Oct 29 2024

How Parents Help Each Child Succeed in School

As a special education teacher, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that no two children learn the same way. Every student brings their unique strengths, needs, and learning styles into the classroom, so a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching just doesn’t work. This is where differentiated instruction comes in. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to meet students where they are, provide the support they need, and help them progress at a pace and in a way that works best for them. [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley

Alison Whiteley has been a special education teacher for over 15 years, spending most of her time working with elementary students and families. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and Psychology, she continued her education with a Masters in Reading from Walden University. In addition, she has achieved endorsements supporting Early Childhood Special Education and Diverse Learners which she uses to help identify needs across all learners.

Ms. Whiteley is trained in Wilson Reading System and Yoshimoto Orton-Gillingham. She believes all students can learn to read and be successful. She has served as a Special Education Coach and Mentor to fellow specialists and teachers, facilitated the creation of her elementary school’s Response to Intervention/Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (RTI/MTSS) process and helped parents through the Special Education process as IEP Coach for parents. In 2013 she completed the National Boards of Professional Teaching in Exceptional Needs with recertification in 2022. Her areas of expertise involve working with students with learning disabilities, supporting stakeholders moving through the special education process, and helping parents and teachers understand what they can do to support struggling learners in the public school settings.

She is a founding member of the Colorado Reading League and a member of the International Dyslexia Association in Colorado. Alison has two greyhounds and two nephews who keep her busy outside of school. She is the CEO of Toad-ally Exceptional Learners at http://www.toad-allyexceptionallearners.com. Alison is a valuable source of information to support teachers and parents, although she is not a lawyer and does not give legal advice. Her services support families through the IEP process and how they can be an equal member of the team through positive interactions. She focuses on collaboration and using tools to take IEPs to the new level of helping students achieve.

www.GenParenting.com

Oct 14 2024

Special Education Parents Provide School Support and Leadership

Parents of students with special needs know the importance of having a solid plan in place to support their child for success. All students have varied needs, and students with disabilities need specific supports to help them reach the rigor of the academic standards taught in their classes. Resource teachers work with the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team to develop a plan for supports, then share this plan with general education teachers and other support providers. The goal is to ensure accommodations are supports are regularly in place so all of the students can find success. In inclusive classroom settings, general education and special education teams work together to support these needs. But, as many classroom teachers will tell you, even this amount of support is sometimes note enough. [Read more…]

Kevin Myers

Dr. Kevin Myers is an Executive Administrator for YPI Charter Schools and the Principal at Bert Corona Charter School. He has served the Los Angeles community as a teacher, administrator, and grant director for over 20 years. He has a passion for developing teachers and educational leaders to engage in the challenging work of bringing equity to our schools and our communities. Dr. Myers has developed an expertise in supporting underserved communities, building effective and cohesive school leadership teams, and engaging parents to uplift their communities through engagement at their children’s schools. He wrote his dissertation on teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction and is a strong advocate for supporting and working with teachers to build a strong and successful school community. In addition to his work at YPI Charter Schools, Dr. Myers is also a faculty member at Cal State Fresno and works with student teacher candidates to earn their credentials as they work through the CalState TEACH program.

www.GenParenting.com

Sep 17 2024

I Am Part Horse!

I Am Part Horse! By Mary Ann Burke

INTRODUCTION: GenParenting bloggers will periodically feature select children’s stories with educational and social-emotional growth themes. I Am Part Horse was written to support second grade learners. Students will complete rattlesnake science projects and research online informational text to write a rattlesnake report.

Yikes! My Snake Bite!

On a hot summer night, I felt a harsh stinging bite on my foot while walking on my front porch. Jumping up and down and crying in pain, I screamed, “SNAAAKE!”

My dad came running. “Stop jumping around, Nellie! Try to stay calm so the poison will not spread in your body.”

We anxiously watched as the tan, diamond-patterned, 18-inch baby rattlesnake slithered off the front porch and dropped into the garden below.

When Dad phoned 911, the dispatcher ordered, “Have your daughter sit quietly until the fire department and ambulance arrive at your home to transport her to the hospital.”

As my dad cuddled me while waiting for the ambulance, I cried, “Dad, my foot hurts and it is burning. My mouth feels prickly. When I try to breathe, my chest aches.”

When the paramedics arrived, my foot had swollen to the size of a balloon! They carried me out of my house on a stretcher and placed in the ambulance. By the time we were on the way to the hospital with sirens blaring, I felt even worse!

I Become Part Horse!

At the hospital, my doctor explained, “We have ordered antivenom medicine to make you feel better. I will give you a painkiller shot that will make you drowsy and help with the pain.”

The next thing I remembered, I was confused and my head felt heavy. Dad was sitting by my bed. “What happened? Where am I?”

Dad hugged and reassured me, “You were asleep for a full day. Your doctor stayed with you all night. He will continue to check on you today. The doctor had to order medicine from another hospital. This medicine was an antidote to fight the venom in your body. It was made from the blood taken from a horse.”

“What! I cannot believe that I now have part of the blood of a horse in my body. I am having so much trouble moving my leg!”

Dad explained, “Nellie, I will take you to physical therapy so you can learn how to walk again. The snake venom in your body causes nerve damage. Your doctor can fix the nerve damage. You are going to get better!”

I Hobbled Back to School!

After a couple of weeks of resting my injured foot, I hobbled back to school. As I entered my classroom, Sophia hugged me and exclaimed, “Where have you been? What happened to you?”

Before I could answer, Manuel patted me on the back. “Yo! It’s not fun without your silly jokes, Nellie!”

Then I proudly explained to my class, “I was bitten by a rattlesnake. My medicine to fight the poison was made from horse blood. Now I am part horse!”

“Whoa Nellie! What are you saying?” exclaimed Sophia and Manuel as they looked at me in shock and wonder.

Our teacher, Mrs. Hecklebee, quickly reassured us, “Learning about snake bites and antivenom medicines would be a great project for our second-grade class. Rattlesnakes are not a problem for most kids. But they are a big deal for us because we live near lots of rattlesnakes. We can learn how to protect ourselves from snake bites when playing outside.”

What is Antivenom Medicine?

Mrs. Hecklebee read us a story about rattlesnake bites and explained, “Antivenom is a medicine that is made to kill the rattlesnake’s poison in a person’s body. It is made by injecting small doses of venom into an animal over time. The animal is not hurt. When the venom is mixed in the animal’s body, the animal’s body will produce antibodies. These antibodies are made to destroy the venom. They are collected from the blood of the animal and are used as the medicine to help people get better from a rattlesnake bite.”

I added, “Sheep, goats, donkeys, and rabbits are some of the animals that are used to make this medicine. My antibodies were made from the blood of a horse. That is the way I became part horse!”

Lilia shockingly looked at me and exclaimed, “Are you going to start walking like a horse when your foot is better?”

“NEEEIGH! And I am being taught how to gallop in my physical therapy sessions as I learn to walk again.”

SIDEBAR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Think about the different animals that are used to make antibodies for rattlesnake bites. Then complete the following activities:

Draw a picture of one of the animals that help make the antivenom serum.
Write a sentence or report describing how the antivenom is made in the animal for medicine.

How Can We Protect Ourselves From Snake Bites?

We each shared our picture of an animal that could be used to make antivenom. Gerald drew a picture of a donkey and Lilia created a picture of a sheep getting a shot of venom from a rattlesnake. I drew a picture of a horse and named him Lucky because I am lucky to be alive and well.

Mrs. Hecklebee stated, “Rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes do not bite unless they are afraid they will be hurt by a person or large animal.”

She read a story about how to stay safe from being bitten by a rattlesnake or other venomous snakes. I learned most bites happen when people accidentally touch the snake with their foot while hiking or with their hand while gardening. We also brainstormed what we could do to avoid a venomous snake bite.

Sophia said, “My mom rakes the weeds in her garden before she starts pulling them with her hands to scare off any rattlesnakes.”

Manuel stated, “My dad and I love to go hiking in the woods and look carefully for snakes.”

I explained, “My dad now sweeps the leaves off the front porch even in the summer in case there is a rattlesnake.”

SIDEBAR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Talk to your parents about how to make your home safe from poisonous snakes and brainstorm safety rules for your home:

Write one rule to keep your home safe from poisonous snakes.
Draw a picture of you and your family using that rule at your home.

We shared our homework assignments with our classmates. Jasmine explained, “My mom was bitten by a rattlesnake when she was a little girl. She does not know what kind of medicine was given to her to make her better. She was very happy when I told her that we were learning how to stay safe from rattlesnake bites. Her suggestion was to respect the snake. Give it the space it needs to escape and observe the beauty of the snake after it returns to its home in nature.”

I love to hike, but I am careful and respect the beauty of all creatures in the forest. I will always love horses because they are beautiful animals that help save people’s lives.

Bibliography

Burton, J. A. (1998). The book of snakes. Edison, NJ: Chartwell Books.

Dussling, J. (1998). Slinky, scaly snakes! New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc.

Ellis, E. (biologist personal communication, January 14, 2023).

Gentry, D. (biologist personal communication, January 11, 2023).

Kimura, S. (biologist personal communication, January 14, 2023).

Jackson, T. (2001). Nature’s children. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational.

Julivert, A. (1993). The fascinating world of snakes. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational

Series, Inc.

Llewellyn, C. (1997). I didn’t know that some snakes spit poison and other amazing facts about

snakes. Brookfield, CT: Copper Beech Books.

Main, D. (2011, July 12). Popular Mechanics [Blog]. Retrieved November 18, 2022 from

Markle, S. (1995). Outside and inside snakes. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children’s

Book Publishing Division.

McCarthy, C. (1993). Poisonous snakes. New York, NY: Shooting Star Press Inc.

Montgomery, S. (1999). The snake scientist. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Norwich, G. (2011). Snake-A-Phobia. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

O’Hare, T. (2005). Rattlesnakes.Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Publishing LLC.

Parsons, A. (1990). Amazing snakes. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Pringle, L. (2004). Snakes! Strange and wonderful. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press, Inc.

Reinhart, B. (molecular biologist personal communication, February 17, 2023).

Richardson, A. (2003). Rattlesnakes. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.

University of Melbourne (n.d.) What is antivenom? Retrieved November 21, 2022 from

https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/departments/department-of-biochemistry-and-pharmacology/engage/avru/discover/what-is-antivenom.

Venn, C. (2002). Rattlers and other snakes. Chicago, IL: World Book, Inc.

Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert

Mary Ann Burke, Ed.D., Digital Education Expert, is a substitute distance learning teacher for Oak Grove School District in San Jose, California and the author of STUDENT-ENGAGED ASSESSMENT: Strategies to Empower All Learners (Rowman & Littlefield: 2020). Dr. Burke creates digital language arts and substitute teaching K – 12 activities for teachers and parents. She is the Cofounder of the Genparenting.com blog. Burke is the former Director II of Categorical & Special Projects for the Santa Clara County Office of Education that supports 31 school districts serving 272,321 students in Santa Clara County. She is also a previous Director – State & Federal Compliance for Oakland Unified School District, the former Director – Grantwriter for the Compton Unified School District, and was the initial VISTA Director for the Community Partnership Coalition in southern California. Much of her work focuses on creating innovative digital trainings and partnership programs for teachers and families to support students’ learning. These programs were featured as a best practice at a National Title I Conference, California’s Title I Conferences, AERA Conferences, an ASCD Conference, the NASSP Conference, and statewide educator conferences.

Sep 17 2024

Parent Volunteers At Your Child’s School

Parent engagement is vital to the culture of a school. Too often, parent engagement is thought of in terms of getting parents to the school for a presentation, or engaging in a fundraiser to fund new classroom technologies. As we all know, parents are our students’ first teachers, and it is the role of the school to provide opportunities for parents to engage in meaningful ways. Just like our students, all of the parents at a school bring their own set of skills and their own, varied needs. Therefore, parent engagement cannot just be a “one-size-fits-all” approach where parents are invited to campus but never asked to participate in the work of educating our children. A parent engagement program needs to be varied, stimulating, and useful to both school programming and initiatives and also for the parents showing up to support. [Read more…]

Kevin Myers

www.GenParenting.com

Sep 03 2024

Exploring Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Children

Getting outside nature provides us with opportunities to explore and learn. For everyone, not just for our children, the great outdoors can be both therapeutic and educational, providing growth, relaxation, and joy. In this blog post, I’ll share some practical tips on how to make outdoor adventures accessible and enjoyable for children with various needs.

The Benefits of Nature for Children with Special Needs

Engaging with nature can have profound effects on children with special needs. Firstly, natural settings offer a sensory-rich environment that can help in the development of sensory processing skills. The sights, sounds, and textures of nature can be both soothing and stimulating, offering a balanced environment for sensory exploration. For children with autism, ADHD, or sensory integration disorders, nature can reduce stress, promote calmness, and decrease behavioral challenges.

Furthermore, outdoor activities can enhance physical health through activities that improve motor skills, coordination, and overall fitness. Whether it’s a gentle walk, a structured outdoor game, or a therapeutic riding session, physical activities in nature can be adapted to suit the abilities and interests of each child, ensuring that everyone can participate and benefit.

Cognitive and social skills also get a boost from time spent outdoors. Nature exploration encourages curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

How to Make Outdoor Adventures Accessible

Creating an inclusive outdoor experience starts with understanding the specific needs and limitations of each child. Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure that nature outings are successful and enjoyable:

Plan Ahead:

Research the area you plan to visit. Look for accessible parks, trails, and nature reserves that offer paved paths, quiet areas, and other accommodations that address mobility or sensory challenges. Facilities with accessible restrooms, shaded areas, and seating can make the outing more comfortable for everyone involved.

Engage in Structured Activities:

Having structured activities can help children with special needs by providing a sense of routine and predictability. Nature scavenger hunts, bird watching, or simple craft projects using natural materials can be planned in advance to engage the children’s attention and provide focus to the outdoor experience.

Use Adaptive Equipment:

Depending on the needs of the children, consider using adaptive equipment to facilitate their interaction with nature. This might include all-terrain wheelchairs, noise-canceling headphones for children who are sensitive to sound, or tactile books and maps for visually impaired explorers.

Keep Groups Small:

Smaller group sizes tend to work better, allowing for more personalized attention and less overwhelming social interactions. This setting also makes it easier to manage and adapt activities on-the-fly as needed.

Incorporate Education:

Use the outing as an opportunity to teach about the natural world. This can be done through storytelling, interactive games, or by allowing children to lead parts of the exploration based on their interests.

Prepare for All Scenarios:

Always have a plan B. Weather can change, and so can the moods and needs of children with special needs. Having an alternative plan, such as a nearby indoor location that also offers sensory-friendly experiences, can save the day.

Engaging Families and Communities

Finally, involving families in outdoor activities can enhance the experience for children with special needs. Family members can provide additional support and make the activities more meaningful and reassuring. Additionally, reaching out to local communities or organizations such as your local rec center, co-op, or city parks can provide ideas and sometimes resources.

Outdoor adventures offer a world of benefits for children with special needs, opening new horizons for exploration and development. By making these activities accessible and enjoyable, you can ensure that all children can connect with nature. Whether it’s a quiet afternoon in a local park or a more structured group activity in a nature reserve, the great outdoors is a great classroom and a playground for all.

Alison Whiteley