The Teacher I'm Becoming

Week 23: Teaching the Way Students Learn The work week began again on Tuesday because of a holiday. The difficult part of shortened weeks is that when I am absent or there is a holiday, there is no longer time to make up services—so students lose valuable resource minutes. I stayed consistent with my schedule throughout the morning and worked individually with one student on make-up work. He was not having it. He refused to read the text his teacher had assigned, and after several attempts with incentives and wait time, I decided to adjust. I pulled up the text in  Wonders  and used the McGraw Hill read-aloud tool so he could listen instead. After hearing the passage, he successfully answered the learning check question before heading to lunch. This moment was a reminder for all of us: if students do not learn the way we teach, we must teach the way they learn. Gaining  some  progress is far more meaningful than gaining none—especially with our most resistant learner...

  My week began on Tuesday since my daughter Abby was sick on Monday. Throughout the week, I worked with students on my schedule—sometimes individually and other times in small groups. Whether students are seen individually or in a group depends on the teachers I’m working with, the students I service during that time block, and how schedules align within each classroom. I am currently using leveled readers for ELA with text-based questions aligned to grade-level standards. Many of my students have IEP goals that focus on comprehension skills, such as answering literal and inferential questions. I love being able to see growth in both fluency and comprehension as the year progresses. When a student struggles with reading, it can be difficult to address those challenges without intentional instruction, which is why teacher-led small-group instruction is so powerful. During our grade-level meeting this week, we learned about whisper reading and the importance of teachers listening cl...

Week 21 Monday came too quickly, signaling my return to work. Although it was a teacher workday, I was grateful to sleep in just a bit before making my debut back at school. I spent the day reviewing data sheets and completing  25 IEP progress reports , updating parents on how students are progressing toward their IEP goals. Since I had just finished writing two IEPs for meetings scheduled later in the week, I was already in full swing. The day flew by, especially since I needed to leave promptly to take Abby to the doctor at 3:40—there was no time to slow down. Progress reports require collaboration with general education teachers to ensure all goals are accurately addressed. One question that came up involved  gifted students  and how to determine whether they qualify under  Plan A  (IQ of 130 or above) or  Plan B  (IQ of 115 for students from underrepresented populations). I learned so much from my mentor and staffing specialist through this discuss...

  Week 20 — New Year, Same You (and That’s Okay) The saying  “New Year, New You”  is common right after the start of a new year. People often feel like they need a do-over from the previous year—whether that means a new look, healthier habits, or finally making time for themselves. We search for answers and solutions, hoping to make this year the best one yet. But what if, instead of running away from who we are, we embraced ourselves exactly as we are? As I was reflecting on this last night, I realized that the best thing we can be is  confident in who we are . We are made in the image of God, and He has used every trial and circumstance in our lives for our good. We are learning how to live this life one step at a time, and we are exactly where we are meant to be right now. The focus shouldn’t be on comparing ourselves to others, but on appreciating who God intentionally designed us to be. Yes, we’ve messed up. Yes, we may wish some things were different. But what ...