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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
YOUR CHILD CAN LEARN TO READ!
Children with special needs have difficulty learning how to recognize letters, a prerequisite for reading. A simple reading activity program for toddlers can help students with special needs of all ages. FIRST Learning Series: Reading (Letter Recognition) is available on Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=FIRST+Learning+by+Geneva+J.+Chapman&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AFIRST+Learning+by+Geneva+J.+Chapman
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Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Teachers, here's your chance to ask parents for help!
Budget cuts resulting in overcrowded classrooms and fewer personnel have made teaching more difficult. This sometimes means that special education classrooms aren't able to give all of their students the individual attention they require.
Students who don't receive individual attention sometimes "act out" to get attention from the teacher or may have other problems because overwhelmed teachers with too many students and too little help aren't able to attend to every student.
This site provides a forum for teachers to share their frustrations with helpful parents who may be able to provide some helpful solutions based on their experience and expertise rearing and caring for their own children.
Ask a question or present a problem you're having in your classroom and, hopefully, a parent or, perhaps, another teacher may have answers or suggestions for you. Please make sure all questions and problems are addressed respectfully and that responses are non-judgmental.
This is not a place to place blame or vent frustrations toward schools and/or teachers. Rather, we want to provide an environment for cooperative relationships between parents and teachers. In such an atmosphere, solutions can be found for children.
Students who don't receive individual attention sometimes "act out" to get attention from the teacher or may have other problems because overwhelmed teachers with too many students and too little help aren't able to attend to every student.
This site provides a forum for teachers to share their frustrations with helpful parents who may be able to provide some helpful solutions based on their experience and expertise rearing and caring for their own children.
Ask a question or present a problem you're having in your classroom and, hopefully, a parent or, perhaps, another teacher may have answers or suggestions for you. Please make sure all questions and problems are addressed respectfully and that responses are non-judgmental.
This is not a place to place blame or vent frustrations toward schools and/or teachers. Rather, we want to provide an environment for cooperative relationships between parents and teachers. In such an atmosphere, solutions can be found for children.
Monday, April 18, 2011
How can a parent help a teacher in a classroom where every child has an individualized program?
Parents are natural teachers adept at treating each of their children as an individual. Of course, some parents have better skills than others, but any parent can list the individual traits of each of their children. This is often much more difficult for teachers whose sources are usually written assessments and reports and/or verbal accounts from previous teachers and staff.
If a teacher is having difficulty with a particular student, often it's because that teacher has not figured out what that child's individual needs are or the teacher knows what they are but may be unable to adequately meet them due to lack of staff and/or resources. For example, when I was a teacher intern, a fifth grade student was reading way below grade level. This student's father had died a few years earlier and left him a horse.
That child loved that horse more than anything in the world. I found a reading cassette/book program based on horses and offered to buy it and work with the student one-on-one since I knew the teacher didn't have the time. The program was only $12, affordable even with my small stipend.
However, that teacher insisted that the student use the fifth grade reading text exclusively in his classroom and not be given any supplemental reading program or individual attention. The student and the teacher both failed in this instance. The child failed because his needs were not met and the teacher failed because he was not interested in meeting the child's needs.
Teachers in special education classrooms are very much interested in meeting each student's needs. However, if those needs exceed the time, resources, and staff available, they may not get met. How can a parent help? Parents are often available to volunteer time to assist teachers and their students who need one-on-one instruction.
Parents may also help find resources to purchase materials not in a school's budget like the reading program about horses I wanted to buy to meet a student's individual need to improve his reading skills.
Teachers benefit when parents are willing to and welcomed to help in classrooms. Of course, a teacher with a parent volunteer should provide clear and precise instructions for the parent that clearly detail what is to be taught and how. Likewise, parents should be careful to follow the teacher's instructions to provide clear and understandable assistance for the student in need of individual
guidance.
Teachers and parents working together for the benefit of children is a win-win situation in Special Education classrooms where individualized instruction can make all the difference and help students who may have difficulty learning specific skills understand material or concepts that are difficult for them to master.
Teachers should consider bringing willing parent volunteers into classrooms to employ their expertise in understanding the unique individuality of each child.
If a teacher is having difficulty with a particular student, often it's because that teacher has not figured out what that child's individual needs are or the teacher knows what they are but may be unable to adequately meet them due to lack of staff and/or resources. For example, when I was a teacher intern, a fifth grade student was reading way below grade level. This student's father had died a few years earlier and left him a horse.
That child loved that horse more than anything in the world. I found a reading cassette/book program based on horses and offered to buy it and work with the student one-on-one since I knew the teacher didn't have the time. The program was only $12, affordable even with my small stipend.
However, that teacher insisted that the student use the fifth grade reading text exclusively in his classroom and not be given any supplemental reading program or individual attention. The student and the teacher both failed in this instance. The child failed because his needs were not met and the teacher failed because he was not interested in meeting the child's needs.
Teachers in special education classrooms are very much interested in meeting each student's needs. However, if those needs exceed the time, resources, and staff available, they may not get met. How can a parent help? Parents are often available to volunteer time to assist teachers and their students who need one-on-one instruction.
Parents may also help find resources to purchase materials not in a school's budget like the reading program about horses I wanted to buy to meet a student's individual need to improve his reading skills.
Teachers benefit when parents are willing to and welcomed to help in classrooms. Of course, a teacher with a parent volunteer should provide clear and precise instructions for the parent that clearly detail what is to be taught and how. Likewise, parents should be careful to follow the teacher's instructions to provide clear and understandable assistance for the student in need of individual
guidance.
Teachers and parents working together for the benefit of children is a win-win situation in Special Education classrooms where individualized instruction can make all the difference and help students who may have difficulty learning specific skills understand material or concepts that are difficult for them to master.
Teachers should consider bringing willing parent volunteers into classrooms to employ their expertise in understanding the unique individuality of each child.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Solutions for Children with DD: Parents are the best experts, bar none!
P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Solutions for Children with DD: Parents are the best experts, bar none!: "Parents of children with developmental disabilities or special needs are the best experts on their children. This statement is often made by..."
Friday, April 1, 2011
Parents are the best experts, bar none!
Parents of children with developmental disabilities or special needs are the best experts on their children. This statement is often made by professionals in the field of developmental disabilities. However, how often are parents asked to help solve problems that frustrate, baffle and sometimes overwhelm their children's teachers?
While the educators and other "experts" credit parents with being the best experts on their children with special needs, one has to wonder if this statement has become another cliched phrase or PC term rather an actual belief by those who provide educational services for children whose parents have learned by trial, error and necessity how to solve the very problems educators often face?
Actually, this is more than just a cliched phrase and should be part of the belief system of anyone involved in educating children with special needs. Parents of children with special needs have put in more real hours, not credit hours, learning about their chidren; and through many years of blood, sweat and tears, parents of children with special needs have acquired expertise in one very specific field: educating their children.
“If you want one of my most profound tips on parenting; forgive yourself for all that you have done wrong, for all the times you’ve parented poorly despite your great intentions. The more you can forgive yourself, no matter how bad you feel your parenting was, the bigger the gift you will be giving your children, and yourself. You can stop major family dysfunction by implementing this crucial tip, and make your family the loving, gentle and safe haven that you want it to be” (Jacqueline Green,“Great Parenting Practices,” http://greatparentingpractices.com/)
Only a parent whose become an expert on her child could make the above statement with authenicity, sincerity and humility. One of the biggest mistakes made by many educators is not welcoming parents of special needs children into their classrooms and utilizing this kind of expertise when faced with problems in special education classrooms. Instead of feeling like contributors to their children's education, parents often feel like outsiders when a group of experts get together to decide what's best for their children.
“Many parents feel very overwhelmed when faced with a panel of teachers, administrators, assessment personnel and other experts. Sometimes school personnel can forget that the parent is also an expert on the child” (“How to Become an Advocate for Special Needs Children,” http://www.essortment.com/become-advocate-special-needs-children-56732.html.) Experts will stop forgetting that parents are experts on their children with special needs when they stop just saying they are and start believing they are.
This blog provides a forum for teachers to present problems that may be preventing them from providing their expertise in the classrom, often due to disruptive behavior or situations that require too much of the teacher's time dealing with behavioral or other issues. Parents have an opportunity here to give expert advice gleaned from their own experiences dealing with similar situations.
Likewise, parents may have problems at home that are new or atypical of their children and need advice from teachers and/or other experts. Educators may offer their advice to parents on how to handle specific situations, behavior or problems at home, as well. This forum is a place for solving problems and all who offer solutions should be respected, regardless of whether the solution is used or not.
Not all problems can be solved the same way, despite similarities. However, all possible solutions are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for visiting P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Solutions for Children with Developmental Disabilities.
While the educators and other "experts" credit parents with being the best experts on their children with special needs, one has to wonder if this statement has become another cliched phrase or PC term rather an actual belief by those who provide educational services for children whose parents have learned by trial, error and necessity how to solve the very problems educators often face?
Actually, this is more than just a cliched phrase and should be part of the belief system of anyone involved in educating children with special needs. Parents of children with special needs have put in more real hours, not credit hours, learning about their chidren; and through many years of blood, sweat and tears, parents of children with special needs have acquired expertise in one very specific field: educating their children.
“If you want one of my most profound tips on parenting; forgive yourself for all that you have done wrong, for all the times you’ve parented poorly despite your great intentions. The more you can forgive yourself, no matter how bad you feel your parenting was, the bigger the gift you will be giving your children, and yourself. You can stop major family dysfunction by implementing this crucial tip, and make your family the loving, gentle and safe haven that you want it to be” (Jacqueline Green,“Great Parenting Practices,” http://greatparentingpractices.com/)
Only a parent whose become an expert on her child could make the above statement with authenicity, sincerity and humility. One of the biggest mistakes made by many educators is not welcoming parents of special needs children into their classrooms and utilizing this kind of expertise when faced with problems in special education classrooms. Instead of feeling like contributors to their children's education, parents often feel like outsiders when a group of experts get together to decide what's best for their children.
“Many parents feel very overwhelmed when faced with a panel of teachers, administrators, assessment personnel and other experts. Sometimes school personnel can forget that the parent is also an expert on the child” (“How to Become an Advocate for Special Needs Children,” http://www.essortment.com/become-advocate-special-needs-children-56732.html.) Experts will stop forgetting that parents are experts on their children with special needs when they stop just saying they are and start believing they are.
This blog provides a forum for teachers to present problems that may be preventing them from providing their expertise in the classrom, often due to disruptive behavior or situations that require too much of the teacher's time dealing with behavioral or other issues. Parents have an opportunity here to give expert advice gleaned from their own experiences dealing with similar situations.
Likewise, parents may have problems at home that are new or atypical of their children and need advice from teachers and/or other experts. Educators may offer their advice to parents on how to handle specific situations, behavior or problems at home, as well. This forum is a place for solving problems and all who offer solutions should be respected, regardless of whether the solution is used or not.
Not all problems can be solved the same way, despite similarities. However, all possible solutions are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for visiting P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Solutions for Children with Developmental Disabilities.
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