Special Education Archives - Page 2 of 6

Sep 16 2025

How to Help Struggling Students Learn

It is a new school year with lots of exciting learning opportunities for my students. After completing several weeks of assessing and observing my students’ academic strengths and challenges, I have modified my teaching strategies based on best practices for children with English acquisition, behavior, and struggling reader needs. Listed below are successful strategies I am using to support some specific learning challenges. [Read more…]

Danielle Gentry

Danielle’s first step in education did not begin with education at all. It began with her first love for science. She received a B.S. in Biological Science, with a concentration in Molecular Biology. Her five years of experience as a chemist in the biotech industry at SYVA and Dade Behring Diagnostics include both areas of quality control and research and development. Her contributions were qualifying products for release to sell to the diagnostic market as well as developing new diagnostic technology for immunoassay detection. Danielle’s subtle transition to discovering her passion for education was through the birth of her daughter. She became a stay at home mom. Her uber volunteerism at her daughter’s elementary school gained her access to her path of education. She now holds a multiple subject teaching credential and M.A. in Education from National University. She has over ten years of experience at Sakamoto Elementary School as an educator in kindergarten, sixth grade, second grade, and a 2/3 combination class. Her teaching is rooted in a constructivist model while fostering independence and accountability in the classroom.

Jun 24 2025

Focusing on Your Child’s Learning Progress and Not Perfection

“Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget the journey.” by Michael Josephson

We knew the school year would end when the year started, but never realized how fast it would come. It’s hard to stop, step back, and just look at how far we’ve come. The mountains we have climbed or the forever-long valleys that we thought would never end, but we did it. We all did hard things. We grew.

As a special education teacher, I’ve had the privilege of watching hundreds of students grow academically, socially, emotionally, and personally. Some students leap ahead quickly, others take smaller steps, and a few struggle quietly in the shadows. But one thing I’ve learned is this: progress looks different for every child, and it all matters. Every small victory, no matter how tiny it may seem, deserves to be celebrated at the end of the year or whenever they happen. [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

Jun 10 2025

Celebrating Our Child’s Learning

It’s funny once you hit Spring Break blink and it is summer break. Where did the year go? How was the year? Before rushing into vacation mode, here are a couple of things you can do to make sure the year ends on a good note and set up our children for success next year.

Celebrate Growth—Big and Small

One of the best ways to wrap up the school year is by celebrating your child’s growth. This doesn’t mean just focusing on report cards—progress is about so much more than grades! Think about all the ways your child has grown, whether it’s mastering new sight words, improving their social skills, becoming more independent, or developing a better attitude toward learning. [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley

www.GenParenting.com

May 27 2025

Helping Kids with ADHD Focus: Classroom and Home Strategies

As a special education teacher, I’m frequently asked to observe students who appear to be distracted. As teachers, we can’t diagnose but we can find ways to support students who struggle in the classroom, regardless if it’s ADHD.

Today’s classrooms are not what many think, learning is hard and standards must be met, so students spend more time sitting than moving around. Students’ minds move fast, their energy levels fluctuate, and traditional learning environments don’t always meet their needs. Parents often ask, “How can I help my child focus better?” [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley

www.GenParenting.com

Feb 18 2025

Elementary School Homework to Support All Learners

As a special education teacher, I often have conversations with parents about homework. Parents want to know: Is homework truly beneficial? Should their child be spending time on assignments after school, or would they be better off focusing on other activities? The answer depends. The appropriateness of homework depends on the individual student, their learning needs, and the way the assignments are structured. [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley