New DPS administrators

[English]

Hi firstandten and DT -- I've been without Internet access for more than a day.

I always learn something from you and DT when these issues are discussed.

Likewise! It's important for educators to dialogue with all stakeholders. I am trying very hard to become less defensive and more pensive, so forgive me when I seem strident. I really am interested in your perspectives.

That really makes it tough for everyone involved, teachers, and the students

Inclusion is tough in a traditional classroom environment. New teachers often need help figuring out how to structure their classroom environment for differentiated instruction, and many veterans also find it difficult. Nevertheless, if our public education system is really compulsory and universal, we've got to find ways to accommodate everyone.

I think that as a society we need to be realistic and come to the conclusion that every child won't or can't be educated to the extent that we would like. Those students would for the most part be warehoused in Alt Ed until 18. I agree its pretty draconian but the alternative would be to let that student[[s) destroy the learning environment for the others. There is really not much that can be done with bad parents.

50 years ago and prior, our society used to have many places for students who were not school congruent. They were able to drop out at relatively young ages, find employment in various sectors [[manufacturing, agriculture, construction, trades), purchase a home, support a stay-at-home spouse, and raise children.

Today, we stigmatize those who aren't much for book learning. Whenever I ask what we do with these kids who'd rather be outdoors and/or working with their hands, no one seems to have an answer.

Perhaps, but non-educators have not been given much of a chance to be administrators in an educational environment.

The catch-22 is that once a non-educator becomes an admin in a school district or building, they become an educator. Perhaps we could talk of comparisons between the traditionally certified, those with alternative certification like Teach for America, and those who just walk off the street, and are handed the keys to the school and a box of chalk.

I understand, but I'm only referring to pencil and paper only nothing else. Some of these teachers have a supply list for there students that looks more like a wish list.

DT has responded to the supply issue, but pencils and paper were about the only things that were abundant in the buildings where I taught [[keep in mind my last DPS service is now over 5 years old, so my knowledge is not current). If I wanted students to use crayons, markers, scissors that worked, etc. I bought them myself to keep in the classroom. It was a given for DPS teachers.

I believe you, but isn't the master teacher concept alot like the pay for performance concept that reformers like Rhee is trying to implement.

Definitely not -- it's more like the "headteacher" concept imported from overseas. In the United Kingdom, the "principal" equivalent is a teacher. They are only part-time administrators and many teach some classes.

I don't think its only the poor teachers enforcing the status quo, but the two major teacher unions thats doing it as well.

The unions definitely haven't been nimble enough to respond to our changing times, but I wouldn't toss them out.

[DetroitTeacher]

English and Firstandten: The thing about me and inclusion is that it's what I really want in my class. I am my Practicum away from my Master's in LD and I already have my Master's in Autism and another in Curriculum and Instruction. I don't want to be a special ed teacher, per se. I want everyone in my gen ed room. I've been doing just that for the past 5 years and it's worked beautifully. I do have a co-teacher but she isn't in the room much since she's also testing coordinator and she does other things in the building. We were paired together so that they could pull her and use her for other things since I know how to handle the special ed population in my room. I love every minute of it and I think my kids benefit. The ONLY problem is the class size issue [[of which neither myself nor the kids can control so we make the best of it). I had kids in my room who were LD, ASD, gen ed, CI, and EI. No one knew who was who unless the student wanted it known or the kid spilled the beans themselves.

The kids weren't given the option to fail [[unless they just didn't come to class). I demanded that they at least try [[I did modify some assignments for students who had such modifications on their IEP). They suprised themselves by actually keeping up with the work and learning [[no one had really expected them to do much in the past, so they just didn't try). High expectations from the teacher usually means high expectations from the student. Once the kids saw that they COULD keep up and do the work, they really kicked butt. I did use Universal Design [[been doing it for years, just didn't know there was a name for it) in my room for ALL the kids, and it really improved learning and the quality of work from my kids.

[English]

DetroitTeacher, you're definitely a master teacher! Thank you for all that you do!

To all, what do you think of this:

Inexperienced Companies Chase U.S. School Funds
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/ed...ools.html?_r=1

I applaud non-educators who have altruistic reasons for coming into the field. I am extremely suspicious of those who see education as a giant money pot, whether they're in the field or outside of it.

[DetroitTeacher]

Thanks, English. I'm with you on the non-educators [[or educators) who are in education for the money. It's certainly not why I got into teaching [[or most teachers, for that matter). I think it's a sin to make a profit from education when the kids don't have what they need to be successful. It's oppression at its finest.

[DetroitFats]

DTeach and English,
It almost doesn't matter if we believe in inclusion or not. It is already here! Most of the English classes I've taught in DPS included students with wildly diverse reading, writing and socialization skills, but I've just had to figure out ways to make the core of every lesson apply to every student. I took a class last semester at Wayne State that centered on special education and inclusion, and I realized that many of the concepts and strategies accepted as best practice are things we already do every day. It sure would be easier, however, to make more Gen Ed classes inclusive if there weren't 35 or more students in each class. To me, class size is sometimes more of an impediment than varying degrees of student ability.

[DetroitTeacher]

Dfats: I agree with you 110%. I think we were talking more about the official inclusion than what we, as teachers, already know [[that each kid is at a different level and we need to reach them all). I've been doing inclusion [[officially) for the past 5-6 years and I had to beg to get it. I have serious inclusion with kids who have all sorts of categorizations on their IEPs. I work closely with the special ed team, sit in on IEPs, offer suggestions to other teachers as to what works for certain kids in my room [[and they share what they know with me), and I do work on IEP goals with the kids. That is the key...the IEP goals. Not all of our kids have an official IEP [[and we know that some really need one so we make up our own plan for those particular kids). It's all part of good teaching to use Universal Design [[I guess it's the replacement term for differentiated instruction) for all of the kids...again, something we've been doing for years and years because we want what's best for the kids.

I also agree that class size has much to do with how effective we are in giving the kids who need more individualized instruction their fair shake. It's hard to do with more than 35 kids in a class who all need something different.