How many administrators does it take?

I have been making some disturbing observations this year.  I stay in contact with several teachers that all work in different districts across the state.  We communicate by text or phone call at least once a week.  We usually discuss classes, lessons, strategies to deal with our students needs, and then whatever else is going on.  I was telling one of them that my district hired a Special education director this year.  He asked what that was and I told him that I wasn’t quite sure.  However, I did know that he is considered an administrator and is getting paid as such with a salary in the 6 figures.

Let me give you some background info.  My district has an Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services, we have 2 different Special Education Supervisors (one for Elementary and one of Middle and High School).  We also have a special education specialist that is supposed to help teachers with lesson planning, activity creating, and generally be there to answer any questions they have.  Now we have another administrator that is supposed to be the middle man between the Assistant Superintendent and the 2 special education supervisors.  That makes a total of 5 different administrators for the Special education department.

Now for some real numbers, in just my school alone, there are 3 open positions for special education teachers.  I am not sure about the other schools, but I can only imagine they have some too.  The teachers that are teaching are being asked to teach larger than usual class sizes.  They are being expected to assist general education teachers that are not sure what to do when trying to comply with a students’ IEP.  The special education population has continued to grow, yet the teachers needed has not, but the administration sure has.  I do not have the answers as to why this happened, but I do know that the thing that should come first is not coming first.  The lack of teachers and the workloads are making a quality education more and more difficult to give.  I hope the hire is worth it and leads to a better learning environment, but I just don’t see it!

Will there ever be enough Qualified teachers for Special Ed. Students?

I have been teaching now for close to 11 years.  I have a quick story and then some data to discuss.  When I first graduated from college,I was at a job fair in Newark, NJ. It was the middle of July, the thermometer read close to 100 degrees outside, and there had to be close to 200 people there.  An hour or so into the fair, I finally made it into the school where the actual interviews were being held, when I had one of the biggest eye opening experiences of my life.  Two or three people, (who I can only assume were the principals of the schools) came up the hallway we were waiting in and began repeating “If anyone waiting has a Math or Science and a Special Education degree, come with us immediately, you are hired!”  I had a degree in Math at the time and not Special education, so I asked if they were still looking at applicants that did not have special education cert, and they said if they cant find enough with them, then they would look at the rest of us with Math and Science.

I was in total shock and awe that this just happened.  I had literally just graduated college and wasn’t sure that I wanted to go back for even more school right away.  I needed a job to help recover from the financial hardships that my family incurred while I completed my degree.  I left feeling deflated and kind of upset at the whole situation.  Needless to say, I never got a call back and found a job 3 months later in Philadelphia at a school for students that were kicked out of regular public schools.  When this program was shut down 2 years later by the city, I found myself looking for another job.  I ended up finding one, but there were more jobs that I couldn’t apply for because of my lack of special education certificate.  I finally made the decision to go back and get my Teacher of Students with Disabilities certificate and degree when my current job asked if I was willing and I knew then that it was a longtime coming and the answer was of course yes.

In am in my fifth year now as a special education teacher, and I am upset at myself that I did not do it sooner.  One, for the obvious open positions that could have been and two, for the reason that I think I have more to offer a student that learns differently than most.  I can relate to some of their difficulties with my own experiences.  I pride myself on being able to explain things to my students in a much more simplistic fashion than most teachers.  My students have genuine “ah-ha” moments during and after my lessons.

Now, special education is in a dire state.  There is generally a shortage of teachers across the nation, with a definite need for special education teachers.  There are a ton of teachers willing to teach, but they do not meet the certificate requirements to do so legally.  According to thearc.org There are approximately 40,000 teachers that are not fully certified to teach special education.  This dilemma creates a problem were students are being taught by unqualified people that make their true academic progress difficult.  Where do these teachers come from?  How and/or why are they not fully certified? What is a realistic time frame to have enough teachers to teach the special education population?  Will the teacher deficit ever be filled as the population of special ed students continues to grow?

Do Math and Reading Difficulties go hand in hand?

As a Math teacher in high school, I encounter students having difficulties with a variety of different topics.  Most of them are algebraic in nature, but some are definitely because the students cannot read at an appropriate level.  There has been a major push for more rigorous high level tasks in the classroom.  My district in particular wants more word problems that require a students to analyze exactly what the problem wants before coming up with a plan to solves and then actually solving it.  They are more concerned for the approach to the problem and how they get their answer.  Explaining how and why we do things are key components to successful problem solving.  The days of just answering the question are over.

The article attached speaks about research done in Finland that shows correlation between low scores in math and in reading.  They also go on to say that interventions for students to bring both scores up is significantly more difficult than when it is just one or the other.  I think there is some validation to the research.  I am definitely not a statistician, nor was I apart of the study team, but I can say based on my own experience that this is true.  Students that struggle in Reading do definitely have difficulties in Math.  The specific learning disability might cause similar issues in both areas.  Dyslexia can make numbers and letters to appear backwards, creating another layer of difficulty to finding proper solutions to an Algebra equation or to reading an excerpt form an article.

Too many times teachers try to use interventions that cater to just the specific needs of their class.  They lack the foresight to see how they can affect other classes or how they can be used collectively to assist the student in multiple areas toward their overall academic success.  As teachers, we have to collaborate better to provide a more efficient and effective learning environment.

PARCC Tests: Helpful or Damaging?

I teach in a high school in New Jersey, therefore my students are required to sit and take a high stakes test called PARCC.  This test is similar to another test that we used to used called the HSPA test.  These high stakes test are designed to see what a student can regurgitate on a formal test that will then be utilized as a sign of intelligence or at the bare minimum, how they stack up against their peers.  This years incoming freshman class will be REQUIRED to pass the Algebra I PARCC test in order to graduate or take a separate portfolio process as a Senior.  The portfolio option is only possible IF they sit and attempt the other 2 PARCC tests as Sophomores and Juniors (Geometry and Algebra II respectively).

How am I supposed to tell my students, that range in abilities, that this test can determine whether they can graduate or not?  The test is a standardized test and is not modified or cannot be modified to fit my students’ specific needs.  Holding special education students to the same standards and expectations as general education students is noble, but VERY UNREALISTIC!  Some of my students suffer from poor working memory, have attention disorders, or have another type of learning disability that hinders their ability to comprehend what is in front of them.  I am a firm believer that my students can absolutely be pushed to levels they didn’t think were attainable.  Helping them with their self-confidence can be all that is needed to assist them in conquering the obstacles they are facing.  Building the bridge to success is possible, but not when they have to worry about a test that can ultimately decide their future without prejudice.

It is my opinion that the PARCC tests are a waste of time and resources from the school districts.  The tests are not a reliable or valid source of data that can be depended upon to advance the curriculum of Math and English.

DACA and my students

I am writing today to speak about a topic that not only has nationwide interest, but is very close to home with my students specifically.  In the attached news story from the Asbury Park Press website, students from across the state speak about what DACA has meant to them, and what it continues to mean for their families and potentially their future. This story hits home for me because I teach in a district that is roughly 90% Hispanic.  Many of the students in my Algebra II classes this year that have learning disabilities and/or require modifications and accommodations are worried about how this becoming a reality.

I know that they are not targeting children and/or anyone that is here doing the right thing, and I also understand that rules are rules, laws are laws, but there has to be another way to make a determination of who can stay and who has to leave based upon expired visas, green card status and the likes.  Even if this doesn’t affect my students directly, it does affect them indirectly with the potential threat of deportation or immigration showing up to take away members of their immediate family.  My students already have a difficult enough time trying to grasp the abstract topics of Algebra II, now they come into class distracted and anxious facing the ever-changing political climate.  click here for the APP story 

September 2nd, 2017

This will serve as the beginning of my blogging career.  I am going to start a blog about my experiences as a Special Education Math teacher.  Some of the posts will come from personal experiences in the classroom, not only interactions with my students, but also with colleagues and other educational professionals.  Other posts will come from trainings and ideas that I believe to be share-worthy.  I hope that you will leave feedback for me, positive or negative.  I understand that everyone will not necessarily agree with my thoughts, but that is what open dialogue is all about.  I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and I hope to read yours too.  First post, wasn’t so bad.