Dear Single Dad: (part 1 of 2)
An email the other day. Time is short (for her answer), what would YOU tell her?
Single Dad,
I’ve been a reader of your blog for quite a while. I’m not a parent of a disabled child, I’m not a parent of any child. I’m in my mid 20’s and currently working as a substitute teacher. I just landed a long term assignment (30 days- as long as my permit allows) for a subbing job (as a teacher, not aide) in a special ed class (ages 18-22, moderate to severe). I worked a couple of days in this class last year but I have no special training in teaching, much less special ed. (My degree in is theater management, I sub as a day job). So, as a parent of a disabled child, what would you want a “teacher” like me to know. I feel like being there a month, I’ll be making some kind of impression on these young adults and as a sub I get less than no training, so I wanted to ask your opinion. (From my experience last year the class is a large mix, several of the students were verbal and literate, but need a lot of help with social and self care skills and many were non verbal but could communicate with modified sign language, not one student I met was as severely disabled as your Pearlsky.) If I was Pearlsky’s teacher for only a month what would your expectations be?
Thank you for taking your time to read this and I hope you both are doing well.
A couple of things, first off…it is much appreciated that you would take the time to get this information so that you can do your best. Maybe you should become a spec.ed. teacher…conversely, it is extremely disappointing that the system has so little regard for our kids that they would hire someone with no training. Thankfully it’s you, though, in this case. Well…there is too much to say in such a forum, but here’s my two cents, watch the aides. I find that how the aides treat their charges stems from the top down. If you are compassionate, attentive to detail, and respectful of the kids, this will go a long way in setting the example for the aides. If example isn’t enough, make sure they are taking good care of those kids! Good luck…you have your work cut out for you.
I would say go in with an open mind and don’t make any assumptions about the kids. Just treat them as normal and have fun! My son Zac who has CP likes all the same activities as other kids his age, we just have to help him more.
You’re well on your way to being effective because you’ve even asked. I think my number one request would be that you look these kids in the eye, treat them with respect and as if they understand everything because they probably do. Challenge them, be gentle and kind and most of all, listen to their parents. 🙂
Good luck!
I am the original emailer. Thank you for your responses!
Naturally, since I’m a sub the situation has already changed. I’m with the mild-moderate students. Young adults with sexual behavior and some independent transportation (via bus). We’re supposed to work on job skills, social skills, self-care skills. One thing this program does not have is an excess of parental involvement. I live in part of California with very high gang violence, high poverty (lots of migrant workers) and a low level of native english speakers. I was going over my roster with the head teacher of the program (a man I think would meet your guys approval) and he pointed out to me the kids who are from rival gang families. They can’t give the kids more than a day of bus passes or their families steal them. My roster is at 25 right now and I’m being told that half the kids probably won’t show up as their parents have yet to register them (and class starts Monday)!
Claire- I’m totally with you on the aides, in every situation where I’ve had to work with them, it’s been awful. It’s like they take advantage of the teacher being gone to and the day goes to hell. I’ve been told that one of the aides I’ll have is really good with the kids, particularly the Hispanic young men. I really hope that is true. And I have seriously been considering getting my SPED credential…hopefully that is something I can afford to start on in the next year or so.
Thank you all so much for your support and kind words!
I want to concur with elizabeth about speaking to them as if they were “regular” students. I don’t mean what words you use, but how you say them.
You need a lesson plan and your director should be helping you with that.
Set goals. Good goals, and be realistic. Most mild-moderate kids can do more then most people think they can. If they are teenagers, then you need to ask them also what they want to accomplish – what do THEY want to learn. Maybe they want to learn how to open and have a bank account. Maybe they want help with applying for jobs. Maybe they want to roll play how to deal with the inevitable discrimination they’re going to face. If the majority are from low income and/or gang families, it’s a HUGE priority to help them figure out what they’re going to do in the future – what kind of work do they want to do? Can they take field trips to see different jobs? Because without a supportive person, their families are likely to encourage them to sit at home and collect government benefits – and they’ll rot at home.
Are you with them a full day, half day, one to two periods?
Treat them as adults – shake their hands the first day. Be professional and yet warm.
If you don’t know ASL, then tell the director you need an interpreter.
Butter up the aides. Bring donuts or coffee the first day and once or twice a week there after. If they like you, they’ll be more accommodating.
Most kids in this category need ROUTINE. Have your director help you develop a routine for each day of the week. Post it on a big bulletin board where the kids can see it. Every day we have: breakfast, washing the dishes, pledge of allegiance, roll call, exercise, etc. etc. If you are going to the library on Wednesdays, put it on the calendar. If you can go on a trip (even to the main office or cafeteria to see how people work) every Thursday, put it on the schedule.
Give lots of opportunities to move around physically. Encourage self responsibility – cleaning up your own place, washing our desks, putting things away. I could go on and on.
Thank you for asking!!!!
As a fellow teacher, I want to wish you luck and commend you for going in with a positive attitude and open mind. When I was teaching in New York (the same inner-city school I wrote about in the comments to the last post), I, too, was thrown into a situation where I was teaching a Special Ed class and had no training for it. I didn’t find out until long after it was over what an IEP is! That system was REALLY screwed up. The only thing I had going for me was the humility to know that I didn’t know. I KNEW the kids needed something I didn’t know how to give them.
One mistake of mine, that I’ll tell you about so you can learn from it, was that when I realized how little support I was getting (it sounds like your supervisor is much better and more involved than the one I had) and how hopelessly unqualified I was to deal with it — when it got really really hard — I lost hope and sort of gave up. Looking back, I wish I’d at least used the class time with the kids to really talk to them about their lives; if I wasn’t able to teach them the curriculum, at least I could have taught them that someone cares. If I’d stayed calm and happy and just been there emotionally for my students, even if I couldn’t be there for them academically, at least now I’d look back and feel that my time with them was productive in some way.
Anyhow, the fact that your supervisor has spent the time to go through your class roster with you already puts him leagues ahead of mine, and you obviously do have a good attitude, so I wish you a far better experience than mine, and I hope you are inspired to keep at it. It sounds like you could be a great Special Ed teacher.