IEP Interview with
Miss T
12/4/2020
Aaron had a pretty good consistency. It was overwhelming in
the beginning.
He was interested in science and if it wasn’t relevant, he
didn’t want to do it.
Aaron’s IEP was as open as possible. The team communicated
very well together.
Some of his teachers had some unreasonable expectations.
IEP meetings were ridiculous because they are meetings with
people who haven’t met her child. Overall IEP’s were a breeze when dealt with
therapists, they were things he could achieve. Aaron’s team was a really good
team, they pushed him with challenges and they were kind.
They had an EOG, where he was supposed to read the question
and answer the question. There was no flexibility. She said that the instructor
wouldn’t be flexible because of the rules. Tina after that had EOG’s removed
from having to take the EOG. The test wasn’t designed for special needs
children. He couldn’t read and it didn’t make sense to take them.
IEP’s with Miss A
12/5/2020
1.
Her Diagnosis is Dyslexia and dysgraphia
2.
In Kindergarten, she realized she couldn’t read
like everyone else. The first time tested was 8 years old in 2nd grade.
3.
The Dragon Reader helped her read the amount of
reading. She could set the speed to her brain processing speed. That single-handedly made an impact on her college career.
4.
Testing was a hindrance that timed testing made
it seems like she was dumb from doing horrible on the SATs.
5.
Anything they offer like volunteering, big
brothers/big sisters, getting involved with a school to learn about the kids, and make connections to staff. Anytime the school offers chances to get
exposure volunteers take advantage of those. Research schools and their
administrators, the principal makes or breaks a school. Listen to your gut when it
comes to your administrators. If it’s not the right fit trust and put in for a
transfer. Find a place that can relax to
help work on lesson plans and able to focus.
6. Ruby Payne – Frameworks of Poverty – situational
poverty and generational poverty.
7.
In high school she was in her IEP meetings, she
could explain to them. She would watch other people and their pencils moved
faster and thought they were knowing their tests faster. Expressing that helped
get her accommodation to take her tests in a separate room.
8.
Her parents had her in tutoring to help. Taking
extra time, separate testing and she would finish faster.
9.
Sounds like a 504 she said, knowing the
individual what best serves those kids instead of just checking off the
paperwork. Making sure the team is all on the same page with the teacher of the
student. When there’s testing within 90 days to write the IEP or make a
decision to actually write the IEP.
10.
Learning each kid and teaching them to playschool. There are rules for the year in the classroom.
11.
IEPs are legally binding documents. Small school
systems that don’t have a lot of resources, they have teachers that don’t get
held to the IEPs. We need to be aware of how important IEPs as students in
college need to take seriously when we are employed as teachers not just a SPED
teacher.
Summary
I interviewed two people in my life
who have had experiences with IEP’s. My interview with Miss T was pretty
interesting even though her child was homebound. Aaron had mitochondrial
disease and was given approximately 2 years to live. He lived for 22 years and she
was highly involved with his life. We have known each other for a long time,
she was really close to my Mom and was like a daughter to her. Aaron was
Jasper’s best friend. She didn’t work because he took so much care to keep her alive. With love and care, a special needs child can thrive way past the medical
professionals’ expectations. My take away from this interview was that it takes
a team that is willing to work with the parent to give the child the best
possible life and do what’s in the child’s best interest. It also takes being
an advocate for your child when the people writing the IEP’s and interoperating
them have never met your child.
When I
interview Miss A, it turned into a two-hour phone call. It was great because
she was a former manager of mine. She grew up in an era that was starting to
grasp what disabilities are and that they need to do what’s best for the
student and not what’s the easiest for the school. She has dysgraphia and
dyslexia, in which she realized that she had a problem reading. She wasn’t
diagnosed till 2nd grade. She had great parents that had tutors for
her so she could overcome her disabilities. She also, later on, became a teacher.
She didn’t have to write IEP’s, she said. In fact, she had one student with an
IEP. The most enlightening was discussing the technological advancements for
reading and retention? She had a note-taker in college and so did I at CPCC. I
found it not a great tool for me. I’m a sloppy studier so she said that I
should record the class or ask for format notes from the Professor. I think
it would help. I like the reader technology that is in the books or Microsoft’s
Technology for adaptive accessibility. We talked about being a proactive
learning teacher, which was learning about the history of teaching and
significant theories and teachers. I liked that she told me to research the
schools that I apply to teach at. I like Linkedin where I can find other
teachers and ask them questions. Some principles are not there for their
students or staff. She made me really excited to become a teacher but also to
take responsibility for my own career. It’s a little daunting to see friends of
mine get burned out on the system, I hope this pandemic changes how teachers
are treated and wake up the industry that it needs change in the way we teach
kids.