Week 22

 

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 closely and correcting errors in the moment to support skill development. Students must be given the opportunity to learn, practice, and receive feedback in order to strengthen foundational reading skills. That evening, I attended a parent meeting that lasted until 7:00 PM before heading home.

Wednesday was an early-release day. I wrapped up a SIPPS lesson and began preparing for the next phase of instruction. After school, I researched high-interest, low-level (hi-lo) fluency books that align with SIPPS lessons. I genuinely enjoy learning about new materials and continuously challenging myself to grow.

I also learned that Independent Functioning is considered a separate service for students. Because of this, I reviewed all of my IEPs to verify service minutes and ensure my schedule was aligned with what is legally required. The process was tedious and took nearly two days, but I am learning daily what is expected in this role and how important it is to follow those expectations carefully.

Thursday was a full day, so I hit the ground running. I met with every student according to their service minutes and worked on both math and reading skills. One interesting detail about my role is that I do not service students during science or social studies. Support Facilitators typically provide services during ELA, math, or both.

If a student receives speech or language services, those often take place in a separate classroom, although some students have push-in minutes. Other services students may receive—either in or out of the classroom—include occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavior support, social skills, and independent functioning. My role is to work within classrooms to ensure students are not missing valuable instructional time. However, some students require direct, specialized instruction in areas such as phonics, decoding, fluency, comprehension, or math. For those students, a separate setting with another ESE teacher for a set amount of time each week may be more effective.

I know I went off on a tangent there, but the biggest lesson I learned this week was to trust myself. For the past three years, I have been incredibly fortunate to have an excellent mentor. This year has been challenging as I adjust to a new role, but I bring knowledge, experience, and skill with me. I am learning that it is not my job to make everyone happy or to do everything a general education teacher may expect. My responsibility is to service my students during their allotted time, provide a supportive learning environment, and address the goals outlined in their IEPs. Administrators have expectations for my role that may not always align perfectly with classroom routines—and that is okay.

On Friday, I completed an IEP, assessed students for upcoming meetings, logged data, worked on independent functioning skills, and updated my schedule to ensure all upcoming IEPs would have current testing data. It can be a lot at times, but organization is one of my strengths. I maintain folders and binders labeled with student names, teacher names, and assessment information. Every four to five weeks, I update accommodation logs and distribute new copies—with updated dates—to all teachers, including specials teachers such as PE, music, and art.

I also keep detailed paper logs of time spent with students and transfer that information into a digital system so it can be accessed at any time. While I thrive when I feel supported, encouraged, and accomplished, this week taught me that confidence will continue to grow. Until then, I can trust myself to do the work, knowing that I am meeting expectations and advocating for my students in the way a Support Facilitator is meant to.