Is Smelling a Crime?

I am having to rant but I couldn’t believe this when I read this article about DA: Lewisville teen's hand sanitizer gel sniff not a crime. It made me wonder if we are just looking for a reason to disrupt the classroom lesson just one more way. I remember when I was young (back in the old days), we used to get things called ditto sheet that was made with this blue ink on a mimeograph machine. I used to love to get them right after they were made and smell the paper because they smelled so good. I don’t think it caused me any brain damage (not that I know of anyway) but I guess if that happened today, I would have been expelled from school. There comes a time when we need to say stop to all this foolishness! There are more important things in school to worry about than whether some student smells my hand sanitizer. I have hand lotion in my desk drawer and I know students carry hand lotion and hand sanitizer in their backpacks. What about the nail polish that I smell in other classrooms? I know we worry about students doing drugs and drinking, but are we not becoming a tyrant when we have to worry about students smelling hand sanitizer?

If I see a student smelling something and I might think it is inappropriate, I would ask them to put it away or not touch it again (if it is mine). Then they are given advanced warning that if they continue they will pay the consequences for not following directions, not for smelling something. This would be a good lesson to teach about ingredients in some things that could be harmful to a person’s health which could lead into a lesson about laws against “inhaling” inappropriate things. Isn’t it our job to teach them these thing? What lesson will being suspended for smelling hand sanitizer teach? I think it will teach that you shouldn’t smell hand sanitizer and not the big picture. I think things like this hurts educators’ reputations in the eyes of the community and shouldn’t we be building relationships and not cutting them down?

Sorry this was just a rant but it amazes me at what lengths schools will go to show they have the power. Have a nice day!

Following Special Education Regulations – it’s not an option; it’s the law!

As head of the special education department head, many general education teachers would use me as a resource. Many times I was asked about strategies, but a lot of times teachers would vent to me about how they thought it unfair that special education students received extra stuff that the others didn’t. That is why they are “special”! Accommodations are not something to give them an edge above other students, but are things that level the playing field for these disabled students. For over twenty years I have felt this resentment and resistance by general education teachers and I truly understand their feelings but they need to understand that the law requires them to give these students the accommodations written in their IEPs. I don’t always agree with the law but I am required to follow it. I don’t always agree with traffic laws but if I don’t follow them I could get a ticket. If there is a problem with the accommodations, I always suggest to the general education teacher that they meet with the special education teacher to set up an IEP meeting. That is to decide whether the accommodations are appropriate or not. If the team decides that certain accommodations are appropriate, even if one teacher doesn’t agree, the IEP must be followed.

I have also been approached by general education teachers that many feel the special education teachers are helping the students cheat. I have heard this also for over twenty years and I know this is not true (most of the time!). For example, if I had to help a student with Algebra, it was difficult because I did not have absolute knowledge about every subject that my students might take. Usually I would sit down with the student and the textbook in order to work out the problems together. Many times I would have the student teach it to me as their teacher taught it to them. During this time, I would be able to clarify steps or explain steps that are not understood. If during this time, the general education teacher came in, it would look like I was doing the work for the student and the teacher would leave my room very upset and report this to an administrator. Simple communication between the two of us could have avoided this situation which leads me to my next point. There needs to be a basic level of trust between the two teachers and a common goal which should be to help the student be successful. Unless this happens, the students will play the two teachers until the goal becomes more of a power struggle and no one wins.

Whenever a teacher has a special education student enter in their classroom, the first thing they should ask for is a copy of the IEP and look over the accommodations. If there is any difficulty following this, a meeting should be set up to amend the IEP and the teacher should be able to show why the accommodations cannot be followed as written. If there isn’t any problem following them, the teacher should keep documentation of when or how they are being done so at meetings, they can be reviewed. It might be determined at a later date that these accommodations are no longer appropriate if they are not working or if they are not needed. This documentation will also help in seeing what other accommodations would be helpful.

I have had teachers come to me and tell me that they absolutely refuse to follow the accommodations in the IEP, which always amazes me. Following the IEP is not an option; it is the law! Teachers do not have to like it but they do have to follow it. Teachers do not want to be part of a state department complaint or involved in a due process hearing unless they can prove (document) that they have been following the law completely. As a professional, this was part of my job and expected of me when I was hired.

If you are interested in learning more about Special Education Law, here are some links that might help you.
Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004

Wright’s Law gives information about the statute and regulations, commentary to the regulations, What You Need to Know about IDEA 2004 articles, and other publications.

The FAPE Page - This is Sanford Hausler's blog on special education law.

Special Education Law Blog - A special education legal resource discussing case law, news, practical advocacy advice, and developments in state and federal laws, statutes and regulations. Postings include insight and sometimes humor from Charles P. Fox, a Chicago, Illinois attorney who is also a parent of child with special needs, and other guest authors.

What to Say and Do at an Interview

It is about that time of year when I had to decide if I was renewing my contracting or asking for a transfer. Some people may be looking at graduation too so I thought this would be a good time to talk about interviews and how I handled them. As head of the department, I was asked to hold many interviews (there are always vacancies in special ed!) and I was amazed at how unprepared some applicants were. Here is a list of what I think are important:

1. Dress your best. You wouldn’t believe the guys that came in wearing a white dress shirt over a printed or colored tshirt! Women would come in wearing low cut, very sexy clothes which might work if they were working somewhere they needed to appeal to the opposite sex but a high school is definitely not the place!
2. Bring a copy of your resume and/or portfolio for the interviewer. Usually a resume would be sent to my principal but that doesn’t always mean the person holding the interview has one.
3. If you are asked to tell about yourself, give a few minutes of highlights not your whole biography from birth to present. One person spent 30 minutes telling me her life history including illnesses and physical problems. This was way too much information!
4. Know your philosophy and beliefs. What do you feel is important in education? Why do you feel this way?
5. Know your strengths. Tell what you do good and why it would benefit the school to hire you. You are your best sales person and you need to make the school feel like they would really miss out if they didn’t hire you.
6. Know your weaknesses. No one is perfect and the school doesn’t expect you to be perfect. In fact, I was always suspicious of someone who felt they were perfect.
7. Give examples of projects you have done with the students. If you don’t have any examples for the level of students you hope to be teaching, offer suggestions that are appropriate for that grade level. This will give the interviewer an idea of your skills.
8. Give examples of how you have worked with colleagues. Being a team player is very important because collaboration and communication with others are the keys to successful teaching at any school. As head of the department, I didn’t want anyone who wouldn’t be willing to work with me or the other teachers.
9. Give examples of how you handled discipline. Let’s face it, discipline is a big issue and schools want to know that you can handle whatever you are given without them having to bail you out every minute.
10. Give examples of parental contact. I always felt this was important and didn’t usually lean towards the ones who were against contacting parents (for good or bad news). I have been told that by the time the students reach high school, teachers shouldn’t have to call parents anymore. I can’t tell you how many times my parent contacts have saved my own behind because I was able to clear up misunderstandings before they reached the administration.
11. Be prepared to ask questions. When an applicant asks me questions I feel like they are really interested in the position and want to know more about the school. It also gives me time to learn more about the applicant through body language. Ask about the mission and vision of the school. Ask about the population (Do all the students live in the community near the school? What percentage are on free lunch?) What kind of extracurricular activities are there? What kind of duties are required of teachers outside of teaching? How many teachers and administrators are there in the school? When will a decision about this position be made?
12. Watch for the signal that the interview is over. I usually end it with thanking the applicant for coming in and letting them know that someone would be in touch with them. I had one person continue to talk and talk with information about her personal life and some jokes but after an hour of this interview, I had to return to class and mentioned this. An administrator and I were holding the interview and thanked her for coming. When we all stood up and walked to the door of the room, she continued to talk. The two of us even walked in the hallway away from her and she was still talking in the empty room and I knew we were rude but there was nothing else we could do. I finally left the administrator to handle this person and needless to say, we didn’t hire her.

If I have left anything important out or you think other things should be added, please leave it as a comment so others could read it.

Suffering from the Winter Blues

Christmas vacation has come and gone and kids are pretty much settled in without any big holiday in sight other than an occasional three day holiday. By this time my students are always climbing the walls, having the winter blues, and just basically getting on each other’s nerves (as well as mine). I noticed that they acted like they had never heard of the class rules and this was a whole new class to them. When I would review the rules, they would have this blank look on their face, like they had never seen them before.

After whining to other teachers, and feeling just plain miserable, I knew that I had to take action. I knew that I shouldn’t have to do this but I have learned over the years that this is inevitable. It happens every year. So, instead of wallowing in self pity, I came up with a plan of action.

During this time each year, I had to take a step back and “re-train” them. I would focus on one major rule at a time. If most of them were out of their seats without permission, that is the one I focused on and I announced this to the class. I told them that they were still expected to follow all of the rules but I was “showcasing” a major rule each week. Students were given one reminder (warning) when their initials went on the board. The next time, I would put a check by their name which would mean a detention. The next check meant a phone call home. The third check meant a referral to the administration. Before I started this, I would talk to my administrator about my problems and what I planned to do about it because I felt that one of the students would push the limits and need to be used as an example. Usually when the students saw that I was consistent and would follow through, they would usually become compliant. The next week I would tackle another rule. This didn’t take too long to get them back under control and once I did, I found them almost back the way they were before the holidays.

I would also praise the students who followed the rules because I didn’t want them to start acting bad in order to get my attention. I would also call their parents to brag about them which helped them continue the appropriate behavior during class. In fact, they would brag about my phone call home to the ones who didn’t get it which made the others start to follow the rules just so I would call home about them. This was great especially if the students wanted to do something special on the weekend because sometimes this call would help them get what they wanted.

Useful Information for In and Out of the Classroom 02/01/08

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found interesting this week. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Make Your Own Comic Strip – great for students to use. Maybe it can be used to assess understanding of literature.

TeachersFirst Edge – new web 2.0 tools and information about each

Shift happens: an interesting video that makes you think.

Broken escalator video: could this be used to teach problem solving? How many of us in education sometimes feel like we are on the broken escalator?

Census data about your zip code: Interesting information for students to look at

iEARN (International Education and Resource Network)is the world's largest non-profit global network that enables teachers and youth to use the Internet and other technologies to collaborate on projects that enhance learning and make a difference in the world.