RE THINKING Behavior
2020 SYMPOSIUM
February 27, 28, & 29 | Sheraton Crown Center | Kansas City, Missouri
For the 38th year, the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders will address cuttingedge issues of interest to professionals working with students with emotional/behavioral disorders and autism spectrum disorders.
Sharing Perspectives: Cultivating Passion for a Sustained Career
History in the Field
• What motivates us to work with youth with significant mental, emotional, and behavioral needs?
• What skills are needed to be effective professionals in this field?
• What are the things we need to discover and nurture within ourselves in order to maintain our effectiveness?
• How do we avoid allowing the difficulties of the kids we serve from overcoming our own personal lives?
Four professionals from the field will address these and other topics during this TED Talk-like session. Come learn from professionals who will share insights about supporting students with significant behavioral needs.
36 Breakout & Poster Session on Friday, February 28. Special Two-hour workshops on Saturday. Visit our website, https://mslbd.org/symposium-conference/ to explore the topics, learning, and networking opportunities at the 2020 Symposium.
MSLBD @MSLBD1
Thursday Pre-symposium Half Day Workshops
1. An Ounce of Prevention: Antecedent Strategies That Really Work, Timothy Landrum & Robin Parks Ennis
2. Write on! Teaching Written Expression to Learners with Complex Communication Needs, Robert Pennington
3. Safe Shelter in the Storm: Providing Emotional Safety as a Tool for Student De-Escalation, Tim Geels
4. Descriptive, Specific, and Unbiased: A Session on Data-Driven Feedback and Professional Development, Michael Kennedy
5. Mindfulness Matters: Healing Trauma and Emotional Dysregulation, Charlene Mykleburst
6. Low-Intensity Strategies to Support Engagement: Practical Strategies that Work! Kathleen Lynne Lane & Wendy Peia Oakes
7. Got Trauma-Informed in Your School? Integrating Trauma-Informed Care within Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Tiered Services, Sandra Chafouleas
8. Leveling the Playing Field: Providing True Access to Interventions for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum, Ruth Aspy
9. Brainstorming to Editing: How to Support Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders to Write More Effectively, Soo Ahn
Kathleen Lynne Lane Researcher
Tim Geels Parent
Seth Piro Practitioner
Carl Smith History in the Field
Reesha M. Adamson
Mary Jo Anderson
Marc Benedetto
Scott M. Fluke
Linda Geier
Deborah E. Griswold
Cassandra L. Hunt
Jacqueline HuscroftD’Angelo
Sharon A. Maroney
Jessica Nelson
Mike Paget
Reece L. Peterson
Seth A. Piro
Felicity Post
Lisa A. Robbins
Carl R. Smith
Jim Teagarden
Jason C. Travers
Kathleen N. Zimmerman
Rethinking Behavior, ISSN 2578-5397, a magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs, is published three times per year, fall, winter, and spring, Copyright ©2019 by the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders, P.O. Box 202, Hickman, NE 68372. 402-7923057. www.mslbd.org. Email: rethinkingbehavior@mslbd.org.
Rethinking Behavior welcomes proposal and manuscript submissions; for information visit www.mslbd.org or email rethinkingbehavior@mslbd.org
New
Year,
New
Start Making the Most out of Back to School
As we all wrap up our summers and prepare for the influx of students and issues that come with the start of the school year, we think of this issue of ReThinking Behavior as a format for tools and considerations to get your school year started on the right foot. As you turn the pages of the magazine, we encourage you to reflect on the practices and create goals to make your school year more effective and more inclusive. The start of the school year is the most exciting time for educators and other advocates. However, it can also be a time of great stress and trials. We hope that you take the time to focus on your own mental health in combination with creating environments of supports for students.
As editors and members of the MSLBD Planning Committee, we are constantly striving to improve the lives of our students and their families and we hope that in this issue you will read about broad perspectives of the educational environment and find a specific tool or idea that you can incorporate on Monday in your setting. We are also constantly working to connect individuals with others in the field which can easily be done through social
media. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Twitter feeds to see the latest issues and trends for students with behavioral needs and their and families. The MSLBD Facebook page provides an immediate platform for interventions, strategies, perspectives, and connections. Please consider attending the Symposium or the Autism Conference and find out how you can expand your skills and connect with others in the field. Please freely share content from this magazine with others and encourage them to sign up for email distribution of ReThinking Behavior at https://mslbd.org/what-wedo/rethinking-behavior.html
Finally, we invite you to share your reflections, thoughts, comments, and ideas with the ReThinking Behavior Editors at rethinkingbehavior@mslbd.org. We appreciate your ideas, feedback, and continued advocacy. If you have an idea for content that you would like to see or a submission please consider reaching out to us so that we can support you in that endeavor.
Jessica Nelson and Reesha Adamson, Issue Editors and the Editorial Team
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
Whose Personal Liberties?
IBy Leslie Ann Bross
met my friend, Max, when I was an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in special education. I was a pre-service teacher completing my student teaching experiences, and I thought I understood how best to work with individuals with disabilities. During the school semester, I saw a flyer posted by Max in the university education building seeking a personal care assistant for several evenings a week. Max needed a personal care assistant because he was a quadriplegic due to a diving accident when he was 19 years old. Max’s ad described needed supports related to daily living tasks and independent living skills. I applied right away because the job appeared to relate to my professional goals of
being a special education teacher. Little did I know the profound effect Max would have on me during that pivotal time in my life.
The first thing I noticed about Max when I started working with him was his upbeat attitude about everyday life and his sense of humor. He always greeted and welcomed me warmly. He also often joked with me. Max earned a master’s degree in Health & Wellness and attended law school at the University of Missouri. Max was an avid member of his community in Columbia, Missouri and did pro bono legal work to advocate for people with disabilities. He also served on the Board of the Columbia Housing Authority and promoted
Photo courtesy of
person-centered living options for individuals with disabilities. I was impressed and inspired by his life choices and actions to enhance the quality of life of his fellow community members.
As Max’s personal care assistant, my duties consisted of coming to his house one hour before bedtime and assisting with daily living activities, such as dressing, bathroom usage, cooking, feeding, and cleaning. I would also type emails for him, proofread papers, or assist with any other task he asked of me. Max and I went shopping at retail stores or local grocery stores on the weekends. I drove his large white wheelchair accessible van, which always made Max laugh because I looked so small in the driver’s seat. We would chat comfortably as we grocery shopped together and usually enjoyed a drink and snack before heading back to his apartment. My time with Max never felt like a job; rather, he became a dear friend to me.
The story I want to share is the invaluable lesson Max taught me about treating individuals with disabilities with not only dignity, as that is a given, but also ensuring their personal liberties are exercised at all times. Max’s regular bedtime was 10:30pm, and I usually arrived at his apartment by 9:30pm to start his bedtime routine. One evening I arrived at Max’s home 45 minutes to an hour before the usual time without asking Max in advance because I had plans to meet my friends afterwards. I don’t remember my exact thought process or reasoning for this decision, but clearly, I thought hurrying to meet my friends was more important than Max’s personal needs and choices about his daily schedule. Or perhaps, I thought because I’m able-bodied and he isn’t, I got to choose his schedule. Regardless of my poor thought process, my error was obvious as soon as I arrived. When Max saw me at the door, his face fell, and he said in a kind but firm tone of voice, “You’re early. I’m not ready for bed yet and still have things to do. Please don’t come this early again without asking me first.” My face fell as well
Simply because Max has quadriplegia… must he always be at the mercy of the schedules of the people who care for him?
because I was ashamed and embarrassed about my choice to put my own wants above Max’s needs. I apologized profusely, and Max quickly forgave me. For the remainder of the evening, I helped Max with his typing tasks until it was time to begin the regular nighttime routine. I left his apartment at the usual time and was late to meet my friends, but that didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was the lesson Max taught me: simply because Max needs support to navigate daily life does not mean his life should be directed by another person.
Although this exchange between Max and me occurred approximately 15 years ago, it was truly a defining moment in my life that I remember vividly today. This moment defined me personally as Max’s friend and professionally as a special education professional. I thought as a pre-service special education teacher I knew the basics of working with individuals with disabilities and treating them with dignity and respect. These were givens. However, it never occurred to me that by imposing my own schedule and plans on Max, I had robbed him of his personal liberties. Yet this is what many special education professionals carelessly do if the conscience decision to respect the rights of students with disabilities is not at the forefront of every educational activity. Simply because Max has quadriplegia, should he not be allowed to choose his daily activities, such as what time he goes to bed? Must he always be at the mercy of the schedules of the people who care for him? Max would say, yes, logistically he
must depend on his personal care attendants to assist with his daily living activities. However, Max would also point out he deserves the right to make choices about his daily activities like any adult, regardless of disability status. Personal care assistants and other related service providers who care for Max must commit to protecting, rather than infringing, on his rights. Likewise, special education professionals must protect the rights and personal liberties of students with disabilities.
Special and general education teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, therapists, administrators, and other related service providers can inadvertently take away the personal liberties of individuals with disabilities by making choices that affect their lives. These choices may be small in nature and relate to a specific instructional context (e.g., essay topic, peer to work with during a math activity) or relate to the individual’s aspirations and plans for the future (e.g., types of postsecondary education and employment
Purposely incorporate opportunities to make choices and decisions throughout a person’s day.
experiences to pursue). Individuals with disabilities deserve the right to habilitation but not at the expense of their liberty or development of personal decision-making skills. Personal liberties of students with disabilities can be violated when professionals fail to do any of the following: obtain student input regarding learning preferences; explicitly teach choice-making and decision-making skills; or incorporate strengths, preferences, and interests into educational programming and, particularly, transition planning. Students with disabilities must be given the opportunity to make meaningful choices about their own lives and the lives they want to lead.
One strategy to protect the personal liberties of individuals with disabilities is to purposely incorporate opportunities to make choices and decisions throughout a person’s day. Providing a choice means presenting a minimum of two options and ensuring the individual can select an option and then access the selected option
Examples of choices across people, tasks, and settings
Student: “Mike” a middle school student with autism spectrum disorder who loves dinosaurs
Setting/context: During a structured social skills group with same-age peers
Available choices
People Same-age peers: Devonte, Jonathan, Olivia, Cale, and/or Emily
Tasks Play “get to know you” Bingo, a dinosaur card game, or Don’t Break the IceTM
Settings Sit at a large rectangle table, small circular table, or on the floor with bean bags
(Jolivette et al., 2002). Instructional choices can be embedded throughout a variety of academic, employment, and social activities. Available choices can relate to different people, tasks, and settings. The table lists examples of different choices provided during a social skills lesson. Research indicates using choice-making as an instructional strategy promotes self-determined behavior and can reduce problem behavior (Royer et al., 2017). Professionals can also protect the personal liberties of individuals with disabilities by facilitating person-centered planning, which is a process that allows the individual with a disability to be at the fore-front of all decisions (Wells & Sheehey, 2012). This process allows the individual with a disability, family members, teachers, friends, and other relevant stakeholders to share information about the individual while assisting in development and obtainment of future goals based on the individual’s capacities and skills. Person-centered planning focuses on what the individual can do and his or her aspirations, desires, and strengths.
Max and I have stayed in touch, and our friendship remains influential to my professional mindset and work. Max helped to make me a better, more
Sample phrases to indicate available choices
“Who would you like to play a social game with?”
“What game would you and [peer’s name] like to play?”
“Where do you want to play?”
intentional special education professional. Because of Max, I will always strive to protect the personal liberties of individuals with disabilities I am privileged to interact with and support.
References
Jolivette, K., Stichter, J. P., Sibilsky, S., Scott, T. M., & Ridgley, R. (2002). Naturally occurring opportunities for preschool children with or without disabilities to make choices. Education and Treatment of Children, 25, 396–414.
Royer, D. J., Lane, K. L., Cantwell, E. D., & Messenger, M. L. (2017). A systematic review of the evidence base for instructional choice in K–12 settings. Behavioral Disorders, 42, 89-107.
Wells, J. C., & Sheehey, P. H. (2012). Person-centered planning: Strategies to encourage participation and facilitate communication. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44, 32-39.
Leslie Ann Bross, Doctoral Student, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, leslie.bross@ku.edu
When the Ripcord Breaks Teaching with Bipolar II Disorder
By Zach Tremper
As special educators, we are all too familiar with the escalation cycle. In a matter of seconds, we assess our student’s current state, decide on a strategy we think is best, implement and intervene, and evaluate the outcome. Our actions are deliberate, and our choices are grounded in science. It requires a cool demeanor and calm mind. The more escalated our student gets, the more imperative our placidity becomes. It’s imperative that we maintain a calm demeanor. We’re forced to compartmentalize, analyzing the behaviors as data points and our actions as trials while staying hyper-focused and connected to the student throughout the cycle. Close yourself off too much from the student living the crisis cycle, though, and your ability to connect with them at all will
disappear. Regardless of the intensity, we have to maintain a critical balance between the science of our empathy and compassion for these individuals. I have experienced the crisis cycle from both sides: as a special education teacher who works with students with emotional difficulties, and as an adult struggling to live a normal life and be a passionate educator in spite of the demons of my mental health. This is my story of courage and testament to show all that someone with a mental health disorder can educate vulnerable students.
I have Bipolar II Disorder, a mental illness characterized by a cycle of depressive episodes and hypomanic phases. When I am hypomanic, I become transfixed on tasks that others would consider insignificant. I obsess over the most
Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash
minute details, scrapping and restarting entire projects countless times before I decide if they meet my personal standards. When one project is finished, I’ll immediately jump to the next one on my completely fictitious but absolutely-mustdo list. This will go on for days, during which time I hardly eat and never sleep, knowing that I’m completely exhausted after spending 24, 48, or 72 hours without sleep, but being incapable of turning my mind off. I’m also impulsive and irritable, I don’t think things through before doing them, and I’m convinced I’m invincible. My feelings are on steroids. Instead of a light tug from anger, excitement, sadness, fear, joy, or contempt, these emotions tie me up with a lasso and turn me into a marionette. No matter how much I fight it, my emotions are in control. And, just like our students, I’m in crisis.
Now imagine you’re skydiving. You’ve just jumped from the plane; you’re one with the sky, watching over the world like a god. Nothing can take away the high you’re feeling, absolutely nothing. The ripcord. It’s stuck. You try again, this time trying to release your backup parachute. Still nothing. In the blink of an eye, that otherworldly high turns into paralyzing terror. Instead of gracefully landing,
you’re crashing at terminal velocity. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
That’s what the transition from hypomania to depression feels like to me. But the real horror is what comes after I reach the ground. During my depressive episodes, anything other than sleeping in a dark room seems unbearable. Taking a shower, brushing my teeth, or even hearing my phone ding with a new notification is completely overwhelming. On my most recent birthday, for instance, I refused to answer the phone for anyone, including my parents, who didn’t get a single response to their 10+ attempted calls. The depression is dark, and it’s scary, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. During my hypomanic phases I feel omnipotent, but during the depressive episodes I am paralyzed. Neither are good, but for me, the depression is the worse.
My experiences with Bipolar II Disorder, comorbid with ADHD (which I was diagnosed with very early in life and for years mistakenly attributed the hypomanic symptoms of my then undiagnosed bipolar disorder) have been the most substantial hindrances throughout my career as an educator. Managing a mental illness is something that is done constantly. Feeling like I’m not in control of any given situation is extremely triggering for me. It makes sense; as different as hypomanic and depressive episodes, they both result in me feeling
like I’m no longer the governor of my own mind. Early in my career, something as simple as students testing the limits of classroom expectations would leave me bawling at my desk during my entire planning period (thankfully never in front of students). My brain refused to allow me to move on from what happened, which made figuring out how to fix it impossible.
At my lowest point, I walked into the office of my administrator and told her I couldn’t do it, that I couldn’t give the kids what they deserve, and I had to quit. Incredibly, she responded in a way that made me feel supported and in control of my life. She told me to take the rest of the day, she found coverage, and I went home to consider whether I should, or even could, go back the next day. After an evening that including screaming and crying into the phone as my mom listened on, a last-minute appointment with my therapist, and self-reflection, I knew that if I didn’t go back, my mental illness would have won. At the same time, I knew that if I did go back, I would never again let myself be so overtaken by my mental illness telling me, “I can’t.” It turns out, the seeming insurmountable obstacle that was my Bipolar II Disorder would become one of my greatest assets.
Figuring out how to be happy while living with a potentially debilitating mental illness has helped me understand and empathize with my students. More importantly, I am able to stand with them in solidarity as we work together to be the champions of our own minds. I know what it’s like to lose all sense of self-control, and the strategies I use to back my autonomy are often helpful to my students too. I’ve lived through the world-shattering despair of a depressive episode that seems to come from nowhere, so I know the importance of validating my students’ feelings while also making sure that their environment and expectations are as consistent as possible. I constantly fight impulsive urges that could really impact my life, so I truly get the confusion that comes with taking accountability for an action they feel no ownership over. I have been able to build
relationships with students that other highly skilled and completely well-intentioned teachers just aren’t able to connect with. Like every educator, though, there are still students that, no matter how hard I try, I never figure out exactly what makes them tick. Interactions with these students can sometimes result in me feeling out of control. If I feel myself being triggered, I’ve learned to stay present, take a few deep breathes, and remind myself that no one can handle everything. And that’s okay.
Allow me to be frank. Having Bipolar II Disorder really, really sucks. For whatever reason, by divine creation or universal happenstance, mental illness was in the cards for me. I’ve been forced to accept that this is part of who I am, and acknowledge that sometimes, I’m just not okay. Bipolar disorder can be blamed for some of my least favorite parts of myself, but it’s also responsible for some of the most beautiful. For better or worse, it makes me who I am. And I’m learning to be okay with that.
Link to information on bipolar disorder: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ bipolar-disorders/what-are-bipolar-disorders
Zach Tremper, Special Education Teacher, Ztremper1992@gmail.com
Moving Toward Effective Discipline
One Middle School’s Success
By Jan Burgess
The premise behind suspension is to remove the student from the school environment for a few days and hope that when they return their behavior will have improved. This is not to say that suspending a student, in-school or out-of-school, doesn’t have another purpose; there’s something to be said for giving teachers, students, staff, and even administrators a break from the situation. Unfortunately, traditional suspension programs lack the ability to promote positive change in student behavior for any amount of time. In-school suspension was introduced as a proverbial “time-out,” hoping that the student’s behavior was a temporary result of a circumstance or mood. Students are essentially warehoused and isolated in an attempt to insulate the rest of the school from their disruptive actions. Once their time has been served, they are returned the classroom in the hope that their behavior will improve.
However, behavior issues are usually not temporary, but an amalgam of family situation, mental and physical health, disability, peer interaction, as well as a multitude of other factors. Because of this, suspending a student is usually ineffective in
the long term and in certain situations can cause the behavior to escalate. Imagine if, when a student failed a test, they were sent home for a few days with the hope that when they returned their skill level would have improved. Anyone would know that without intervention, that solution would be ludicrously flawed. However, this is too often the reasoning behind suspension and other behavioral intervention. In order to effect meaningful change a system needs to exist that treats behavior like any other academic skill; students need support systems, effective education, staff mentors, restorative discipline, and even positive reinforcement and tracking.
Moving Toward Prevention
Our review of behavior data showed that behavior issues were getting worse; they were becoming more frequent and severe. As a part of our strategic plan, the staff chose to move away from traditional discipline in favor of a restorative approach. This decision had its roots in the work I had done as a volunteer with the Clay County Community Juvenile Justice Board, a program that serves as an alternative to court for juvenile first-offenders. It
Moving from Reaction to Prevention
Reaction
• Addressing misbehavior as it occurs
• Making assumptions that students “know better” and will straighten up and behave correctly
• Relying on punishment
• Excluding students who don‘t respond to or learn from punishment
• Leading to increased consequences and harsher punishments
• Addressing only the misbehavior and not the reason for the misbehavior
Prevention
• Planning ahead to avoid misbehavior
• Considering the possibility that the student doesn’t know how to perform a behavior
• Considering other factors which may be affecting student behaviors
• Teaching behaviors systematically
• Focusing on helping the student be in control of him/herself
• Focusing on positive rather than negative behaviors
• Manipulating/arranging the environment to prevent potential issues
was geared toward helping youth see the harm done to the community as a result of their actions. Work with the youth and their parents focused on developing a plan to repair that harm. The program has seen impressive results with a low recidivism rate and very positive feedback from the participants and their parents.
Thus began the restructuring of our discipline program. We chose to look at behavior through a different lens, from one of reaction to one of prevention. We started viewing student behavior not as a refusal to comply, but as a lack of necessary skills needed to cope with their environment. We had difficult conversations about our own behavior and how we interacted with students, as well as making a commitment to treat behavior not as a battle of us-versus-them, but rather another skill deficit that needed to be taught, retaught, and reinforced.
Moving Toward Solutions
This restructuring also added another layer to our discipline chain. We created the Student Support Center, staffed by a student support specialist (SSS), and two instructional assistants. One instructional assistant oversaw the Response-Ability Room (RAR) and the other supervised the InSchool Solutions (ISS) Room.
The SSS acted as a buffer and advocate between students, teachers, and administration. They met monthly with individual teams, including fine arts, physical education, and support staff, to discuss a set positive problem-solving agenda which included not just their student behavioral concerns, but also the celebrations– even the small ones. We used The Pre-Referral Intervention Manual (McCarney et al., 2014) as a tool for brainstorming possible solutions. In addition, SSS discussed with staff the behavior data or office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) and the current progress of our students on Tier Two and Three Intervention Plans. They also collaborated with administration about behavioral consequences, parent meetings, and restorative conferences and worked with individual teachers to conduct restorative circles and other restorative practices to build community and solve conflicts.
The staff believed that the quality of our relationships was the core of student progress in both behavior and academics. We made a commitment to improve and foster relationships with each other. We worked on making affective statements and questions when difficult situations occured, as they were bound to do. Staff were encouraged to maintain emotional control by using a script when students’ behavior was unexpected. The intent was for teachers to connect students with how their behavior is affecting or impacting self or others. Using affective statements helped us specify the behavior the student exhibited and encourage or discourage that
Affective Questioning
Responding to challenging behavior
• What happened?
• What were you thinking at the time?
• What have you thought of since?
• Who has been affected by what you have done and in what ways?
To help those harmed by another’s action
• What did you think when you realized what happened?
• What impact has this incident had on you and others?
• What has been the hardest thing for you?
• What do you think needs to happen to make things right?
Stronger rapport overall. Higher value for students who are harder to get to know. Success at conveying my ‘human-ness’ to students to help develop empathy. Freedom to allow students to practice adult conversations, model emotional maturity for them, and help them try their hand at negotiating.
Benefit, and Closure. With everyone involved using these five themes, the administrators were better able to support the teachers because they knew the teacher had provided the necessary themes to help the student take responsibility for his/her own behavior. If the teacher was unable to reach closure with the student, the student went to the Response-Ability Room (RAR) to develop a plan for accepting responsibility for their behavior and move forward.
behavior while improving or maintaining the teacher-student relationship. Affective questioning was also encouraged when conflicts occurred between students or among groups.
We began the school year with a positive phone call to every student’s parents or guardians. We shared our positive observations of their child and asked them to share with us any information that they thought we should know to better serve their child. We asked if they had any questions or concerns or if they needed additional information. This set the stage for a positive working relationship with the parents before any need to call about our concerns.
Moving Toward Responsibility
We started with the work of Thompson and his Roadmap to Responsibility (2015). We taught teachers how to use a systematic approach when addressing behavioral issues in the classroom. Thompson’s Give ‘em Five conversations enabled teachers to have a highly personalized and natural way to deliver a message of responsibility utilizing five themes: Support, Expectation, Breakdown,
It was also important to add several layers of support for both teachers and students. Sending students to the office is rarely a deterrent for misbehavior. Notoriously, students sit in the office, hearing all the gossip, and getting positive attention for their negative behavior. In addition, there is much instructional time lost in the process and no guarantee that the student would arrive or relay an accurate accounting of events. Therefore, instead of sending disruptive students to the office, they were sent to the RAR and the teacher would call for a Push-in. A designated staff member would respond to the request by coming in to cover to the classroom so a private conversation could occur between the student and teacher. RAR staff are also available to assist by mediating the conversation if necessary. If closure is unattainable, the RAR staff would escort the student to the RAR, leaving the class relatively undisturbed. In the event that an escort was unavailable, the teacher was to call the RAR to inform the staff that the student was coming and explain
the reason. If the student didn’t report on time, other staff could be sent to find them. This process minimized the disruptiveness of the behavior, thus diminishing the student’s ability to get attention from their peers and staff. Aside from keeping students out of the office, having an RAR escort eliminated any misconceptions or miscommunications about the incident. Once in the RAR room, the staff provided support while the student developed a plan for improvement, however long that took. Once the plan was completed and reviewed, the teacher was contacted, and a re-entry conference was scheduled. The student resumed their regular schedule but could not return to that classroom until closure was accomplished with that teacher.
If the student’s behavior was severe enough to require an ODR, the same procedure would take place, except the student would be seen by an administrator. Teachers were asked to complete ODRs in a timely manner and administrators were advised to see the student within 30 minutes of receiving the ODR. The administrator opened a conversation with the five themes that related to the student’s behavior. Then discussing how the student could repair harm done, improve their behavior, and move forward. If the behavior continued or escalated, the administrator could refer the student to the In-School Solutions (ISS) room.
Our ISS is solutions focused rather than suspension focused. The students complete a structured set of activities intended to help them correct their behavior. They are not allowed to simply sit alone,
work on schoolwork, or to gaze out the window. During ISS, the SSS meets with the student to develop a plan for their education and the improvement of their behavior. This improvement plan covers three main areas – instructional, reflective, and restorative (Hannigan & Hannigan, 2016).
The instructional component requires each student to complete a Student Discipline Learning Packet (Advantage Press, 2019). These packets cover a multitude of possible behaviors in a positive rather than punitive fashion. They provide students information to help them understand why they might misbehave, suggestions on why and how to change, short stories about other students making similar mistakes, the short and long-term effects of unacceptable behavior, questions about their wrongdoing, and goal-setting opportunities to jump-start their improvement process.
The one-on-one re-entry is the most successful and impactful part of this new restorative justice system.
The reflective portion is intended to help students extend and synthesize their learning. Activities in this area include the development of a success plan (required) and research on a related topic (optional). Students are also given the opportunity to participate in a mediation session, a problem-solving session with parents and team members, a Check-in/Check-out program, or another creative problem-solving activities intended to allow the students to dig deeper into their misbehavior.
The restorative assignments are activities intended to allow students to repair the harm to those who were affected by their behavior choices. These
activities include writing structured letters of apology, participating in community service activities, creating a video or poster presenting the information learned in the other two sections, making restitution for property damage or loss, developing and signing a contract for conflict management, and/or serving as a mentor for other students who are struggling with the same types of behaviors.
Once all of these activities are completed and checked by ISS staff, a meeting is scheduled with the administrator to review the artifacts and discuss what has been learned. Another meeting is then scheduled with the referring teacher to review the success plan and reach closure. Only then is the student permitted to work on school assignments until his time in ISS is complete and he is able to return to his regular schedule.
When students have to serve an out-of-school suspension as a result of the district policy, the student, whenever possible, attends a formal restorative conference with the parents, SSS, administrator, and the school community members (if appropriate). Then the student transitions through the ISS room to engage in the instructional, reflective, and restorative areas. Once these activities are completed, and the student has met with administration and the teacher, he returns to his regular schedule. Except for the most severe behaviors, those that present a danger to the safe-
ty of the school community, out-of-school suspension is considered an inappropriate response.
For students who have difficulties regulating their own emotions, we have a Fast Pass program. Students are issued a special pass when they feel they will say or do something that will escalate their situation. This is by no means a vehicle by which they avoid responsibility or classwork, but rather a delay for them to regroup and gain control before addressing the issue at hand. Students show their pass and know that they are to report to the RAR with no harm-no foul, for a five- to ten-minute break. Students are well-informed that if they do not report directly to the RAR, consequences will be applied. The students complete a processing sheet and have a brief check-in with the RAR supervisor to be sure they are emotionally ready to go back to class and deal with the situation returning to class with their processing sheet as their pass.
Moving With Data
The results of our efforts have been remarkable. The following charts show the comparisons of ODRs, ISS, and OSS assignments per 100 students for the 2018-19 school year as compared to the 2017-18 school year.
Major ODRs per 100 Students
ISS per 100 Students
ODRs were greatly reduced. The use of the Give-em Five technique allowed teachers to address behaviors in a nonconfrontational manner, providing more opportunity to resolve the issue. Also, having an intermediary step in the RAR allowed students to correct behaviors before they escalated to the point of referral.
Assignments to ISS showed a slight reduction. The increase in ISS assignments for the 2018-19 school year for fourth quarter is explained by the drastic reduction in OSS incidents in the same quarter. Student behavior still became a challenge toward the end of the school year, but the reaction to that behavior was more restorative in nature; resulting in more in-school solutions and behavior remediation rather than exclusion from the school community.
OSS per 100 Students
OSS assignments increased during quarter two in the 2018-19 school year. We had several incidents involving severe behaviors that presented safety concerns for the school community.
Then by fourth quarter, OSS assignments were decreased by more than half. The end of the year is a time when student behaviors tend to escalate and as a result OSS rates increase. We were happy to see them decrease in spite of the norm.
At the end of the year, 75% of staff responded to our survey. Staff ratings were favorable for the quality of work from the RAR and ISS rooms, as well as the ability to get assistance from the student support center. Staff were also pleased by the ease with which re-entry conferences were scheduled and indicated they were better able to collaborate with administration when office referrals were submitted. Staff rated the benefit of the monthly behavior support meetings quite high while reporting that more work was still needed on communicating to staff about the disposition of the referrals.
The first year of the program was a great success and showed us that there are many areas in which we can improve. Our staff showed incredible trust and hard work to make this shift to improve relationships and keep students within the school community so they can learn alternate behaviors in a supported environment. Based on the data, this non-traditional, restorative approach has been highly effective in improving relationships and reducing office discipline referrals and exclusionary practices.
I
have had the opportunity to have quality conversations with my kids and it has allowed me to have private conversations with students to address concerns, feelings and frustrations. For the majority of the students, before they reenter the classroom, the student-teacher relationship has been stronger as a result of a conference.
References
Advantage Press (2019), Student Discipline Learning Packet Lisle, IL: Advantage Press.
Hannigan, J. & Hannigan, J. E., (2016), Don’t Suspend Me!: An Alternative Discipline Toolkit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
McCarney, S. B., Wunderlich, K.C., & House, S.N. (2014). The Pre-Referral Intervention Manual (4th Ed). Columbia MO: Hawthorne Educational Services.
Thompson, L. (2015), Roadmap to Responsibilit:y The Power of Give ‘em Five to Transform Schools. Newton, KS: S & P Publishing.
Jan Burgess, Student Support Specialist, North Kansas City Schools, Kansas City, MO, jan.burgess@ nkcschools.org
Keeping It REAL
By
Raina Martin and Claire Slama
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REAL Classroom Management was developed after we began a teaching partnership when hired to work together for a district behavioral intervention program, Child and Family Support Process (CFSP). The CFSP program was an intensive intervention for Tier 3 students exhibiting aggressive and defiant behavior. Students met with a teacher and intervention counselor to receive instruction in social and emotional skills.
One fall afternoon, we walked into our classroom to begin teaching in our newly assigned roles as teacher and intervention counselor. While working with one particular student, he informed us that life is about keeping it REAL. In his world, “keeping it real” simply meant being honest and true to yourself and others. During our transition into our new roles and finding the balance between our professional and personal lives, keeping it real was not only the best piece of advice we had received, but it is exactly how we have been running our classrooms and trying to live our lives ever since.
REAL encompasses Relationships, Expectations and Follow-Through, Assertiveness, and Learning through Self-Reflection and Collaboration. Unlike educational jargon and some educational theories, the concepts of REAL classroom management can be easily implemented by educators and when applied, can quickly result in an effective and successful classroom. We had the opportunity to implement and perfect these strategies through CFSP with students spending half of their day in our classroom for a semester. Students worked on social skills and emotion regulation. The foundation of our CFSP classroom was created based on REAL classroom management and we had great success with an average of 84% of students meeting target behavior goals by the end of each semester. In this article, we share our REAL Classroom management process, separating each concept and providing strategies for practical application.
ELATIONSHIPS
XPECTATIONS AND FOLLOW-THROUGH
SSERTIVENESS
EARNING THROUGH SELF-REFLECTION AND COLLABORATION
Relationships
We’ll begin by focusing on teacher-student relationships, or in the words of our students “Keeping It REAL.” One of the most significant factors leading to effective classroom management is based solely on a positive teacher-student relationship. “A meta-analysis of 100 studies found that teacher-student relationships were at the root of all successful classroom management efforts” (Marzano & Marzano as cited in McIntosh, 2009, p. 51). Teacher-student relationships are vital for all students, particularly students who display behavior problems, yet just possessing this knowledge does not make it any easier to develop and maintain these relationships with students.
Building relationships with students involves more than greeting students with a smile,
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having a special handshake, or teaching relevant curriculum all day. Building relationships with students involves taking a personal interest in the lives of our students, as well as taking advantage of every opportunity you find to strengthen the teacher-student bond. For example, attending a student’s interest outside of school. Yes, go ahead and attend your student’s football game or choir concert. You have those extra assignments that need grading but instead, spend additional time eating lunch with that student who is struggling and needs a little more of your attention today. Play that basketball game or jump rope with your student during recess. Show each student you want to know them as a whole person.
Building relationships with certain students can be challenging and will take additional time and effort from you. Educators, especially special educators understand that not all students learn alike and many need modifications to the curriculum and/or behavior management to be successful. Your approach to building relationships is no different; no single style of relationship building will work for all students. Some students respond to verbal praise, while others respond better to nonverbal praise. Some appreciate the teacher giving them genuine one-on-one feedback in the moment, others prefer feedback once they have deescalated. While there are several strategies we have found useful in the classroom to build relationships with students, our most effective ones include the following.
1. Using the 4 to 1 approach in delivering praise and correction: maintaining a ratio of four praise statements to every one corrective
statement, which strengthens teacher-student relationships and builds a positive atmosphere.
2. Identifying desired behavior: in each praise or corrective statement given to students state the desired behavior. “Thanks Karla, for coming into the classroom quietly and taking your seat at the table.” This reinforces the behavior expectations of the classroom several times each day.
3. Talk to student about nonrelated school subjects: share about your own life, remember things about your students’ lives and attend outside activities. Get to know your students through ice breakers, games, and assignments centered on learning about each other. This gives teachers and students an opportunity to build relationships with each other while getting to know one another.
4. Really listen to your students: take the time to be mentally and physically present for the students. Allow students to explain their family dynamics and other aspects of their lives. Check in with students before and after school.
5. Setting weekly goals with students and discussing progress daily. Take time each week to celebrate successes with your students.
6. Taking the opportunity to repair the relationship after a behavioral issue: have the restorative conversation and own your role in the situation. Apologies can go a long way!
7. Providing genuine feedback to students, both positive and negative. Frequently and consistently verbally praise for a job well done and take and make opportunities to call home with positive reports or send positive notes.
Building relationships with students involves taking a personal interest in the lives of our students.
8. Participating in activities with students. Try brain breaks and group activities. Being vulnerable and stepping out of your comfort zone helps students see you as a real person.
It is difficult to develop and maintain relationships with students who constantly test your patience and challenge your authority, but these students, in particular, need positive teacher-student relationships to help them become successful.
Expectations and Follow-Through
As educators, we all have high academic expectations for our students. Having high behavior expectations should be no different. “The goal behind setting high expectations is to motivate students to learn and grow” (Dustova & Cotton, 2015, p. 40). Expectations should be determined on the first day of school and revisited often. Students should help determine expectations and rules of the classroom to increase their ownership and buy-in.
Setting expectations can be more challenging than it sounds. We sometimes assume that students should already know and accurately perform certain rules and expectations. We may have a clear idea of what the expectation is but may fail to communicate it effectively to our students. Communicating expectations in a variety of ways will ensure that all students clearly understand what they are supposed to do.
1. Visually post classroom expectations. Once you have established classroom rules, clearly and prominently post them in the room so students can read them when they need a reminder. It is
also helpful to give students a “cheat sheet” of rules to have at their desk.
2. Give your students frequent reminders. Transitions, for example, can be a difficult time for students to remember expectations. Before transitions, ask students to state the rules for that transition and the upcoming activity. For example: “Sarah, can you tell us one rule that we have for the hallway?” “Josh, what’s another hallway rule?” This will allow students an opportunity to display their understanding of the expectations and enable all students to hear the hallway expectations before proceeding.
3. Inform students when expectations change. When new situations arise and expectations change, make sure they are clearly communicated with students. Are the changes temporary, as during field trips or classroom celebrations? If so, how long will the expectations be different? If the changes are permanent, then visuals need to be updated and reminders more frequent until new habits are established.
Once we know that students clearly understand and can demonstrate expectations, it can be easier to begin the challenging task of enforcing consequences. Typically, we use consequences, only after, warnings and/or redirects have been given. “Teachers should always begin with subtle redirections, including non-verbal prompts and proximity, and gradually increase the intensity of
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the intervention if needed” (Jones et al., 2013, p. 25). If a student does not respond to subtle redirections, the next step is enforcing and following-through with the consequence. “The teacher should control and be prepared for any consequence and follow it up” (Padmaja, 2012, p. 40). This this extremely difficult because it often requires extra work and inconvenience for the teacher, but only initially. Sometimes educators must sacrifice more time with a student in the beginning process to get the results they want on the back end. When we have consistently shown that we will follow through with consequences, students are less likely to test limits because they know where the boundaries exist.
1. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency! It is important to follow through on every expectation that is set. For example, if you tell a student they will have to stay late to complete school work they refused to do, then you and the student need to stay late.
2. Only create consequences you can enforce. For example, if you aren’t able to keep a student inside for recess due to a previously scheduled meeting, then don’t create that consequence.
3. Creating consequences that allow students to practice skills. A consequence example for running in the hallway is practicing the skill of walking in the hallway.
4. The consequence needs to be something that matters to the student. If the student doesn’t want to go home at night, making them stay late won’t be a deterrent.
5. Work with families to help with follow-through. It may be hard to find something at school that discourages a student from breaking rules. There are often more motivating rewards at home. If the family is involved, use them as an asset. Losing phone or technology privileges at home may be more powerful than sitting out at recess.
In addition, it can be particularly challenging to enforce expectations with students who display disruptive behaviors. It is far easier to let an
Expectations should be determined on the first day of school and revisited often.
explosive student break a rule than deal with the aftermath of a tantrum that impacts the rest of the class. However, when we fail to follow through with a consequence, we are teaching the student that it is acceptable to use abusive behavior to get his or her way. These are the guidelines that can be used to create and enforce consequences.
Assertiveness
Assertiveness is not being intimidating in the classroom. It is running a teacher-in-charge classroom while creating and maintaining a successful learning environment. “Being assertive means modeling class expectations and working hard to build and maintain the trust of your students (Dustove & Cotton, 2015, p. 33). Simply said, the students recognize you are in charge of the classroom and know they can trust you to instruct them in a safe and effective classroom.
A few days into working together, we quickly realized that we have very different teaching styles. One of the big differences between us is our comfort level with being assertive. As a result, we began to openly discuss our differences and noticed how other teachers handled assertiveness in their classrooms. While observing other teachers, we learned that often times teachers were either too passive or too assertive when setting expectations with students.
There is an abundance of research on the instinctual response of individuals when faced with conflict or perceived danger. “Fight or flight”
is the brain’s way of protecting an individual in uncomfortable situations. When teachers are dealing with challenging behaviors in the classroom, the “fight or flight” instinct can impact their ability to effectively respond. The result is the teacher either engaging in unnecessary conflict or allowing inappropriate behavior to continue.
An educator cannot run an assertive classroom if they fear students. Some students who believe their teacher is fearful of them, will do everything in their power to manipulate and push the boundaries of that teacher. When an educator establishes a teacher-in-charge classroom, we have noticed that students not only respect that teacher, but they appreciate the feeling of being safe in the classroom. On the other hand, an educator can lose effectiveness when their assertiveness becomes too punitive. A teacher-incharge classroom can be created without making students feel like they are being criticized. The following strategies can be helpful when trying to find the balance between permissive and punitive classroom management.
1. Set rules, expectations, and boundaries with students in a kind but firm way.
2. Use rules and expectations to determine what will and will not be allowed in the classroom.
3. Use assertiveness as a way to teach students how to treat others with respect. We model the behavior we want to see in students.
4. Only use building discipline resources when necessary. When you effectively handle a behavior issue in the classroom, you show students that you are comfortable and capable with difficult situations.
5. Identify the antecedents and function of problem behaviors so you don’t mistakenly take it personally. Own your contribution to student behavior when it exists. This will also help you create the most effective intervention.
6. Reflect on what you have control over in your classroom. Focus on addressing what you can control, not what you can’t control.
7. Remember that you do not have to have the last word. Give yourself and your student time. Giving yourself and the student an opportunity to calm down will allow for a better long-term outcome. Providing a delayed consequence can be just as effective as one given in the moment.
Learning through Self-Reflection and Collaboration
In the past, teaching in isolation was the practice of teachers with one teacher in each classroom, making the concept of learning through selfreflection and collaboration with colleagues a difficult concept for teachers to understand and put into play. As education has and continues to change, educators work in teams and partnerships. This encourages educators to share and reevaluate best teaching practices to keep up with the changing times – keeping it REAL! Currently, if you are not learning through selfreflection and collaboration with colleagues and/or administrators, it’s time for a change!
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com
Sometimes the undesired behaviors in our classrooms are not the fault of our students, but the blame lies with us. At times, we may be feeding into negative behaviors and/or actions in our classroom. For example, we had a student who was not being successful. At one point, we sat down to discuss what was holding us back from working successfully with this student. After much selfreflection and discussion, we determined that some of our strategies were feeding into the student’s behavior. We were able to make some changes to our approach with this student and observed rapid improvements. These are the strategies we found most effective.
1. Use open and honest communication to become comfortable discussing your approach and the positive and negative aspects of the approach.
2. Reflect on successful and unsuccessful interventions. Spend time identifying the factors that lead to each outcome.
3. Consult with co-teachers and team members before meeting with parents.
4. Let go of “my role” versus “your role.” Identify and utilize the strengths of your colleagues to best meet the needs of the students.
5. Encourage each other in practice new skills.
6. Develop and use your own style. Different styles can still create successful outcomes.
7. Self-reflection is an easy and effective way of reviewing ourselves in relation to our students. We recommend these self-reflection tools.
• The GREAT 8-Classroom Instructional Practices https://pbismissouri.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/06/8.0-MO-SW-PBSTier-1-Workbook-Ch-8-Classroom-1.pdf
• Classroom Universal Inventory https://www. pbis.org/school/tier1supports
• Classroom Check-up http:// classroomcheckup.org/
Whenever we recall our student telling us “Life is about keeping it real,” we look at one another, smile, and think about our students and the important life lessons they have taught us. Life is about keeping it real and so is classroom management. Educators can make classroom management too difficult, trying theories with scripted language and actions, step-by-step approaches, or little strategy guidance. We have found REAL Classroom Management to be a common-sense approach that takes the difficulty out of classroom management and just keeps it REAL. Hopefully you will too.
References
Dustova, G. & Cotton, S. (2015). Classroom Management Strategies. The CTE Journal, 3(2), 32-42.
Jones, K.A., Jones, J.L., & Vermette, P.J. (2013). Exploring the complexity of classroom management: 8 components of managing a highly productive, safe, and respectful urban environment. American Secondary Education, 41(3), 21-33.
Mcintosh, J.D. (2009). Classroom management, rules, consequences, and rewards! Oh, my! Science Sampler, p. 49-51.
Padmaja, C.V. (2012). Classroom management: An approach. The IUP Journal of English Studies, 2(2), p. 39-42.
Raina Martin and Claire Slama, Behavior Specialists, Columbia Public Schools, Columbia, MO, rmartin@ cpsk12.org and cslama@cpsk12.org
Photo courtesy of
Counselors and Educators Supporting Parents and Students
Strengthening Your Bedside Manner During IEPs
By Jessica Lane
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com
Story of Simone
Today Stephen and Angelique are headed to their first individual education plan (IEP) meeting for their daughter, Simone. Nerves are high for both parents. School came naturally for both of them as they soared through public school, college, and professional programs. Both were successful for numerous years in their professions before having kids, and as Stephen rose in success, the two decided to have Angelique stay home to tend to their three kids.
Now as the IEP meeting is to take place, Angelique questions her abilities as a mother, since her life’s work for the last 7 years has solely been their kids. She feels inadequate and lacking a “motherly nature,” since she has been successful in all other areas of work and school. As her youngest daughter is struggling with both speech and motor skills she questions the school’s ability to help. She has been fighting the “labels” and the help for a while now, but realizes that at the end of most days she feels like she has failed, that her daughter is not keeping pace with her peers, and in quiet moments, she worries that she does not have the skills or resources necessary to help her daughter. She feels as though she has somehow let herself, her husband, and her daughter down.
Stephen also holds a lot of mixed emotions that are hard for him to express. Stephen is used to feeling competent in most things, and in the past, has found if he just tried or worked harder, things typically work out. That approach has not worked with his daughter, Simone, no matter how hard he has tried. At times, he becomes frustrated and impatient, which also embarrasses him. He also wrestles with whether his work outside the home and his mission to provide has somehow short-changed his ability to parent and support both Angelique and Simone. He questions the value of an IEP, as these types of measures were created for other children, not his, or at least that is not how he imagined it. He feels the personal anguish and let down of placing his daughter on an IEP. Both Stephen and Angelique are feeling anxious for the unknown. Usually they are the “experts” in the room, but now they will only be the parents. What will that feel like? Both feel a great sense of personal responsibility, fear, and failure for Simone’s needs and even a bit of resentment with one another that this is where they currently are with their daughter. What could they have done differently? Better?
Story of Mark
Today is Mark’s IEP meeting. Nervous for what to expect and how the meeting will go, Mark’s mom, Stacia, comes to the meeting with a thick stack of legal documents that she was to read and understand prior to the meeting. However, the documents brought up many questions, many fears, and many tears that she is now trying to hold back. She has read through the documents provided, but they seem very legal, confusing, and impersonal. What does this mean for her son? What is she agreeing to? Will her son be pulled out of the classroom like others were when she went to school? Will everyone know her son is “different”? What could she have done differently to better support him? Why was she such a failure for him?
Nerves creep in as she enters the school. School did not come naturally for her growing up, the course work was really difficult, and going into the building conjures up feelings of struggling, being inade-
quate, or just plain “not smart.” Stacia desperately hopes Mark does not feel the same way she did growing up.
As she walks into the meeting room, Stacia feels another layer of anxiety come over her. She is met with a room full of educational experts all facing her in almost in an “us versus you” mob. They are all there to tell her about her son, speaking in educational jargon and methodical tones that feel both rushed and detached. She has questions about the IEP, but doesn’t want to come across as stupid for asking such questions. She feels pressured and whether true or not, she perceives she is being told how she should parent, adding to her own personal insecurities as a mother. Stacia leaves the meeting after a whirlwind of emotions and signing off on something she did not fully understand or have time to grasp.
While I hope that the previous scenarios are inaccurate, I know that there are elements that have and do ring true for parents. Though these two scenarios paint very different stories, what must not be overlooked are the shared feelings of fear, uncertainty, and loss found within both. Undoubtedly, parenting holds many unknowns. Parents typically want as well as or better for their children, and when reality might look or turn out differently than planned, it can lead to a sense of failure or loss.
As educators, we are trained and astute to the predictability of an IEP meeting. Some counselors, educators, and support staff may attend and participate in dozens if not hundreds of IEPs in their career. As with any job, it is easy to become desensitized to certain aspects that are standard and almost “routine.” However, to a parent, attending an IEP meeting is anything but. It is important that educators do not lose sight of this. We must remember that the IEP document, the meeting, the proposed outcomes, and the whole experience is about someone’s child – a parent’s entire world. Therefore, it is critical that much like physicians sharing life-altering information, educators, must keep a necessary “bedside manner” in working with families, particularly as we work with parents and guardians around special education needs.
The initial IEP meeting can truly set the tone and trajectory for the working relationship between home and school. During this time, parents must be reassured that the school has the student’s best interest at heart. Taking the perspective of the parent in an IEP meeting cannot be overstated. Using an empathetic lens to see what a parent may be experiencing is crucial to the success of any meeting, most notably the initial meeting. The role of both school counselors and educators is to advocate for academic, behavioral, social, and emotional growth. There are many opportunities to advo-
cate for students and families, but one that should never be discounted is the time surrounding an IEP and meeting.
The stories of Simone and Mark highlight critical components that families deal with during this trying time. Parents’ previous school experiences, insecurities around individual parenting ability, a myriad of feelings, and the fear of the future typically accompany an initial IEP meeting. The following tips are provided for school counselors, educators, and all school staff involved in IEPs and IEP meetings.
Meeting Set Up
The Physical Environment. From the onset, nonverbal cues such as the physical set-up of a meeting room or timing of an IEP meeting can impact perceived power differentials and initial responses to the school and the meeting process. Setting the physical environment for inclusiveness sets the stage for a productive meeting. Power differentials can be quickly assumed by the dynamics of the meeting room. Something as simple as utilizing a round table, or sitting in a circle where all stakeholders are visible, provides a subconscious sense of a “level playing field” rather than an “us vs. them” mentality. In the case of Simone, her parents were critical of the perceived power of the school and their “lesser role,” whereas in the case of Mark, Stacia was fearful of the imbalance of power and concerned for her lack of agency. By creating and offering an environment that is inclusive, the subtle message that all people and opinions, regardless of “level” and expertise are valued at the table.
Timing. The timing of the meeting is also important. Finding a time that is equally beneficial for parents by offering multiple days/times, looking at opportunities before or after school, or even over the lunch hour shows consid-
eration and respect for the parent and their needs. In each scenario, the school’s responses to the demands of Stephen’s busy work schedule and Stacia’s role as a single mom, thoughtfulness and acknowledgement versus inflexibility and priority, would support or impede the development of the necessary working relationship between school and home. School staff should demonstrate an awareness of the demands of parent stakeholders, acknowledging that parents are often trying to balance the important roles of parent and provider. Sadly, too often meetings are rigidly scheduled during plan times that are convenient for only one party. When parents cannot make those prescribed times work, commonly, unfounded and unfair judgments are made about the parents’ commitment to his/her child and their child’s education. In many instances the opposite is true, and parents are working very hard to keep their job, and provide for their child; they simply do not have the level of flexibility in their day that is desired or assumed. Openly offering times that can be mutually agreed upon, neither rushed or forced, sends an important message to parents that the educational system wants to work with them not against them. The nonverbal cues of timing and environment leave a lasting impression on families.
Home-School Bridge
Parents as Experts.
The school counselor should keep the mindset of serving as a bridge between school and home, and serve as the parent advocate within the meeting. School counselors are privy to school norms and the IEP process and implementation, but are also well versed in student and family support. IEPs and education in general should be a collaboration between school and home. While teachers, counselors, and school psychologists have the training and credentials
and are experts on the subject matter, equally weighted are the parents, as they are the experts on their children.
Include Strengths. Sadly, sometimes schools and staff view parents as “part of the problem,” when they should really look to parents as informants to the solution. Parents have been with their child from day one, they know the intricacies of their child, and what makes them tick. They see their child for all that they are, their strengths and their weaknesses, and have a truer whole-person perspective that educators can sometimes lose sight of. At times, a school’s view of a student can be fragmented or heavily focused on deficits, and an IEP naturally lends itself to this model. However, in such a meeting it is important to provide just as much support and acknowledgement of what is working and the strengths of the student. This can be a very valuable contribution that parents and family members can provide. The school counselor should help to empower parents to share their knowledge, making the parent feel their contributions and insights are equally weighted. By collaborating with parents, both sides can learn what works in school and at home and share useful strategies. This minimizes repeated, unsuccessful efforts and reinventing the wheel and strengthens the continuity between home and school for the student.
The Meeting
Recognize the Whole Person. It is important that the student being discussed is acknowledged for the person he/she is and that an all-encompassing whole-person review is provided. This would include artifacts from all classes, discussion of the student’s interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, and notable social-emotional skills the student demonstrates. Counselors and educators can
balance strengths with perceived deficits and share stories of personally working with the student in the classroom, on special projects, or during school clubs and activities. These personal stories can often lighten the gravity of the moment and show that the school and its educators know and see the student for who they are.
In applying this whole-person approach to our scenarios, if the school sees Mark’s many gifts and talents and how hard he (and she) are trying, Stacia may feel more supported and affirmed. Likewise, by talking for a few minutes about Simone and her loving, bubbly personality at the start of the meeting, Stephen and Angelique may feel comforted knowing that Simone is not labelled, but a loved and supported person that the school wishes to provide more resources to ensure her success. Taking those extra few moments for personal stories, highlighting strengths and open communication, increases the chances for moving parents from guarded and hesitant to supported and amenable.
Minimize Jargon. Another important component to a successful meeting is being mindful of the language, and jargon we use. Education has its own language of acronyms and jargon that the outside world is not as accustomed to, and these terms can quickly sideline people in the conversation. It is important to speak in a way that isn’t condescending, but inclusive of all. If you hear a colleague inadvertently use educational jargon, it is appropriate to follow up or paraphrase what was said in an inclusive way.
Pace. The pace of the meeting is also important. Providing opportunities to clarify any questions or opportunities for discussion can help family members feel like integral mem-
bers of the decision-making process. Counselors and educators who sense the parents are feeling overwhelmed, can insert a question or ask for clarification on the family’s behalf. The question may seem rudimentary in nature to an educator, but it may be necessary for the parent to hear the information in another way. Also important is allowing parents the chance to recalibrate information received and catch their breath during the meeting. This tip could be beneficial when working with a parent like like Stacia, who already feels overwhelmed and less than. Speaking clearly with Stephen and Angelique without being condescending is equally important. As counselors and educators, it is essential that we meet parents where they are just as we do with students; regardless of academic or educational level, parents must feel informed and treated with respect.
Acknowledge Emotions. Lastly, as illustrated in the earlier vignettes, it is paramount that school counselors and educators recognize that parents are bringing many personal emotions to this meeting. A multitude of feelings and emotions may be at play. Common parent responses to special education services and IEPs can include denial, fear, sense of loss, and feelings of being overwhelmed. All of those feelings are valid and should be tended to. It is important that school personnel not take responses personally, as parents’ initial responses can be emotionally driven. In those moments of fear, failure, loss, and feeling overwhelmed, defenses and protective reactions can come into play. In short, “What you say about my child you say about me.” Combine this with the parents’ positive or negative school experiences, their childhood generational experiences, or their parents’ support or lack of support. Therefore, a supportive bedside manner is critical to the home-school working relationship and ultimately the success of this student.
The old adage – “You may forget what they said, but you’ll never forget how they made you feel” is truly applicable.
In closing, while the technical pieces of an IEP are important, the true underlying success of any IEP meeting is the relational piece between school and home. As parents step into the unknown of special education and IEPs, they are seeking knowledgeable, understanding, compassionate professionals with excellent communication skills and a genuine interest and investment in the success of their child. Parents should feel informed, supported, and perhaps even empowered when they leave the IEP meeting, armed with a clear understanding of next steps to support their child. It is important that school counselors and special educators provide the essential supportive bedside manner and model empathy for the parents as they enter this world with their child.
One of the joys of a new school year is the opportunity to reflect on the previous year, come refreshed, start anew, and begin with improved personal and professional goals for the year. As you create that list for yourself, I hope that you will make it a goal to not lose your personal compassion throughout the year, which includes placing yourself in the role of the parent whenever possible with regard to the IEP process. Remember that you are working with a parent’s pride and joy, and as you keep your bedside manner be sure to try to recognize and reflect upon all of the many emotions that come with the important role of raising a child.
Jessica Lane, Assistant Professor, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, jjj3636@k-state.edu
Second Annual Richard L. Simpson Conference on Autism
October 10 & 11, 2019 | Overland Park, KS
We invite you to join us at the Second Annual Richard L. Simpson Conference on Autism sponsored by MSLBD & Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN).
This conference is for professional educators and related service providers who serve learners with autism in public schools.
Keynote Sessions
Thursday Keyote
Nothing About Us Without Us: Perspectives of Autistic Self-Advocates
Panel Participants - Elizabeth Boresow, BMEd, Music Therapist, High Five, LLC, Lenexa, KS; Khai Devon, BA, Training Coordinator Goodwill Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas, Kansas City, MO; Madison Holcomb, Board Member, Camp Encourage, Leawood, KS; Moderator, Leslie Bross, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Friday Keynote
Beyond the “ABA vs. Eclectic Debate”: Why are We Making this so Complicated?
Brian Boyd, Associate Professor & Director, Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, University of Kansas
Thursday select two Half-Day Workshop Sessions, Friday Choose from 18 Breakout Sessions, Lunches included both days. Conference social event on Thursday evening.
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Building the Social Emotional Learning Plate that All Students Need
By Nick Yoder
Teachers know that educating students is a complex job – not only do teachers need to help students learn academic content, but also help them navigate their social and emotional worlds inside and outside of school. This is no easy task with family issues, peer relationships, social media, and all the other concerns on students’ minds. With mandates, the pressure of high-stakes testing, and other job demands, how on earth do teachers have time to support all students?
The good news is that states and districts are increasingly supporting teachers in their endeavors to not only focus on the academic competencies of students but also student social and emotional competencies. Thanks to ESSA and education of the whole child, as well as concerns about school safety, social and emotional learning (SEL) has been the focus of increasing attention by educators in recent years. However, with all the other current demands being placed on them, teachers have concerns that they will not have the time or support to engage in SEL.
Let’s take a look at why SEL may be worth paying attention to, and how it’s possible to do it without further stress to schedules that are already full.
From both research and personal experience, I can tell you that SEL is not going away any time soon for one simple reason. It’s what our youth – all of our youth – need to succeed in school, become informed citizens, and be productive in the workplace.
When I began teaching in Chicago Public Schools almost 15 years ago, the state of Illinois had just adopted the first set of SEL standards in the coun try. This happened as a result of the Children’s Mental Health Act of 2003. To be honest, as a firstyear teacher, I did not know what SEL standards were or what they meant for me or for my students. However, the more I dove into the work of SEL over the past 15 years as an educator, instruc tional coach, preservice teacher, and researcher, I learned that SEL has always been an implicit part of the educational system. After all, the ultimate goal of education is to equip students with knowl edge and skills needed for success in school and ultimately in life. We all know success in the future takes more than academic knowledge. It also de pends on the ability to set and achieve goals, make responsible decisions, navigate social situations, and so much more. So SEL has been in the educa tion system – in overt and covert ways – for a long time, dating back to Dewey and even to Aristotle.
Defining SEL
dents need to successfully navigate school, work, and life. The five competences include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. SEL approaches are designed to make social and emotional competencies an explicit and intentional goal, so that education is designed to fully prepare students for the future - socially, emotionally, and academically.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, https://casel.org) defines social and emotional learning (SEL) as the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain relationships, and make responsible decisions. Isn’t that exactly what most teachers, particularly teachers of students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD), try to do everyday?
CASEL’s integrated framework identifies five core social and emotional competencies that all stu-
I can tell you that SEL is not going away any time soon for one simple reason. It’s what all our youth need to succeed in school, become informed citizens, and be productive in the workplace.
Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not preparation for life but is life itself.
~ Dewey
Students use a variety of social and emotional competencies in their day-to-day interactions, as well as when they engage in rigorous academic instruction across content areas. For example, students need to be self-aware of what they do and do not know when social studies teachers ask them to engage with historical text. Similarly, students need to be able to use perspective taking (social awareness) when language arts teachers ask students to accurately identify a point of view in a text; or students need to make responsible decisions and handle the materials with care when science teachers ask students to carry out a science investigation. Numerous examples exist about how students and adults use social and emotional competencies during instruction. In fact, states, such as Michigan and Minnesota, align their social and emotional learning goals with their academic standards.
Research on SEL
Although educators know that social and emotional development is important, they often ask two critical questions. The first is, “Are social and emotional competencies important for life success?” The answer to that question is a resounding “Yes.” For example, in a longitudinal study that followed individuals for 20 years, from Kindergarten to age 25, Jones and colleagues (2015) found that when kindergarten teachers rated their students’ social competence, their ratings related to a variety of student outcomes 20 years later. For example, when students have a higher social competence score in kindergarten, they have a
greater likelihood of graduating from high school on time, graduating from college, and full-time employment by age 25. A higher rating of social competence also predicted a decreased likelihood of being involved with police or receiving public assistance at age 25. Furthermore, in a study of the job market, Microsoft (2018) identified that the fastest growing occupations in the country by 2030 will require social and emotional skills and 50% of students will not be ready for those jobs – demonstrating the need for the education system to focus on supporting student development of these skills, alongside families and communities.
The second question educators often ask is, “Can educators influence student social and emotional development?” The answer to that question is also “Yes.” Research on SEL programs and practices has proliferated over the past two decades, and there is strong and compelling evidence (with literally hundreds of studies involving hundreds of thousands of students) that SEL approaches are effective. In one important study, in 2011 researchers (Durlak and colleagues, 2011) conducted a meta-analysis (or “study of studies”) of 213 separate studies. In 2017 this same group of authors (Taylor and colleagues, 2017) conducted a second meta-analysis of an additional 82 research studies that followed students over time (beyond the initial posttest). In both of these reports researchers found that, compared to students who did not receive an SEL program, students who engaged in an SEL program
• improved significantly in academic achievement, social and emotional competencies, prosocial behavior, and positive behaviors; and
• had decreased emotional distress and behavior problems
Supporting SEL
We know from research and from experience that students’ skills to manage themselves in the classroom, communicate effectively with their peers and teachers, and make good decisions in the classroom are important. We also know that teachers have made great strides to support student development of these attitudes, knowledge, and skills, however, they cannot do it alone. They need support from the federal, state, and school-level policies and practices that afford teachers the knowledge, resources, and time to more fully embrace SEL.
Fortunately, multiple efforts are underway to support teachers and young people. For example, 25 states are now involved in CASEL’s Collaborating States Initiative (CSI), and 22 districts are now involved in CASEL’s Collaborating Districts Initiative (CDI). In addition, the Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development brought together researchers, policy makers, practitioners, youth, and families together to create a report from the nation on strategies that the nation (stakeholders across the system) can implement to create a comprehensive, sustainable SEL effort nationwide.
In the remainder of the article, I provide examples about how each level of the education systemclassroom, school, state, and federal - are making strategic advances in supporting student social, emotional, and academic development.
Resources to Support SEL
• CASEL’s Collaborating States Initiative (CSI)
• CASEL’s Collaborating Districts Initiative (CDI)
• Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development
• The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders
• Edutopia
• The ASCD Whole Child
In Classrooms
As teachers continue to support student social and emotional development in more strategic ways, they can make use of three approaches to implement SEL, which can be done through an SEL program (prepackaged curriculum) or through instructional strategies. The three methods include the following (Dusenbury, Calin, Domitrovich, & Weissberg, 2015; Yoder, 2014):
1. Targeted instruction to support social and emotional development occurs when teachers use instructional time to provide explicit instruction on student social and emotional development. For example, a teacher may explicitly teach students lessons on how to make effective decisions or how to take the perspective of others.
2. Integration of academic instruction occurs when teachers embed a social and emotional competency during an academic lesson. For example, a teacher might encourage students to use a common goal setting formula to organize their academic goals for math, or, during a history lesson, might identify the social and emotional skills an explorer might need – such as initiative-taking behavior and perseverance.
3. General teaching practices can be used to support student social and emotional development and encourage students to develop and practice competencies all through the school day. For example, a teacher might routinely organize students into collaborative working groups to tackle an academic task or establish morning check in routines that allow students to briefly say how they are feeling and why.
Each approach in isolation and in combination is important to create a comprehensive system of support for student social and emotional de-
velopment in classrooms. Students need explicit instruction in social and emotional development, and they also need the opportunity to apply their skills. If we as educators do not create a space for students to use their skills, then we cannot expect them to fully learn them.
In Schools
Teaching is a stressful occupation and teachers need support that helps set them up for success with their students. There are important steps school leaders and leadership teams can take to support social and emotional development for students, and for adults. To begin, teachers need opportunities to reflect on their own social and emotional competencies and well-being, for example, through celebrating their own successes, discussing their strengths in teaching, feeling safe to discuss their areas of improvement, and reflecting on their social and emotional competencies. Teachers can also engage in a professional learning system focused on SEL, in which grade-level teams, department teams, or the whole school can learn about SEL, the core competencies, and practices that support student development. The professional learning system also includes coaching and support, as well as a deep commitment to embed the principles of SEL through other school efforts (e.g., discipline, trauma, multitiered systems of support, school improvement, and curriculum and instruction).
At the State Level
Demand from teachers has also encouraged state policy makers – including legislatures, governors, and department of education staff – to develop policies and guidelines that promote SEL. Although no state currently mandates SEL in classrooms, states have taken multiple approaches to promote
Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all ~ Aristotle
SEL within the state, including legislative action, SEL standards, and guidance documents and professional learning.
A large number of states have passed or are attempting to pass legislative action that promotes SEL explicitly or SEL related skills. For example, Washington state passed three legislative actions to develop SEL standards, indicators, professional learning, and guidance documents. The legislature also required the state department of education to convene an SEL workgroup made up of stakeholders across the state to develop these policy documents. The Minnesota legislature required the Minnesota Department of Education to develop the School Safety Technical Assistance Center. As part of that legislation, they required schools to use multiple strategies, including SEL strategies, to reduce discrimination and other poor behavior.
States have also encouraged SEL implementation by defining what students should know and be able to do by grade-band, or SEL standards or competencies. Currently 14 states have articulated SEL standards or competencies for prekindergarten through Grade 12 (although not all states have developmental indicators). It is important to note that states are not developing SEL standards or competencies to “standardize” SEL for students, but rather provide emerging evidence for teachers about how these skills grow and develop over time, providing teachers with tools and resources to support student social and emotional growth, inside and outside of school.
Fourteen states have also created implementation guidance or professional learning to directly sup-
port teacher implementation of SEL, oftentimes aligning SEL efforts with other mandated efforts. For example, the Tennessee Department of Education aligns their social and personal competency effort with their educator effectiveness efforts, providing teachers professional learning on social and personal competencies that aligns with the teaching practices that teachers can find in the state observation rubrics. Similarly, the Michigan Department of Education aligned SEL-related activities to their school improvement planning process, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education aligned SEL to their teacher preparation standards, in-service standards, and academic standards, providing additional supports and suggestions about what teachers and school leaders can do to more fully embed SEL within the daily life of students. Each state hopes to offer teachers tools that they can use to more effectively support teachers as they engage students in SEL.
Example State-Level Resources
• CASEL State Scan Scorecard Project
• Committee for Children Social-Emotional Learning Bills
• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Social and Emotional Learning webpage
• Minnesota Session Laws, Chapter 160-N.F.No 826 School Student Bullying Policy
• Tennessee Department of Education Social and Personal Competencies webpage
• Michigan Department of Education Mental Health webpage
• Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Social and Emotional Learning webpage
At the Federal Level
SEL is supported by federal policy in multiple ways. First, through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, states have an important opportunity to define student success more broadly to include SEL. Specifically, ESSA affords states, in collaboration with teachers and other stakeholders, an opportunity to articulate a vision of education that supports a well-rounded education, including the development of social and emotional skills, technology, art, and health (Gayl, 2017). Furthermore, teachers can implement at least 60 SEL interventions that met the ESSA Tiers I-III evidence requirements to support school improvement efforts (Grant and colleagues, 2017)
In addition to ESSA, legislatures are working to include SEL within federal policy. Even though these legislative actions have yet to pass, two bills incorporate SEL: H.R. 1864 on chronic absenteeism encourages SEL as a strategy to address this issue, and H.R. 2544 looks at ways to reduce teacher stress, a key component of SEL. Other federal actions include embedding SEL within other policy guidance. For example, The U.S. Department of Education released, Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline, in which SEL is a key strategy to reduce disciplinary actions in schools and create the conditions all students need to thrive in school. This guidance encourages teachers to support the development of social and emotional competencies as a tool for students to engage more fully in the learning experience. Further, CASEL is co-sponsoring a Hill briefing on SEL in teacher preparation programs, identifying strategies that higher institutes of education can engage in to prepare teachers to support the social and emotional development of young people.
Example Federal Policy Resources
• H.R. 1864
• H.R. 2544
• Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline
Taking Action
SEL continues to emerge as important practice to support the development of the whole child and create a well-rounded education. Teachers, families, policy makers, and community members can ensure that the school, home, and community are safe and supportive spaces in which students can learn and develop. Some suggestive action steps include the following (noting that this is not an exhaustive list):
• Define social and emotional competencies. Multiple terms and definitions exist when referring to SEL and student social and emotional development. It is important for your school and community to share a definition of the skills and competencies that you want students to develop within and outside of school experience.
• Create opportunities to develop and apply those social and emotional competencies. Often times we expect students to know how to use their social and emotional competencies across contexts. However, students do not necessarily always know what skills they need to use and when. Thus, it is important for you to create opportunities for ALL students to learn and develop their competencies, while also recognizing that some students will need additional support.
• Embed SEL. We use many social and emotional competencies throughout our day. Thus, SEL should be embedded throughout the system, recognizing how our social and emotional competencies play out in different contexts,
and how the principles of SEL unfold in other related initiatives.
• Support adults’ social and emotional competencies. We continuously model our own social and emotional competencies to students, from how we regulate our own emotions, how we get along with our colleagues, and our own ability to grow and develop. We need to create spaces for the adults who interact with students to not only learn about SEL for youth, but also reflect and grow their own social and emotional competencies.
• Create a community. Coming back to Dewey’s quote from the beginning of this article, learning is inherently social. To truly support social and emotional development, it is critical to create a community of learners – from students, to adults in the building, to families, to community partners.
As SEL policy continues to develop across federal, state, and school levels, it is important to recognize the multiple vantage points that you can engage in this work. For example, many states have advocacy groups comprised of parents, educators, and community, such as the Social and Emotional Learning Alliance for the United States. In addition, multiple state departments of education develop SEL advisory groups or working groups to identify and develop state-level policies and guidelines, whereas governor’s offices form Children’s Cabinets to develop policies that support the whole child.
Nick Yoder, Director of Policy and Practice, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Contact Nick at casel.org for reference information.
MEDIA
Podcast Pulse
By Marc Benedetto
Welcome back to another school year. In this issue, we share our recommendations of several podcast series focused on teaching and educational leadership. If you find something you like, you can subscribe to these podcasts or stream them online.
10 Minute Teacher by Vicky Davis is one of the most popular teacher podcasts with over 500 episodes and listened to in over 195 countries. You can listen to this podcast every weekday and access the complete archive at https://www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast/.
Every Classroom Matters, Davis’s original podcast is fully archived on the same site (all 298 episodes). https://www.coolcatteacher.com/teacher-podcast/
Better Leaders, Better Schools by Daniel Bauer offers 30 to 40 minute informational podcasts on topics ranging from instructional change agents, clarity, equity, and swimming in the deep end.
School Leadership, also by Daniel Bauer offers 3- to 10-minute motivational podcasts for educators in any position. Both can be found at www.betterleadersbetterschools.com/podcast/.
Insightful Conversations by Dave Stachowiak will expand your leadership knowledge. These 30- to 50minute podcasts offered on his Coaching for Leadership website provide thoughtful perspectives, experiences, and tips from outside the education field. https://www.coachingforleadership.com.
Truth for Teachers is Angela Watson’s podcast series of weekly short episodes intend-
ed to speak life, encouragement, and truth into the hearts and minds of teachers. These would be great conversation starters for a small group of educators. https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-forteachers-podcast/
Classrooms That Manage is a set of seven 20-minute podcasts by Jonathan Sandlin on setting up rules, procedures, expectations, and incentives. ReThinking Behavior readers will hear tried-and-true practices applied to current classrooms.
https://podcasts.applecom/us/podcast/classroom
The Bedley Bros., Tim and Scott, combine their 50+ years of classroom experience to present a series of podcasts that bring educators shop talk with educational leaders. Their latest 30-minute episodes feature school violence, social-emotional learning, and the school-to-prison pipeline, among many others. https://www.thebedleybros.podomatic.com
Feeling a little stressed or off balance? The Balanced Educator by Kailey Lefko and Josianne Barnabe offers weekly podcasts designed to equip and empower educators and parents to feel more calm, balanced, and joyful.
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/balanced-educator-podcast-education-mindfulness-growth/id1345647639
Also recommended are MindShift, from public radio station KQED., and The Cult of Pedagogy with Jennifer Gonzalez. We’ve featured these podcasts before and continue to include them in our favorites list.
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/category/mindshiftpodcast/ https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/pod/
What are YOU listening to? Let us know what your favorite podcasts are - educational and otherwise. Email us at rethinkingbehavior@mslbd.org
Websites
The Child Mind Institute A Helpful Resource for
Parents and Professionals
Website Review by Claire LaChance
Happy listening and hopefully an enjoyable, productive school year.
Marc Benedetto, Retired Special Services Coordinator, Westside Community Schools, Omaha, NE, mbe62571@gmail.com
As a special education teacher of 13 years, and parent of a 12-yearold with anxiety, I find the Child Mind Institute website (https:// childmind.org/) to be a useful tool in both areas of my life. It offers support and accurate information for parents, insight and research-based articles for professionals, and even some sections that older children could read to gain perspective and support. The Child Mind Institute website describes their organization like this:
The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most.
I initially came across this website when my father sent me an article he had read that reminded him (and then me!) of my daughter who was dealing with severe anxiety that focused on vomiting. My daugh-
different than other babies. She cried constantly, only letting my husband and me soothe her, and often we couldn’t. She sometimes cried when people made eye contact with her. It wasn’t until she was two years old that we acknowledged that she was experiencing anxiety. That summer she became very afraid of the wind. If she would hear the wind rustle leaves in the trees or she felt a breeze, she would completely panic and run inside in terror. She spent a lot of time that summer sitting in her nanny’s car, watching her friends play at the park. She was verbal very early and hyper aware of her surroundings, the emotions of others, and the potential for disaster. She started talk therapy at age seven and medication at age eight. She is now 12 and continues medication and work with a psychologist.
Beginning at about age nine, she developed a phobia around vomiting. We were never able to pinpoint exactly when it started as there wasn’t a clear trigger. She constantly felt she was nauseous, started coming home from school “sick” multiple times a month, and would spend hours sitting in the bathroom thinking she was going to vomit. The article my father happened across was titled Fear of Vomiting: Shame and secrecy complicate a common phobia in children by Deanna Cioppa (https://childmind.org/article/ fear-of-vomiting/). As I read it, I wondered if it was somehow about my own daughter. It was so reassuring to hear that we weren’t the only ones dealing with this type of phobia! As parents, we did the best we could, -but it wasn’t until we found a qualified psychologist who helped her go through 10 steps of
desensitization and exposure therapy, that was she able to overcome her phobia with vomiting. She still exhibits anxiety in various ways and situations, but we can seek necessary assistance when needed.
After reading the Child Mind Institute article on vomiting phobia, I signed up to receive emails from The Institute, and have found many ways to use their resources in both my professional and personal life. The Child Mind Institute website is easy to navigate and is organized well. As either a parent or educator, it’s intuitive when accessing information that may be of interest. The main headers on the homepage are Topics A-Z, For Families, For Educators, Our Care, Our Research, Our Impact, and Get Involved. The Child Mind Institute is a real place in New York that offers a variety of supports and services. The Institute offers numerous services and clinics for diagnosing and treating young people including an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Behavior Disorders Clinic, an Anxiety Disorders Center, a Learning and Development Center, a Mood Disorders Center, and a Psychopharmacology Center. The Institute employs clinical psychologists, school psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, behavioral technicians, data analysts, medical doctors, research coordinators, imaging data analysts, speech language pathologists, neuropsychologists, research scientists, MRI specialists and more! It specializes in individual care as well as public forums. The website lists upcoming events – some at no cost, and others, such as ongoing classes, for a fee.
A potentially useful tool for parents on the Child Mind Institute website is the Symptom Checker. Any adult in a child’s life who may have concerns can use this simple screening checklist to identify concerning behaviors. The website, of course, is very clear that this is not meant as a substitute for a diagnostic evaluation. The Stories and Ask an Expert sections are accessible for families. There are real life stories told from an actual patient’s perspective, and advice from professionals on a specific question.
As an early childhood special educator, one area I found particularly useful in my work is the Guide to Developmental Milestones. In my work serving children with disabilities from birth to age 3, much of my work is working with parents. This is a link I often shared with parents. It gives simple lists of typical developmental milestones at 1, 3 and 7 months and 1, 2, 4 and 5 years of age. These are a great way for parents to keep an eye on development and note any
areas where they may have concerns. It allows them to see their child’s strengths in all areas of development - movement, social-emotional, language, and cognitive. It is important for parents to be reminded of what their child does well - the list shows milestones the child has achieved!
Another section on the homepage titled Parents Guide to Getting Good Care is very informative. It is downloadable and includes the sections: Does my child need help?; Where to go for diagnosis help; What should I look for in a diagnosis?; Who can assist with treatment?; Pre-treatment questions to ask your doctor; How do I know if I’m getting good treatment?; and What if my child has multiple disorders? This is another great resource for professionals to share with families getting a diagnosis or looking for help in navigating services.
The Institute website homepage changes frequently with new articles, topics, and links. To give an idea of the wide variety of content, the homepage currently features these topics: Behavior Problems; Why Are Kids Different at Home and School?; Anxiety- How to Help Kids Manage Fears; Depressive and Mood Disorders; and Extreme Tantrums and Irritability. I recall articles and Question & Answer documents on a range of topics from teen vaping, to Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD), to Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD), to how selfies impact girls’ self-esteem, to Dyslexia. The potential for topics is vast, and there is a wide variety to read about at any given time for both parents and professionals.
The Child Mind Institute offers a very useful resource to us as educators and parents. Information is not presented with the feeling of an organization selling themselves or their services. The helpful information appears to be based on appropriate expertise and research. It provides useful information helpful to parents and professionals working to improve children’s mental health. The website is easy to navigate. Yet it has a professional feel to it. The Child Mind Institute is a website that educators, mental health professionals, medical professionals, and parents could all use to benefit their interactions with children.
Claire LaChance M.Ed., Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Roseville Area Schools, MN. claire. lachance@gmail.com.
Books
Inside Mrs. B’s Classroom Book Review by Brooke Green
Inside Mrs. B’s Classroom (2003) is an account of Leslie Baldacci’s experience with the Teachers for Chicago program. The book follows her as she starts out in a seventh-grade classroom and is then transferred the next year to second grade.
Baldacci was a wellknown journalist who decided to try her hand at teaching. She found a program where she could take classes at a community college while teaching to earn her certification. Baldacci was accepted into the program after resigning from her well-paying job as a journalist. Going in she thought it would be easier than it truly was. With her background knowledge of Chicago’s educational reform efforts, she knew it would be tough, but did not know exactly how tough.
Baldacci started her teaching career in a seventh-grade classroom. These kids were rowdy and tough to control. She quickly learned what many of her students were going through in their lives outside of school. Baldacci became their friend as well as their teacher. By the end of the year, the students as well as Mrs. B had gained a wealth of knowledge.
After a tough road with the principal of her school, Mrs. B was placed in a second-grade classroom the next year. She had planned to make it a cheerful cozy room but found that hard to do on her small budget. She quickly learned that her second graders were liv-
ing through many of the same experiences that her seventh graders had and she connected with them.
Baldacci’s storytelling gives the reader a look at the hardships an educator can face when teaching in an urban school and the passion needed to make a difference in the lives of students.
Inside Mrs. B’s Classroom
Author: Leslie Baldacci
Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 2003
ISBN#: 063-9785382621
Type: Nonfiction
Review by Brooke Green, special education graduate student.
Raising Blaze Book Review by Jim Teagarden
The unflinching account of a parent charged with “bringing up an extraordinary son in an ordinary world” is the basis of Debra Ginsberg’s book Raising Blaze (2002). She knew that her son was unique was present at the moment of his birth. What came much later was the knowledge that for many Blaze’s differences would not be seen as gifts but as impediments to his success. His development was a mirror of his uniqueness. He never crawled but rather at age one stood and walked; by age four, he knew the complete works of Miles Davis; and by age
five, assigned colors to the days of the week, letters, and later words. From his first day of kindergarten, Blaze was considered a “problem” in the classroom. The host of experts who sought to label him were equally frustrated and unable to reach a consensus on a diagnosis, course of intervention, or prognosis.
Writing with passion and humor, Ginsberg provides the reader with a front row seat as she spins her tale of endless meetings with school personnel, psychologists, and many other professions, all of whom arrive with their answers to what makes Blaze “different,” convinced that their answer is the correct one.
A powerful advocate of her son and a compelling voice for those raising special kids, Ginsberg weaves her personal story of challenges and triumphs into a book that speaks for all parents. Raising Blaze is also a message of hope for all those who have difficulty in following Blaze’s grandfather’s advice to “give the teachers what they want.” Throughout the book Ginsberg’s message that a single person whether, parent, teacher, or other, can be a safe harbor in life’s storm or can be the storm itself should be taken to heart by all privileged to work with the unique children of the world.
Raising Blaze
Author: Debra Ginsberg
Publisher: Harper Collins , 2002
ISBN#: 0-06-000432-0
Type: Nonfiction
Reviewed by Jim Teagarden, Professor of Special Education, Kansas State University, mrt@ksu.edu
From Darkness to Light: Teens
Write about How They Triumphed over Trouble
Book Review by Ruth Bowman
From Darkness to Light (1994), edited by Julie Landsman, is a collection of personal stories gathered through a Fairview Press Publishing essay contest in Minneapolis, MN. Each of the 60 short stories is written by teens who found the courage to share their triumphs in overcoming
troubles and sorrows ranging from family dysfunction, illness and disability, drugs and alcohol, body image, peer pressure, depression, immigration, and frequent moves. This book examines the turbulent lives of some Minnesota youth and in some cases, their successful outcomes.
After reading the book’s introduction, I mentally prepared myself to read about the pain and sorrow inflicted upon our young people. Even so, I had tears in my eyes every time I read another story. Knowing that teens had shared their personal stories made extremely difficult for me to read. Knowing that each author could be a teen I knew in rural Minnesota made my heart pour out. It took a great deal of courage for these young adults to share their challenges and successes publicly. I think many readers would connect to bits and pieces of these stories, as shown in this example. “In reality, I was a boy who was afraid, lonely, and insecure…and…light poured into my darkness” (Byrne, p. 174).
I think that all general education teachers should read this book. It may help them better understand the reasons for a student’s poor grades or bad attendance. Instead of punishing a student, they may be more inclined to stop and ask why that behavior is occurring and take the time to talk with and listen to the student.
I thought the editor did an excellent job of not changing the tone or style of each teen author. All 60 authors told their stories very well, particularly considering how difficult it must have been for them to relive their experiences. With this book, the teenagers offer hope, healing, and courage to other teens facing obstacles in their lives.
Darkness to Light
Edited by: Julie Landsman
Publisher: Fair View Press, Minneapolis, 1984.
ISBN#: 0-925190-36-5
Type: Inspirational/Nonfiction
Reviewed by Ruth Bowman as a Graduate Student, Southwest Minnesota State University, rbowman@ bertha-hewitt.k12.mn.us
The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager’s Story of Longing for Acceptance and Friendship Book
Review by Patricia
Kuefler-Ross
Dave Pelzer writes his inspiring story in an attempt to encourage others and offer hope for individuals with an abusive past. The author credited those who helped him through his adolescent years by stating, “If it wasn’t for the invaluable assistance of others, I was destined to be doomed.” This book illustrates how a supportive group of friends and a good neighborhood can make the difference in an at-risk teen’s life.
Pelzer describes how he always felt that he did not fit in, and that he tried to follow cues from his peers on how to act so that he could belong. Pelzer describes how bullies targeted him and reinforced his feelings as an outcast. Numerous foster placements also contributed to his feelings of oddity. It wasn’t until he found a supportive father figure, a neighborhood, and some boys who became lifelong friends that his needs to belong were satisfied. Through it all, Pelzer became a survivor who came to understand that if
he could survive his unique past, one that set him apart, he was capable of handling anything.
I feel this story has major implications for educators and others interested in working with children. The author helps us to remember that some children may find it difficult to understand love and the sense of community. Pelzer’s description of wanting to belong and feel validated is such a basic human need that is so often taken for granted. It is difficult to imagine that some children feel they are not worthy of acknowledgement and respect as human beings. Teachers need to keep in mind that some students’ lives are disrupted by numerous home and community factors and that they may not have anyone who can help them be successful. The author’s story makes me think about students who move frequently during the school year and how disruptive this is for a child’s basic need to belong in a community.
Pelzer shares how his need to belong was satisfied by working endless hours and sacrificing many of the activities enjoyed by his peers. It appeared that his early entry into the work world forced him to grow up faster than others his age. In the concluding chapter, the author confides that his accomplishments eventually helped him gain the acceptance and a sense of belonging that he yearned for in his younger days. Readers will develop an awareness of need to acknowledge and assist children who have difficulty socializing with their peers and who tend to self-isolate and escape.
The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager’s Story of Longing for Acceptance and Friendship
Author: Dave Pelzer
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 2004
ISBN#: 0-525-94769-8
Type: Nonfiction/Autobiography
Reviewed by Patricia Kuefler-Ross as a Graduate Student, St. Cloud State University, interwitt@yahoo. com
Answers for Metal Illness and Paper Clips:
Top Photo: Anxiety Disorder
Bottom Photo: Bipolar Disorder
Mental Illness and Paper Clips
By JimTeagarden
We’d like to introduce you to JimTeagarden’s artwork capturing mental illness. Jim experienced a life-changing event that prompted him to seek support and guidance, leading him to create several pieces of art representing mental illness diagnoses. Here are two examples of Jim’s art with more appearing in future issues. See if you can identify the diagnosis represented by each! Check page 43 for Jim’s intended diagnosis for each.
We invite you to join the MSLBD Facebook Page and vote on each piece of artwork to see if your interpretation matches the artist’s. We hope to foster dialogue there about understanding and acceptance. You can also share the links to these images with students, families, colleagues, and friends to initiate conversations about how mental illness impacts individuals, families, and society.
Be sure to read Zach Tremper’s personal story on page 7 in which he shares the impact his bipolar disorder has on his life, his teaching, and his students.
©James Teagarden, 2019
©James Teagarden, 2019
RECOGNIZING OUTSTANDING EDUCATORS!
The Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders annually recognizes excellence in classroom service to students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and classroom service to students with behavioral or mental health needs with its “Outstanding Educator” awards.
Do you know someone who should be recognized for their work with students? If so please nominate them! Nomination information for these and other awards can be found at: https://mslbd.org/what-we-do/awards/
The Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders annually recognizes individuals for the following awards and stipends.
• Outstanding Advocacy: Outstanding advocacy for students with emotional or behavioral needs
• Outstanding Leadership: Outstanding service and leadership to the field of E/BD at the national level
• Outstanding Educator: Outstanding achievement and excellence in classroom service to students with behavioral needs
• Outstanding Educator of Students with Autism: Outstanding achievement and excellence in classroom service to students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Note Deadline for this award only is July 1)
• Building Bridges Award: A stipend to a program serving students with behavioral needs to provide seed money for program development
• Masters Degree Student Stipends: Up to two Master’s students pursuing degrees with an emphasis in working with students with behavioral needs
• Doctoral Degree Student Stipends: Up to two Doctoral students pursuing degrees with an emphasis on serving students with behavioral needs
Nominations Due November 1
