A Thank You Note to Mrs. Duffee, My 7th Grade English Teacher

Mrs. Duffee,

     The words "thank you" hardly seem enough for me to convey how powerfully you, and your prayers for me, impacted my life.  You took me under your wing and made me believe that I could be anything.  As a role model and mentor, your words and actions both inside and outside of class "modeled" for me what it meant to be a woman of faith.

      As we talked and prayed together, I felt myself inspired to do better, to be better, and to set a better example for my peers and my family.  And, we had fun as well going to the drama dinner theatre.

      Thanks for being not just my teacher but also a positive Christian mentor and role model.

New Insight on Challenges of Educating Autistic Students

Before today I was unaware of the digestive and other medical issues that students with autism face as well as how those issues affect our ability as teachers to successfully educate them.  I think that, like many people, I'd thought only about autism as a neurological disease.  Today's lecture by Panda about the medical challenges faced by autistic students followed by her overview of treatments available to combat some of those medical challenges (which often exasberate the effects of the disease) left me feeling empowered as a future educator.  

As teachers, we must be prepared to provide a climate of learning for every student entering our classroom.   Although we will be working with a multidisciplinary team from our school for ensuring the highest quality education in the Least Restrictive Environment for our special education students,  we must still take it upon ourselves to "self-educate" where we can. 

My Calling to Serve Some Real Heroes - Jerry's Kids

As a child, what I remember most about Labor Day weekend is watching the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Telethon.   While I enjoyed watching the entertainment segments, what I was most drawn to were the segments on fundraising (particularly by the firefighters and Harley Davidson riders) and the footage of the kids at their annual summer camp.  Inexplicably (at the time), the more I watched each year the more I felt that one day I would somehow be actively involved in helping those kids.  Little did I know at the time how blessed I would become from working with Jerry's kids.

It was over 10 years ago when I first took action to put what I felt called to do into practice.  I was living in Kansas City, KS at the time and I remember, vividly, my very first phone call to the local MDA office.  To put it mildly, I was so darn excited that I "jumped in with both feet" and did everything from fundraising to volunteering at the MDA summer camp as a camp counselor to working the phones at the local MDA Labor Day Telethon.  I was hooked.

To this day I continue to be an active MDA volunteer.  Last year I was both a camp counselor to a camper and a cabin coordinator (responsible for the mentoring of three first-year counselors and the care they gave to their campers).  Until you care for a child with a neuromuscular disease one-on-one, day-in and day-out, you cannot possibly understand their incredible spirit, courage, and zest for life.  

The most humbling experience, thus far, came for me one night at summer camp last year as I was tucking my camper into bed.  Every night we had a routine of me asking him "what do you want to be?" and he would say something like "a cupcake", etc.  So, I would describe him as a cupcake with all the chocolate layers, frosting, etc. - - the whole time I'd be working the covers up from his feet to his head and making all sorts of crazy noises.  On the night he actually wanted to be a cupcake, when I got done, after he finished laughing, he asked me to lean over close to his face (because he couldn't roll over to look at me).  And then he whispered to me "I wish you'd been my counselor last year....I trust you to take care of me."  

In that moment, I felt so honored that he, a true hero and fighter, would entrust himself to my care.  And I felt so humbled that he'd given back to me the importance of ending each day by spending time with those closest to us, doing simple, even silly little things.  For what greater gift is there than those we care for who can laugh (or cry) with us?

What Every Texas Educator Should Know About Identifying & Educating Exceptional Students

As teachers, we come to class each day equipped with the tools we need to reach and teach most (roughly 85%) of our student population.  Two of the most trusted and well-worn tools in our "teacher's bag" would have to be (1) the curriculum we follow and (2) our TEKS-specific lesson plans (constructed using the Madeline Hunter model, of course).  And so it is, armed with these two tools (and much prayer, patience, and modeling) we reach and teach the majority of our students. 

What happens, then, to the rest of our students?  You know, the group of kids often labeled (and taunted) by their peers (and perhaps even their own families) as "slow" or "learning disabled."  For those of us in education, we refer to this diverse group as "exceptional."  What must we, as Texas educators, do to ensure that our exceptional students are both properly identified and educated to their fullest potential? 

Child Find is a system for identifying and tracking our exceptional students.  The referral for assessment can be made by a parent, teacher, pyhsician, family member or another concerned adult.  As teachers, we must begin to assess student capabilities in the content areas on the very first day of school.  Record-keeping is critical in demonstrating to parents and education administrators that a particular student may need additional services.  Consequently, we as teachers should keep all student work, test papers, and anectodal records to support our recommendation for referral / assessment.  Once a recommendation is made, a team of school personnel meet with the student's parents or legal guardian to discuss teacher records of student performance, explain rights and procedures, and obtain parental consent for the assesssment.  If it is determined that the student qualifies for additional services, and Individual Education Plan is developed and implemented in the appropriate content areas.  

Is there a first course-of-action for us, as teachers, prior to the formal referral for assessment described as part of Child Find?  Absolutely, yes!  Response to Intervention (RTI) is about providing a proven (i.e., supported by research) intervention program to students in the appropriate content area(s) before the referreral for assesssmenet (for special education).  An RTI team works with the student, parents or  guardian, and teachers to gather information, identify the learning problem, brainstorm solutions, evaluate interventions, choose intervention strategies, and develop an action plan.  Every effort is made to keep the student in the general education population while providing the intensive tutoring, etc. to achieve a measurable level of progress over a defined period of time.  Ongoing monitoring / assessment of student performance by us, as teachers, is crucial to developing successful RTI strategies.

All of this, some might wonder, for a small group of non-average students in the class?  To this we, as educators, would reply that each student should be given every opportunity to perform at his or her personal best.  For those of us who are Christian educators, we know that ALL of our students are unique, exceptional creations from God.  We could do no less for ANY of them.  And we know that for the few of our students that the world may consider the "least of" them, they have a special place in God our Father's kingdom.  And so we show up each day to our classrooms, humbled for the opportunity to be a part of helping them achieve their personal best. 

What Specific Actions Can Teachers Take to Create a Brain-Compatible Classroom?

Creating a brain-compatible classroom is simpler than you might think and requires more in the way of innovative thinking and less in costly supplies or equipment.  The truth is, students bring with them to class each day the most important learning tool there is - - their brains.  With stimulation that is appropriate to the class content and age range, there is no limit to what students can learn and achieve.  

So what can teachers do, you ask, to create a brain-engaging environment?  First and foremost, make the environment visually stimulating for you and your class.  Little things like using color handouts, posting colorful visual representations of topics to be covered, and having several different sources of good (non-fluorescent) lighting available in work areas will go a long way to producing active participation and learning.  You and your students should feel energized and ready to work at the start of class each day.

Besides their brains, students bring with them to class their attitudes; that is, their opinions of themselves and what they can achieve.  Teachers need to remember that positive messages and words should be used to facilitate learning as well as to redirect efforts or behavior.  A child's brain is not able to reason until the age of 10 or 12; consequently, that child's attitude / self-worth will largely be what adult authority figures have conveyed through language and actions.  So, teachers should post positive messages throughout the classroom that will empower each child to dream.....to believe that he or she is capable of pursuing any career.  What greater gift is there in the classroom?

My Personal Response to Eric Jensen's Book

My initial concern that the book would be a "hard read" was dispelled as soon as I flipped to the Table of Contents and saw the myriad of succinctly described, well laid-out topics.  The chapter on the topic of optimal environments immediately caught my attention and I started my reading there.  As a person who thrives in colorful and interesting learning environments, I wanted to find out what the research had to say about that so I could better understand what works for me and what might work for students of mine who share that learning style.

As I read in detail about optimal learning environments, I was actually surprised to find out how much I didn't know.  For example, our eyes can register 36,000 visual messages per hour.  And, even more surprising to me, was my discovery through his book that between 80%-90% of ALL information absorbed by the brain is visual.  Finally, the chapter presented research on the effects of color, imagery, light and nutrition on learning.  The bottom line is that we need to use an array of techniques to engage our students' brains and keep them interested in learning.

The other chapters that I read were just as interesting, just as easy-to-read, and filled with the same kinds of meaningful information that teachers of all grade levels and all content areas can use to reach each student.  I feel empowered by what I learned and I also feel a responsibility to learn more.  After all, our future leaders, politicians, and (yes) teachers are depending on us, their teachers, to prepare them for what lay ahead.

A Book Summary by Shelley Weiske: Brain-Based Learning by Eric Jensen

The book effectively merges brain research from the disciplines of neuroscience, biology, and psychology with established education processes in an informal, conversational style.  The "hook" occurs fairly early in the read as the author mounts a compelling case for developing innovative, fluid instructional strategies designed around the way the brain learns. 

While the book can (accurately) be described as lengthy, the author does a good job of creating well-organized, well-titled chapters that offer something of interest to everyone in the diverse educator population.

Finally, some of the book's most valuable information is contained at the end of each chapter in the form of real-world tips and suggestions to make our existing classrooms more "brain friendly."  This information is clearly identifiable and easy to flip-to which transforms the book from simply a "read" to a "reference material."  

Jensen, Eric. Brain-Based Learning. San Diego, CA. The Brain Store. 2000 Revised.

A Teacher To Be Praised

My elementary school days were very much routine, filled with the usual reading, writing, arithmetic, and (of course) playground antics that we all remember as kids in school.  Routine, that is, until the first day I sauntered into my 4th Grade Math Class thinking I was "all that" and sensed, at once, the stern gaze of Mr. Hernandez upon me.  Something that I couldn't quite put my finger on made me uncomfortable.  No problem, I thought, I'd had strict teachers before and this one would be no different - - I'd just do well on the work and he'd direct his time and attention elsewhere (just as my other teachers did), to the kids who really needed him.   And so, armed with my "it's no big deal" attitude and determined to remain as unattached as possible from him and the class, I surveyed the back of the room to pick the perfect seat.

What happened next was, at first, almost painful.  As I walked by him he stepped up, put his arm on my shoulder, and welcomed me into his class. In that instant, as I looked up into his stern yet caring face, I felt a rush of emotions:   denial (for the happiness I felt deep, deep inside for having been seen); pride (that came as I sensed, somehow, that being part of this class was a privilege); and anticipation (of how this man that I unexplicably knew I could respect would teach).   I felt my shoulders relax as I simply nodded in response and took my seat, right smack in the center of the front row.  I didn't want to miss a thing.

The rest "is history," as they say.  I didn't just learn Math that year at Leffingwell Christian School. I learned that I was someone special (as a student to him and as a unique creation to God).  And I learned, sometimes the hard way, that I was accountable for my words and actions. It was, without question, how I found (and learned to love) myself and my Lord.

GUIDE STUDENTS TO SUCCESS BY UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY LEARN

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT! 

EXCITING NEWS ABOUT WAYS CHILDREN LEARN

By Thinking (cognitive)

ask students "how", "why", & "what-if" questions

By Feeling (affective)

By Doing (psychomotor)