- What has been your experience with professionals? Doctors? My personal OB was really kind and had worked with me before with my 2 other kids. Prepared me really well. Was referred to a neo nataologist specialist and they were worried about deeper issues. Neo doctor was a jerk. Wanted her to abort the baby, and was really negative and horrible to work with. Want to go back with Megan and tell him off for how she was treated wanting to keep the baby. Had holes on her heart that ended up closing by their own. Most of the doctors were really good.
- Did you participate in any early intervention? Went through ALTA… very helpful!! She gave her input all of the time. They were the most helpful. From the time she was 6 weeks old she was on an IFSP all the way through 3 years. LOVED the experience. Don’t know where would Megan would be without early intervention. All of the therapists would come together and work for 2 hours or so. Worked in Head Start as well.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Interview with Marlo (Early Intervention)
Early Intervention
Find the state requirements for becoming an Early
Intervention Specialist in the state you want to work in. Different
states have different education and licensing requirements for
professionals that work directly with children.
Obtain a bachelor's degree.
Entry-level Early Intervention Specialists generally hold at least a
bachelor's degree in education, psychology, social work, health or
sociology. Those who want to move up in the field are required to obtain
further education.
Acquire the certification mandated by the state in which you
want to work. Certification and licensing is often provided as part of
the training programs offered by employers after a job offer has been
accepted. At the very least, it is expected by employers after a
specified amount of time on the job. Again, certification and licensing
expectations vary by state and by job.
Consider obtaining an advanced degree.
Many Early Intervention Specialists hold advanced degrees in fields
such as educational development, special education, audiology and speech
therapy. While an advanced degree is not usually a pre-requisite for
most Early Intervention Specialist positions, it is certainly helpful if
you want to be more involved in administration or in positions that
involve policy development and implementation.
Where?
California Requirements:
- Extremely organized
- Flexible
- Good communication skills
- Holds a CA Special Education Credential
- Holds a CA Multiple Subject Credential – highly desirable
- State of California residence
- Excellent writing and grammar skills
- Proficiency in MS Excel, MS Word, and Outlook, including experience using them in a professional capacity
Credentialing in California:
http://www.ctc.ca.gov/
Utah Requirements:
http://www.schools.utah.gov/sars/Quick-Links/Licensure.aspx
http://www.schools.utah.gov/cert/Out-of-State-License.aspx
Idaho Requirements:
http://idaho.schoolspring.com/job.cfm?jid=79682&ssp=0
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/teacher_certification/initial_cert_cred.htm
What do you do as special education teacher?
Duties may include, but are not limited, to:
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Friday, June 29, 2012
Interview with Special Education Teacher
Curiosity with Disciplining..
Courtney: What are the challenges
you find with discipline in a school setting?
Mrs. Pepsny: It is really challenging the more students you have in the classroom to manage all the behaviors. It is especially difficult when the other paraeducator(s) in the class with me are not as capable to discipline the students so it's all on me. It's difficult when, for example, I have 11 or 12 students in the class and one other paraeducator with me and one student decides to throw a huge fit and may need to be take out of the classroom, then leaving the remaining 10 or 11 students with 1 paraeducator (who isn't the most capable) so when I come back, the other 10/11 students are out of control and not learning.
I think with special education, we can do a lot more in regards to discipline than in general education though. I think we do timeouts a ton more, we can touch the students more (ex. "help" them to time out, hand over hand assist them, restrain sometimes when needed). You definately have to be creative at times with discipline. I feel like I have learned a TON in regards to discipline since I first started teaching. That was my most difficult area, I thought, because I didn't really have that much experience disciplining kids, not having my own kids. Now I feel more confident in the class and more confident I will know what to do with my own kids.
Courtney Davis:If a child does have a disability, what are the things done to record their behavior (are they done in IEP's?)
Mrs. Pepsny: It is really challenging the more students you have in the classroom to manage all the behaviors. It is especially difficult when the other paraeducator(s) in the class with me are not as capable to discipline the students so it's all on me. It's difficult when, for example, I have 11 or 12 students in the class and one other paraeducator with me and one student decides to throw a huge fit and may need to be take out of the classroom, then leaving the remaining 10 or 11 students with 1 paraeducator (who isn't the most capable) so when I come back, the other 10/11 students are out of control and not learning.
I think with special education, we can do a lot more in regards to discipline than in general education though. I think we do timeouts a ton more, we can touch the students more (ex. "help" them to time out, hand over hand assist them, restrain sometimes when needed). You definately have to be creative at times with discipline. I feel like I have learned a TON in regards to discipline since I first started teaching. That was my most difficult area, I thought, because I didn't really have that much experience disciplining kids, not having my own kids. Now I feel more confident in the class and more confident I will know what to do with my own kids.
Courtney Davis:If a child does have a disability, what are the things done to record their behavior (are they done in IEP's?)
Mrs. Pepsny: If it is occasional, we don't record
anything. Teachers all have their own ways of communicating and recording
data. For some of my students (the ones who get in trouble more often) I
send home a simple little note everyday stating the amount of stars they earned
out of 10 that day and how many timeouts they got that day. One the
bottom I sometimes write why they got the timeout. I don't keep record of
it but the parents have all the notes if they want to keep track.
Thankfully I don't have any behaviors at this time that warrent more
recording. Susi has a daily log she sends home to the parents each day
stating how the student did, good, not so good, bad, and why.
The past years, both Susi and I have had some intense behaviors. One recording sheet we use often is the ABC data sheet. It records the antecedent (precursor) to the behavior (ex, asked to do a task, transition, teased by another student), behavior (hit other student 2 times, tantrumed on the floor with kicking and hitting and screaming), and then the consequence (what we did as a result of the kid's behavior). This is a great tool to see patterns and trends of the behavior and to be able to see how to "fix it".
With intense behaviors, some we can even write a Behavior Support Plan (BSP) and that is included in the IEP. I've written these a couple times, one time with an outside company/behaviorist (Advanced Kids). The sent a consultant out who observed the student and took tons of notes. They were able to see things I didn't and also confirm things I did see. They also helped write the BSP and prepped items to help change the behavior. In the BSP you have to very clearly state the behavior and what we, as teachers, are to do when the behavior happens.
EX. When Joe tantrums, defined as screaming, kicking the walls, hitting the floor, staff will show Joe his rewards board with 3+ rewarding items to Joe and ask, "What do you want?". If no response, wait 1 minute and ask again. Continue until Joe responds, give reward right away. (not that great of an example but it does need to be very specific so whoever reading it knows when to do.)
This would be written only after tons of data was taken and the reason for the behavior was figured out and the replacement behavior was defined.
Courtney Davis: Have you ever worked with a child in a general education classroom as an paraeducator? If so, what difficulties did you find with discipline? Was the student distracting from the rest of the classroom?
I have worked with a child with Autism in a gen ed kinder class. I loved it, it was cake compared to what I do now!! But that's beside the point. This student could be distracting at times but I think it's good, to some extent, for the other students to have exposure to kids like that and to learn to ignore certain behaviors. Also, then when they see kids like that elsewhere, they are more understanding and don't just stare and gauk at them. I did have to take him out of class many times when he tantrumed until the tantrum was over. Some behaviors can be ignored and the teacher can teach over them, others (tantrums for example) cannot and the student needs to be taken out. I found it a little easier to discipline because you only have 1 student to worry about!!! There were difficult things though too because when the child is tantruming, for example,(thankfully I had a kindergartener) you may have to carry them out of the classroom.
The past years, both Susi and I have had some intense behaviors. One recording sheet we use often is the ABC data sheet. It records the antecedent (precursor) to the behavior (ex, asked to do a task, transition, teased by another student), behavior (hit other student 2 times, tantrumed on the floor with kicking and hitting and screaming), and then the consequence (what we did as a result of the kid's behavior). This is a great tool to see patterns and trends of the behavior and to be able to see how to "fix it".
With intense behaviors, some we can even write a Behavior Support Plan (BSP) and that is included in the IEP. I've written these a couple times, one time with an outside company/behaviorist (Advanced Kids). The sent a consultant out who observed the student and took tons of notes. They were able to see things I didn't and also confirm things I did see. They also helped write the BSP and prepped items to help change the behavior. In the BSP you have to very clearly state the behavior and what we, as teachers, are to do when the behavior happens.
EX. When Joe tantrums, defined as screaming, kicking the walls, hitting the floor, staff will show Joe his rewards board with 3+ rewarding items to Joe and ask, "What do you want?". If no response, wait 1 minute and ask again. Continue until Joe responds, give reward right away. (not that great of an example but it does need to be very specific so whoever reading it knows when to do.)
This would be written only after tons of data was taken and the reason for the behavior was figured out and the replacement behavior was defined.
Courtney Davis: Have you ever worked with a child in a general education classroom as an paraeducator? If so, what difficulties did you find with discipline? Was the student distracting from the rest of the classroom?
I have worked with a child with Autism in a gen ed kinder class. I loved it, it was cake compared to what I do now!! But that's beside the point. This student could be distracting at times but I think it's good, to some extent, for the other students to have exposure to kids like that and to learn to ignore certain behaviors. Also, then when they see kids like that elsewhere, they are more understanding and don't just stare and gauk at them. I did have to take him out of class many times when he tantrumed until the tantrum was over. Some behaviors can be ignored and the teacher can teach over them, others (tantrums for example) cannot and the student needs to be taken out. I found it a little easier to discipline because you only have 1 student to worry about!!! There were difficult things though too because when the child is tantruming, for example,(thankfully I had a kindergartener) you may have to carry them out of the classroom.
Experiences
Jessie Baker Elementary School
Ages 3-21
We consider all of our programs "specialized." We have thirteen classes on campus. Each class is specially designed to meet the unique needs of their age group. We also have outstanding Designated Instruction Services, including Adapted Physical Education, Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, a school nurse, and a school psychologist. In addition to these services and programs, our parents provide a music and movement program for our students through their great fundraising efforts. Through enormous community fundraising and district support, our students are able to participate in Project RIDE, a therapeutic horseback riding program, which is located right here on campus.
Helen Costello Elementary School
1st-3rd Grade Self Contained Classroom
Why I am here in the first place?
Beauty is defined as: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person
or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the
mind or spirit
Its absolutely incomprehensible in the fact that you can find beauty in almost everything, even things that others wouldn't find beautiful. Even in our outdoors, anyone can look at a beach and call it beautiful, but when you are stuck in the middle of Nevada- everyone calls it dull and boring (like some feel about rexburg..). Its truly a shame, because there is beauty everyone and everything.
When I look at this definition, the worlds definition of beauty and lets say a child with a disabilities view of beauty they tend to be completely different. You can open any magazine these days and see millions of ads for changing your body by dieting or the fact that losing weight is one of the three most popular new years resolutions.
But in the mind of a child of an autistic child, or down syndrome almost any child with a disability, they will tell you that any one is beautiful. Every time I go into a school with children like this (which is everyday :)) I have never felt more beautiful. They don't see the sizes that we see, they don't focus on what we do.
Its amazing what you can learn from them :)
Its absolutely incomprehensible in the fact that you can find beauty in almost everything, even things that others wouldn't find beautiful. Even in our outdoors, anyone can look at a beach and call it beautiful, but when you are stuck in the middle of Nevada- everyone calls it dull and boring (like some feel about rexburg..). Its truly a shame, because there is beauty everyone and everything.
When I look at this definition, the worlds definition of beauty and lets say a child with a disabilities view of beauty they tend to be completely different. You can open any magazine these days and see millions of ads for changing your body by dieting or the fact that losing weight is one of the three most popular new years resolutions.
But in the mind of a child of an autistic child, or down syndrome almost any child with a disability, they will tell you that any one is beautiful. Every time I go into a school with children like this (which is everyday :)) I have never felt more beautiful. They don't see the sizes that we see, they don't focus on what we do.
Its amazing what you can learn from them :)
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