Need guidance from "sped"

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

IL Teachers

MEMBERS

9 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Illinois Teachers Chatboard

Need guidance from "sped"

by Laura Nowak

Jul 1, 2013

I am traditionally a CPS English teacher who earned two endorsements -- ESL and LBS1 -- when I was displaced for a period of two years. I started this most recent school year as a special education teacher at a predominately Latino high school. I LOVE MY JOB, but it keeps me very busy. I now have the opportunity to earn a reading endorsement or certificate at no or low cost. This is through a college with a good reputation for their education programs via a grant. I do not know how to pass up this opportunity, except that it is already causing me stress, and I have not even applied. After completing my ESL and LBS1 endorsements, I decided to focus on learning Spanish, rather than on any additional education courses, beyond prof dev. However, I have made little progress on this goal, perhaps because I am not committed to a cohort, as I would be with the reading program. OK, so here are my questions: Would the strategies I learn with a reading endorsement make up for that extra time I wi...See More

Comment

(3)

report post

sped Huh... a very good question.

OK, so you're an English teacher who got laid off, and did the right things to get back into teaching: you got a special education AND ESL/ELL endorsement instead of wringing your hands and crying about politics, nepotism, or affirmative action as so many displaced teachers have done in low-demand subjects lik...See MoreHuh... a very good question.

OK, so you're an English teacher who got laid off, and did the right things to get back into teaching: you got a special education AND ESL/ELL endorsement instead of wringing your hands and crying about politics, nepotism, or affirmative action as so many displaced teachers have done in low-demand subjects like English or elementary ed. Awesome! You then got another job working as a special ed teacher, and I presume you are still working for CPS... You haven't mentioned that you are looking to leave CPS and you said you love your job, so you're comfortable where you are...

Now, for your question. There are a LOT of special education teachers who also go get their reading specialist certificate/degree. Typically, they get their Bachelors in Special Ed, and pursue a Masters for the Reading Specialist position with the hopes of moving away from special ed. They are either burned out working with the students and/or are tired of the IEP paperwork requirements.

Of course, a lot of Reading Specialists end up working with our kids anyway, but they don't have to case manage, write IEPs, and Reading spec classes are still typically smaller like sped classes. Many Reading Specialists try to slide into a "coach" or curriculum designer job... which many times has much less student contact time. No judgement on people who seek those jobs..., heck, I'm an administrator who sees students very rarely, but many times people who end up in those jobs are trying get out of the classroom yet stay in education. You specifically mentioned you weren't interested in doing that.

Looking at your resume, you seem to already have a lot going for you if you find yourself unemployed. You have an ELL/ESL endorsement and a special ed endorsement, so you have two of the highest need certificates out there. In fact, there should be a LOT more ELL Special Ed classes out there under state and federal law, but ISBE has never pushed the issue because the state is broke, not willing to fund new programs, not willing to push it off on the districts because they've already pushed so much onto us, and there just aren't that many teachers out there like you with LBS and ELL endorsements, so we couldn't fill the jobs with fully qualified people if we tried! Add onto that the fact that the parents of ELL/Sped students are typically poor with limited language skills themselves, as well as possibly questionable immigration status, and they don't become the squeaky wheels we would need to get these programs. As you've experienced, we typically get away with providing ELL students with special education eligibility either one or the other services. They either get ELL or Sped services, depending upon their language needs and ability, and they get consult from the other side. That is, if they even get through the evaluation process without the district trying to simply claim that their assessments are low or they don't respond to intervention because of ELL issues. Again, unless you have a parent knocking on the door, and in these situations we seldom do, that is what happens across the state. So... its unlikely you'll straddle both the ELL and Sped worlds at the same time, but you might find yourself shuttled between the two frequently.

Honestly, you would complete the trifecta if you learned Spanish, as you mentioned. I could comfortably say that you would have better job security than most Chicago-area teachers if you're a Spanish-speaking, ELL/SPED teacher. Plus, with where you're working, it really would help even if you never teach Bilingual/ELL classes. Even still, you're in a pretty good spot. The reading endorsement isn't that necessary. There are a lot of sped teachers out there with reading backgrounds, and its nice, but unless I'm putting together a unique sped-specific reading class (which I typically won't have the money for), then its not going to sway me in a hiring decision. Again, I'll probably have a few special ed teachers in-house with a Reading endorsement to begin with. I'm honestly much more likely to be impressed by the ELL and LBS segments of your resume because I could use you to cover the district's backside if we get a student with ELL and Sped needs with one of those rare, squeaky-wheel parents.

Now if you have this option to get a free master's degree or graduate credits from National Louis and want the salary bump and the Reading Spec skills, go for it. My guess is that you already have a Masters degree and/or extra grad credits if you've recently added two endorsements. The Reading Spec certificate won't make you that much more employable except maybe for coaching jobs, which again, you've said you don't want.

If you really want job security, pretty good money, and want to go back to school... get a Type 75 with a Special Ed director endorsement. I have never applied for an administrator job, including the one I have now. They... keep coming to me, offering me jobs and upping the offer when I say no. I never thought I would have a job in education where districts sought me out and threw money at me. I am thus far with the district I started, though I've moved into a higher position, but... I am shocked at how in demand good special ed directors are! Of course, the higher you move up, the less you see kids and the more hours you work, but... the paycheck makes up for it.

On 7/01/13, Laura Nowak wrote: > I am traditionally a CPS English teacher who earned two > endorsements -- ESL and LBS1 -- when I was displaced for a > period of two years. I started this most recent school year > as a special education teacher at a predominately Latino > high school. I LOVE MY JOB, but it keeps me very busy. I > now have the opportunity to earn a reading endorsement or > certificate at no or low cost. This is through a college > with a good reputation for their education programs via a > grant. I do not know how to pass up this opportunity, > except that it is already causing me stress, and I have not > even applied. After completing my ESL and LBS1 > endorsements, I decided to focus on learning Spanish, > rather than on any additional education courses, beyond > prof dev. However, I have made little progress on this > goal, perhaps because I am not committed to a cohort, as I > would be with the reading program. OK, so here are my > questions: Would the strategies I learn with a reading > endorsement make up for that extra time I will not be > devoting to my students (or my son) during the next two or > three years? Is such an endorsement or certificate > marketable should I become displaced again? Would you find > a special education candidate more desirable if he or she > also was endorsed in reading? I love working with students > with disabilities and I have no desire to be a literacy > "coach," but this is an awesome opportunity.

Jul 3, 2013

report post

Laura On 7/03/13, sped wrote: > Huh... a very good question. > > OK, so you're an English teacher who got laid off, and did the > right things to get back into teaching: you got a special > education AND ESL/ELL endorsement instead of wringing your > hands and crying about politics, nepotism, or affirmative > action as so many displa...See MoreOn 7/03/13, sped wrote: > Huh... a very good question. > > OK, so you're an English teacher who got laid off, and did the > right things to get back into teaching: you got a special > education AND ESL/ELL endorsement instead of wringing your > hands and crying about politics, nepotism, or affirmative > action as so many displaced teachers have done in low-demand > subjects like English or elementary ed. Awesome! You then got > another job working as a special ed teacher, and I presume you > are still working for CPS... You haven't mentioned that you > are looking to leave CPS and you said you love your job, so > you're comfortable where you are... > > Now, for your question. There are a LOT of special education > teachers who also go get their reading specialist > certificate/degree. Typically, they get their Bachelors in > Special Ed, and pursue a Masters for the Reading Specialist > position with the hopes of moving away from special ed. They > are either burned out working with the students and/or are > tired of the IEP paperwork requirements. > > Of course, a lot of Reading Specialists end up working with our > kids anyway, but they don't have to case manage, write IEPs, > and Reading spec classes are still typically smaller like sped > classes. Many Reading Specialists try to slide into a "coach" > or curriculum designer job... which many times has much less > student contact time. No judgement on people who seek those > jobs..., heck, I'm an administrator who sees students very > rarely, but many times people who end up in those jobs are > trying get out of the classroom yet stay in education. You > specifically mentioned you weren't interested in doing that. > > Looking at your resume, you seem to already have a lot going > for you if you find yourself unemployed. You have an ELL/ESL > endorsement and a special ed endorsement, so you have two of > the highest need certificates out there. In fact, there should > be a LOT more ELL Special Ed classes out there under state and > federal law, but ISBE has never pushed the issue because the > state is broke, not willing to fund new programs, not willing > to push it off on the districts because they've already pushed > so much onto us, and there just aren't that many teachers out > there like you with LBS and ELL endorsements, so we couldn't > fill the jobs with fully qualified people if we tried! Add > onto that the fact that the parents of ELL/Sped students are > typically poor with limited language skills themselves, as well > as possibly questionable immigration status, and they don't > become the squeaky wheels we would need to get these programs. > As you've experienced, we typically get away with providing > ELL students with special education eligibility either one or > the other services. They either get ELL or Sped services, > depending upon their language needs and ability, and they get > consult from the other side. That is, if they even get through > the evaluation process without the district trying to simply > claim that their assessments are low or they don't respond to > intervention because of ELL issues. Again, unless you have a > parent knocking on the door, and in these situations we seldom > do, that is what happens across the state. So... its unlikely > you'll straddle both the ELL and Sped worlds at the same time, > but you might find yourself shuttled between the two frequently. > > Honestly, you would complete the trifecta if you learned > Spanish, as you mentioned. I could comfortably say that you > would have better job security than most Chicago-area teachers > if you're a Spanish-speaking, ELL/SPED teacher. Plus, with > where you're working, it really would help even if you never > teach Bilingual/ELL classes. Even still, you're in a pretty > good spot. The reading endorsement isn't that necessary. > There are a lot of sped teachers out there with reading > backgrounds, and its nice, but unless I'm putting together a > unique sped-specific reading class (which I typically won't > have the money for), then its not going to sway me in a hiring > decision. Again, I'll probably have a few special ed teachers > in-house with a Reading endorsement to begin with. I'm > honestly much more likely to be impressed by the ELL and LBS > segments of your resume because I could use you to cover the > district's backside if we get a student with ELL and Sped needs > with one of those rare, squeaky-wheel parents. > > Now if you have this option to get a free master's degree or > graduate credits from National Louis and want the salary bump > and the Reading Spec skills, go for it. My guess is that you > already have a Masters degree and/or extra grad credits if > you've recently added two endorsements. The Reading Spec > certificate won't make you that much more employable except > maybe for coaching jobs, which again, you've said you don't want. > > If you really want job security, pretty good money, and want to > go back to school... get a Type 75 with a Special Ed director > endorsement. I have never applied for an administrator job, > including the one I have now. They... keep coming to me, > offering me jobs and upping the offer when I say no. I never > thought I would have a job in education where districts sought > me out and threw money at me. I am thus far with the district > I started, though I've moved into a higher position, but... I > am shocked at how in demand good special ed directors are! Of > course, the higher you move up, the less you see kids and the > more hours you work, but... the paycheck makes up for it. > > On 7/01/13, Laura Nowak wrote: >> I am traditionally a CPS English teacher who earned two >> endorsements -- ESL and LBS1 -- when I was displaced for a >> period of two years. I started this most recent school year >> as a special education teacher at a predominately Latino >> high school. I LOVE MY JOB, but it keeps me very busy. I >> now have the opportunity to earn a reading endorsement or >> certificate at no or low cost. This is through a college >> with a good reputation for their education programs via a >> grant. I do not know how to pass up this opportunity, >> except that it is already causing me stress, and I have not >> even applied. After completing my ESL and LBS1 >> endorsements, I decided to focus on learning Spanish, >> rather than on any additional education courses, beyond >> prof dev. However, I have made little progress on this >> goal, perhaps because I am not committed to a cohort, as I >> would be with the reading program. OK, so here are my >> questions: Would the strategies I learn with a reading >> endorsement make up for that extra time I will not be >> devoting to my students (or my son) during the next two or >> three years? Is such an endorsement or certificate >> marketable should I become displaced again? Would you find >> a special education candidate more desirable if he or she >> also was endorsed in reading? I love working with students >> with disabilities and I have no desire to be a literacy >> "coach," but this is an awesome opportunity.

Jul 6, 2013

report post

Laura Sped, Thank you so much for such a thorough response! Your information and experience are the reasons why I sought your advice -- and you pretty much told me what I wanted to hear!

The opportunity for the reading endorsement is a great opportunity, but right now I would rather focus on my classroom. Yes, I am still in CPS, and next year p...See MoreSped, Thank you so much for such a thorough response! Your information and experience are the reasons why I sought your advice -- and you pretty much told me what I wanted to hear!

The opportunity for the reading endorsement is a great opportunity, but right now I would rather focus on my classroom. Yes, I am still in CPS, and next year promises to be very challenging for all of us. I also have a special ed son who will be transitioning from a therapuetic day school to an excellent magnet school. Although he does not need me physically, I do not need additional distractions.

I agree that Spanish acquisition would be my best bet -- personally and professionally -- but I have not made too much progress towards that goal. Ive taken a few classes at Cervantes, which is a great program, but I am not held accountable there as I would be in a college program. I place low-priority on responsibilities nobody else is depending on me (or evaluating me!)

What you write about ELL and SPED is so true in CPS. Almost all of my students in SC instructional classes are also ELLs, yet they do not receive ELL instruction outside of the class. I have experience with strategies and enough basic understanding of the Spanish language to help them, but I would feel so much more confident if I, too, had successfully acquired a second language.

As for getting my type 75, I never really considered that. In CPS, case managers and department chairs still do not need admin credentials, though I am sure that could change. I have no desire for additional pay. Im a very frugal single mom, so I really could live on half of what I make now. I do have my masters-plus, which under the new funding model in CPS could price me out of a job (though this new scheme has little impact on sped teachers.) Im really more interested in being flexible and employable.

Although I have a general empathy for laid-off teachers, I did have a lot of frustration with the complainers. I am very political and can do a lot of complaining myself, but my politics evolved long before I started teaching. A lot of these people who cannot find jobs -- at least some who I know -- never bothered to be concerned with what was going on in their community or world. I think that ignorance or selfishness -- or helplessness? -- is reflected in their job search.

Thank you again for such valuable information. I'll probably still be grappling with this until the application deadline arrives -- in which I will feel relieved!

On 7/03/13, sped wrote: > Huh... a very good question. > > OK, so you're an English teacher who got laid off, and did the > right things to get back into teaching: you got a special > education AND ESL/ELL endorsement instead of wringing your > hands and crying about politics, nepotism, or affirmative > action as so many displaced teachers have done in low-demand > subjects like English or elementary ed. Awesome! You then got > another job working as a special ed teacher, and I presume you > are still working for CPS... You haven't mentioned that you > are looking to leave CPS and you said you love your job, so > you're comfortable where you are... > > Now, for your question. There are a LOT of special education > teachers who also go get their reading specialist > certificate/degree. Typically, they get their Bachelors in > Special Ed, and pursue a Masters for the Reading Specialist > position with the hopes of moving away from special ed. They > are either burned out working with the students and/or are > tired of the IEP paperwork requirements. > > Of course, a lot of Reading Specialists end up working with our > kids anyway, but they don't have to case manage, write IEPs, > and Reading spec classes are still typically smaller like sped > classes. Many Reading Specialists try to slide into a "coach" > or curriculum designer job... which many times has much less > student contact time. No judgement on people who seek those > jobs..., heck, I'm an administrator who sees students very > rarely, but many times people who end up in those jobs are > trying get out of the classroom yet stay in education. You > specifically mentioned you weren't interested in doing that. > > Looking at your resume, you seem to already have a lot going > for you if you find yourself unemployed. You have an ELL/ESL > endorsement and a special ed endorsement, so you have two of > the highest need certificates out there. In fact, there should > be a LOT more ELL Special Ed classes out there under state and > federal law, but ISBE has never pushed the issue because the > state is broke, not willing to fund new programs, not willing > to push it off on the districts because they've already pushed > so much onto us, and there just aren't that many teachers out > there like you with LBS and ELL endorsements, so we couldn't > fill the jobs with fully qualified people if we tried! Add > onto that the fact that the parents of ELL/Sped students are > typically poor with limited language skills themselves, as well > as possibly questionable immigration status, and they don't > become the squeaky wheels we would need to get these programs. > As you've experienced, we typically get away with providing > ELL students with special education eligibility either one or > the other services. They either get ELL or Sped services, > depending upon their language needs and ability, and they get > consult from the other side. That is, if they even get through > the evaluation process without the district trying to simply > claim that their assessments are low or they don't respond to > intervention because of ELL issues. Again, unless you have a > parent knocking on the door, and in these situations we seldom > do, that is what happens across the state. So... its unlikely > you'll straddle both the ELL and Sped worlds at the same time, > but you might find yourself shuttled between the two frequently. > > Honestly, you would complete the trifecta if you learned > Spanish, as you mentioned. I could comfortably say that you > would have better job security than most Chicago-area teachers > if you're a Spanish-speaking, ELL/SPED teacher. Plus, with > where you're working, it really would help even if you never > teach Bilingual/ELL classes. Even still, you're in a pretty > good spot. The reading endorsement isn't that necessary. > There are a lot of sped teachers out there with reading > backgrounds, and its nice, but unless I'm putting together a > unique sped-specific reading class (which I typically won't > have the money for), then its not going to sway me in a hiring > decision. Again, I'll probably have a few special ed teachers > in-house with a Reading endorsement to begin with. I'm > honestly much more likely to be impressed by the ELL and LBS > segments of your resume because I could use you to cover the > district's backside if we get a student with ELL and Sped needs > with one of those rare, squeaky-wheel parents. > > Now if you have this option to get a free master's degree or > graduate credits from National Louis and want the salary bump > and the Reading Spec skills, go for it. My guess is that you > already have a Masters degree and/or extra grad credits if > you've recently added two endorsements. The Reading Spec > certificate won't make you that much more employable except > maybe for coaching jobs, which again, you've said you don't want. > > If you really want job security, pretty good money, and want to > go back to school... get a Type 75 with a Special Ed director > endorsement. I have never applied for an administrator job, > including the one I have now. They... keep coming to me, > offering me jobs and upping the offer when I say no. I never > thought I would have a job in education where districts sought > me out and threw money at me. I am thus far with the district > I started, though I've moved into a higher position, but... I > am shocked at how in demand good special ed directors are! Of > course, the higher you move up, the less you see kids and the > more hours you work, but... the paycheck makes up for it. > > On 7/01/13, Laura Nowak wrote: >> I am traditionally a CPS English teacher who earned two >> endorsements -- ESL and LBS1 -- when I was displaced for a >> period of two years. I started this most recent school year >> as a special education teacher at a predominately Latino >> high school. I LOVE MY JOB, but it keeps me very busy. I >> now have the opportunity to earn a reading endorsement or >> certificate at no or low cost. This is through a college >> with a good reputation for their education programs via a >> grant. I do not know how to pass up this opportunity, >> except that it is already causing me stress, and I have not >> even applied. After completing my ESL and LBS1 >> endorsements, I decided to focus on learning Spanish, >> rather than on any additional education courses, beyond >> prof dev. However, I have made little progress on this >> goal, perhaps because I am not committed to a cohort, as I >> would be with the reading program. OK, so here are my >> questions: Would the strategies I learn with a reading >> endorsement make up for that extra time I will not be >> devoting to my students (or my son) during the next two or >> three years? Is such an endorsement or certificate >> marketable should I become displaced again? Would you find >> a special education candidate more desirable if he or she >> also was endorsed in reading? I love working with students >> with disabilities and I have no desire to be a literacy >> "coach," but this is an awesome opportunity.

Jul 6, 2013

report post