are not present. It is hard to learn appropriate behavior, language, academics, etc. without role models present. Access to the general education curriculum and peers should always be at the forefront of the decision making process.
Here is what I am asking from educators this year.
- Allow every child to walk into your classroom/school with the adults truly believing that they can be successful.
- Have high expectations for all students, regardless of what you already know about them.
- Make contact with parents before there is an issue and, when you do call them with a negative issue, ask for their help before you tell them what you are going to do.
- Be an advocate for students who have no one, see a future for each and every child that is amazing, and engage parents/guardians as an expert on their child whose input you need.
I end with this, my favorite quote that has guided every day since I first read it over a decade ago. You are so powerful. You are dream makers and that is the most important career anyone can have.
