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chia777 - I teach an elementary LD class. What do you teach?
wizzlewolf - chia, how long have you been teaching?
chia777 - I have taught special ed for 20 years and I need some inspiration.
wizzlewolf - Yeah, I hear you! You should step back and do something new for YOURSELF
brian - congratulations chia
chia777 - The kids don't seem to care about learning anymore.
chia777 - The parents are not at home at night to help the children.
wizzlewolf - That is why I say do something for you. Once you get "refreshed" your perspective on the kids will change
chia777 - Guess I don't know how to do something for myself.
Grace - Most of you sound a bit down. What grade levels do you teach?
chia777 - I teach grades 1-5
wizzlewolf - You need to learn NOW. That is the best remedy for burnout
chia777 - Grace what do you teach?
Grace - Chia, what are the learning levels of your students? Are they EMH, LD, what?
wizzlewolf - Do something you have always wanted to do, get involved in something new
chia777 - LD
Grace - Chis, I'm retired but deeply interested in helping children learn to read and spell (or spell first and read later).
Grace - Wizzlewolf, are you in an inner city school?
wizzlewolf - Well, my perspective may be very different. I work exclusively with severely emotionally disturbed K-12
chia777 - I have one student with oppositional defiant problems. He just recently set fire to a neighbor's storage shed.
brian - does he have a probation officer chia
chia777 - Has anyone ever heard of Success for All reading program?
chia777 - Yes he does. He is in AEP now until after Christmas.
Grace - Chia, I've not worked with SFA but I know a lot of teachers complain about it.
brian - good chia i was a little worried
chia777 - It is okay I guess but not for special ed students. We are told what to teach on which days.
Grace - Chia, are you teaching SFA?
chia777 - We are not supposed to teach skills and children on the second grade level are in my class with others on the 4th grade level. Then we are told to start in a 4A book! This is what I really hate.
brian - have you a specific interest tonya as the scheduled meeting seems to be a no show
Grace - Aha, your spelling is improving! Are you really a super intelligent teacher who's trying to be funny?
chia777 - Guess Randy from Tennessee didn't make it.
Tonya - not really
Kristin - Hello brian, grace. What age/subject do you teach?
brian - school counselor k-6 kristin
Grace - Kristin, I'm retired from the classroom but not from learning.
Kristin - Grace, that is a lovely response.
brian - and yourself kristin and where do you teach
Kristin - I teach 6th grade Spanish in Harlem.
brian - good for you i admire that you are young right
Kristin - Yes, I am a first-year teacher.
Grace - Kristin, one night a week I work with ESL students as a volunteer teacher's aid, mostly with Hispanics. I think any Spanish/English dictionary would work with 6th graders.
chia777 - Grace what materials do you use? Any certain program?
brian - anyone with a challenge in sped that they might share for opinions
Kristin - Grace, I am worried that they will be intimidated by a college Spanish/English dictionary. Several of my students do not read anywhere near the 6th grade level and I think the small print of a regular dictionary may be a jumble for them.
Grace - Chia, the teacher does the planning. She photocopies materials. We're working with the very first level so it mainly deals with learning names, addresses, foods, clothing, etc.
gail - Isn't every day a challenge??
brian - perhaps gail but how about big challenges
chia777 - Oh well I was just wondering because we have 2 Jr. High ESL students who are in our room for 1 1/2 hours every day. They know very little english but they are learning.
brian - please grace let him be
gail - chia777, you say you have ESL students in your special ed room??
Grace - Chia, does having those students in the classroom enhance the Spanish learning for your other students?
brian - should they be sped chia interesting to see how they were assessed and by whom
gail - I agree with brian. How did those ESL students wind up in special ed and how were they assessed?
chia777 - They are not sp. ed. The aide in my room speaks Spanish and evidently no one in the junior high can help these boys. The principal said to work with them. They are both very smart boys.
Grace - How do most of you teach reading to your special ed students?
brian - well get them out of there its illegal and unethical and tell your principal to provide appropriate personnel for these bright kids
chia777 - They go to ESL in the elementary school the last 45 minutes of the day.
gail - we use any and all methods that will reach them!
chia777 - Right now I only have 6 students so I'm sure that's why they are there.
Grace - Gail, are you familiar with Orton-Gillingham techniques?
gail - chia, you are probably right. Because your numbers are low you get the ESL. I was just curious because next year our district plans to eliminate ESL.
chia777 - We don't have special ed reading. Everyone goes to Success for All. This I hate. I think I may find another school.
gail - grace, I sure am! I use it alot!
brian - doesn't FAPE mean anything to your principal chia sorry to harass you but i believe these kids deserve better
gail - chia, I am not familiar with Success for All. What's it like?
chia777 - I also teach a dyslexia class the last 40 minutes of the day.
gail - or how about Least Restrictive environment???
chia777 - There is too much for me to tell you about Success for All. I'm sure they have a website. It really seems to work for some but I don't think it is right for most sp. ed students.
Grace - Gail, some years ago I started using O-G techniques with my entire first grade class. You should have seen the difference in their performance.
chia777 - Orton Gillingham?
gail - grace, I can imagine! Our teachers use Pat Cunningham and teach word families, Doesn't reach all kids.
Grace - Success for All is a highly scripted program developed by Rober Slavin and associates. It seems to be very controversial. There's even an alternate SFA website which serves as a complaint gallery.
chia777 - Thanks Grace I will go to the alternale website.
Grace - Chia, Dr. Orton was a neurologist back in the 1930s who had a theory about how children learn. The theory was somewhat flawed but he worked with a teacher named Anna Gillingham and their multi-sensory methods are still highly effective.
gail - grace, wow! I never heard of it. Do you know of any Orton Gillingham based reading books? I have some phonic readers but I am always looking for more.
brian - night Grace chia and gail interesting conversation thank you all
chia777 - Before SFA , I used Recipe for Reading. It was sometimes boring but it worked.
gail - grace, where is your district?
gail - chia, yes I have Recipe for Reading too
Grace - Gail, I'm in northern Illinois. After I did all the playing around and after I retired, I put my lesson plans together and self-published them.
gail - grace.....really??????all special ed lesson plans?????
chia777 - Do you have a website, Grace?
Grace - Gail, not really, but it's a spelling program that starts with very simple words and builds on them, constantly recycling. Teachers do buy it to use with special ed.
gail - yes, do you?
gail - grace, how can we get it?
Grace - Chia, yes. It's at <http://user.mc.net/~gsh>
chia777 - Thanks Grace I will check it out.
Grace - Any phonics readers will work with The Spel-Lang Tree. I do have my favorites.
gail - grace, The Spel-Lang tree??????
chia777 - Language tree?
Grace - Gail, that's the name of the program. It includes spelling and language, therefore Spel-Lang.
chia777 - sounds good to me
gail - grace, is that your program or can I get it somewhere?
chia777 - I feel like sneaking in some skills with SFA.
Grace - Gail, that's my program. It can be gotten through the website.
gail - grace, thanks! I'll visit. But tonight I have to sign off. Thanks everyone for the chat!
chia777 - I've got to go now-family's hungry and helpless.
