Week 23

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 learners.

That evening, I rode with one of my besties to watch another bestie be honored for earning her bachelor’s degree through the collaboration between Rollins College and Orange County Public Schools. It was my first time attending a school board meeting in person, and I truly enjoyed the experience.

Wednesday was hard to get myself to school, but the services still mattered. I worked back-to-back with students and found time to grow more comfortable with the SIPPS Challenge materials I am using with a student. I continue to service students with independent functioning goals separately—such as staying on task or meeting an academic goal within a nine-week period.

That evening, I worked on finalizing a transfer IEP that deeply frustrated me due to how it was written and the differences in OCPS procedures. After talking with two different people and revising it four times, I finally finished. On the drive home, the weight of my responsibilities hit all at once. I began having a panic attack and nearly threw up. I couldn’t calm myself down, so I went to bed early to reset for the next day.

Thursday was hard to get up for school. Despite advice I’ve been given, I simply cannot move through the day doing the bare minimum. The challenge is that it often feels like I’m either mastering the role of support facilitator—or slowly burning out trying.

I had three IEP meetings that day, which is another loophole in the system: time spent in meetings is time that cannot be made up with students. Thankfully, the meetings went well. At the core of everything we do is this truth—we are here to service students and act in their best interest. When pride or resistance to wise counsel takes over, the student is the one who suffers. As educators, we owe it to our students to seek guidance when we are unsure and to learn from those who are wiser.

Despite recess interruptions and whole-group hurdles, I was able to reach each group on time in the afternoon. I ended the day at peace, knowing I had done my best for every student.

Friday, while still emotionally heavy, was productive. I worked with students, tested groups, and organized data paperwork. Fifth graders had a unit test, which shifted the schedule, and another student was absent—so flexibility was essential. I was more than ready to go home after a long week, but before leaving, I did one last thing: I studied the SIPPS Challenge teacher guide.

Why? Because we owe it to ourselves—and our students—to never stop learning.

Equality is believing every student has the right to learn.

Equity is meeting each student where they are so they can achieve equal outcomes.