Tag: middle school

The Sh*t They Don’t Tell You About {SpEd} Teacher Interviews.

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**This post is adapted from my original**

While I doing some research to help one of my former Paraeducators prepare for her first teacher interview, I realized that while there are lots of articles and blog posts about Teacher Interviews, they seem to fall short in material for Sp-Ed teachers!  So not its time for: The Shit They Don’t Tell You About: SpEd Teacher Interviews!  Here are a few tips for your Job Hunt and Interview, with an appropriate amount of realness and humor, mainly geared towards SpEd Teachers.  But these tips will work well for any teacher or para position as well!

Since High School, I have held 3 para jobs and 4 different teaching jobs due to many moves, and I have been on interview panels for both teachers at my site, as well as para-educators in my classroom.  And while I do not hold an admin credential or HR certificate (I’m sure my HR Manager Sister will correct me if I am wrong on any points here), I feel pretty confident that these tips could help you out in your job hunt.   If you think of any more, feel free to add them in the comments!

  1. Tailor (AND PROOFREAD) your Resume and Application
    OK, so this one is more before the interview, but it is so important!  I get snapchats from my sister almost daily with Candidates making huge spelling mistakes or gaps in their application.  Even if you are using an online job hunting tool (like Edjoin) to complete your application, make sure that the Resume is proofread by a friend or parent, is in an openable and readable format (export to PDF ya’ll!) and that all of the items they ask for, such as credential copies, degrees, or transcripts, are attached.  Feel free to TAILOR your Cover Letter to your potential employer.  It may take a little extra time but trust me, they can tell! And that extra effort is worth it to them. (Bring a copy with you, most employers will already have one, but it’s good to have just in case!)
  2. Do Your Research
    Nothing says inexperience more than showing up to an interview with NO IDEA what the job or school is all about.  You don’t need to know the backstories of all of your interview panel but please at least read the Job Description. Ask clarifying questions to show that you are serious about the Job’s demands (For example: “I read that this job requires Case Management of my students, what supports are available to assist in case managing?”). It will also help if you know what the grade level or support level the job is asking for so you can help tailor your responses. If the school is proud of their new technology or a championship team, it will look good on your end to bring those things up in conversations.
  3. Look the Part
    Regardless of the dress code at your potential job, my motto is always to “Dress for the job you want (IN 20 YEARS)!” I might want a teaching job today, but who knows, in 20 years I may want to be Superintendent! So it does not matter if your potential school lets you wear jeans or sandals, please don’t wear them to your interview.  Yes, even your nice ones.  Leggings are out as well, even if like me, you live in them.  Dress Slacks or Skirt, Conservative Top or Decent Dress. Hair Groomed (Men, you too!). No cleavage or boxers showing.  You don’t have to wear a face full of makeup but maybe a little mascara and CC Cream to cover those under eye bags? (I know I’d look a bit Zombie-like without my concealer and that doesn’t exactly scream professional teacher).   Does this sound sexist? Too Conservative? Etc? I’m sure you’re sitting there saying, “Umm excuse me this is 2018 I don’t need to conform to those rules”  True.  You don’t have too.
    But guys, this is real life here, and chances are your interviewers are either from a generation that expects this level of professionalism, or respects the position and will not place someone in it who does not respect it as well.  You could be teaching in the Hippy-est part of the country, but with all experience being the same, an interview team will hire someone that respects themselves and their future position enough to present themselves well over someone who does not.  They also know that your future students Parents want to see a teacher that cares about presentation while they are molding future minds.  Annoying, maybe.  But true nonetheless.
  4. Prepare for the Questions!
    Ah Yes, the dreaded question portion, AKA the 10 minutes of your life that they get to judge you relentlessly based on every little word you say.  That’s why my mantra is LESS is MORE!  “But Samantha, I want to let them know that I know EVERYTHING I need to know to be a great teacher!”  I get it.  I was there.  I wanted them to know that I knew all about Curriculum and TEACCH and Behavior Management and ABA and PECs and RTI and ASJDSDJG….. You see how it just turns into Word Vomit at some point? You want the interview team to remember the good points of what you say, and they can’t do that if they are busy trying to jot down and remember ALL of what you said.  The likelihood that you will be word vomiting after 2 minutes of an answer is very high.  Try to keep your answers short and concise.  If it is a two part question, try to answer both parts in order and reference the question in your answer.
    It does help to know your stuff in regards to your potential new position! If they run off of an ABA model, research all you can about it and come prepared.  If you know they use a certain curriculum, it will give you bonus points if you show you know how to lesson plan or administer it.
  5. Paras….
    A basic rule of thumb about questions dealing with paras is, always defer to your district!  It may not seem like it, but they do not want to hear how you will come in and change how everything about your classroom and any instructional aides is handled, even if you only have the best intentions.  The chances are, your paraeducators (IA’s, aides, etc) have been there longer than you, they know the students and district better, and they are used to certain routines.  The admin knows that some Paraeducators are resistant to major changes. Saying that you will come in “Dictator-Like” and change things can be a red flag for districts with Older and experienced paraeducators because they know that there will be personnel trouble later on.  Some key phrases to remember when answering about paraeducators or staff management: “I am open to suggestions,” “I respect their experience and knowledge regarding the current students”  “I am looking forward to collaborating”.  Also know that no two districts are alike. Just because you may be the direct supervisor of your paras in one district, the principal or special education coordinator might be the supervisor in the new position. It is good to ask about your role!
  6. And Parents…
    Different districts have different policies about parent communication.  If you are in a high litigation district, they may request that you keep copies of parent communication. Other districts let you text with your parents and students casually.  Again, it is always good to ask before you answer a question with limited knowledge!
  7. Ask the Questions! 
    There are a few key questions I always like to add at the end of my interviews besides if I have any real questions about the position.  One is “Do you have any questions or concerns about anything on my resume?” Some interviewers are restricted to only ask certain questions of candidates. Asking this at the end allows them to ask you about anything they may question after the interview in your resume such as gaps in your experience.
    I also like to ask about administrative support, assessment teams, and any extra responsibilities that I may have to take on in this role.

Well I hope that this helps any future teachers! I know that I didn’t get into the nitty-gritty of the different questions you may be asked. But this post was already getting pretty long and honestly I don’t think that it would even be the same for two seperate districts.  You have experience, and you know what you know. Be confident but also ready and open to learning new things!

Good Luck!

 

INTRO: The Sh*t They Don’t Tell You: A Special Educators No Nonsense Guide to the Field

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Screen Shot 2019-09-08 at 2.19.23 PM**Caution, if you couldn’t tell by the title, this series may have some iffy language, if you’re easily offended, it may not be for you!**

Hello friends!

Welcome to my new Pet Project! The Sh*t They Don’t Tell You About Teaching Special Education!

I was inspired to write this series of posts while reading a similar book about Pregnancy and Newborns when I had my first kid.  I thought, “Hmm, this is some real shit, I wish they had this stuff about my job when I first started…”  This became more deeply my stance when I kept hearing stories from new Special Educators (Or Educators in general) listing all of the things that they DID NOT learn in Grad school!  I mean, what is even the point of going through 4 years of college and getting a post graduate degree if they aren’t going to prepare you for the Real World of Education?!

And so this blog series was born.

If you are a General Educator, Para-educator, etc, don’t worry! While most of this series was written from and for a Special Educators perspective, I’m sure you’ll find the information, and maybe even the humor, relative to your jobs as well.

Now as I mentioned above, the language may be a bit iffy.  And the topics may get a little intense.  I do not mean to cause a debate, although I welcome rational (lol) human conversations and discussions in the comments .  This information is coming from both my experience in the field, as well as actual research and discussions with other educators in the field. So it’s not all just my opinions.  But some of it is (it is My Blog after all).  So take it with a grain of salt and hopefully a glass of wine, and realize that while I hope you relate or learn something, it is also meant as entertainment. 

So lets dive right in to the First Post in this series:
What The Eff Can I Do With This SPED Degree?

Oh my sweet summer child, the opportunities are endless!

No really. You have a LOT of options.

In some states (California for example) you need to choose the direction you want to take your career before you get your degree.  The credential choices can include Mild/Moderate, Moderate/Severe, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Visually Impaired, Orthopedic Impairment, etc etc.  And will all depend on where you ultimately see yourself teaching.

A lot of teachers I think are ‘afraid’ of that SpEd degree because they think that it will pigeon-hole them into a Self Contained Classroom or with learners they don’t think they can handle (trust me though, you can).  But that is so not the case!  Perhaps you see yourself leading a pull out Learning Center for kiddos with dyslexia and learning disabilities, or run a class for Emotionally Disturbed high schoolers, then a Mild Moderate Credential is the way to go.

If you see yourself working with kiddos with Autism or Multiple Disabilities, you should probably go for your Mod/Severe.

If you specifically want to work with people who are Deaf or Blind, you may need to try for a more specific credential of VI or DDH.

You don’t need to know everything before you get your credential, but considering it is going to cost money and take up years of your life, I suggest you have some idea.

My personal opinion, even if you are afraid of the ‘bigger’ disabilities (the fear is just of the unknown y’all), go for your mod/severe. Many places will hire a mod/severe for a mild/mod position anyways. But not the other way around.

Now let’s dig a little deeper into what exactly you might be doing with your fancy new credential.   Chances are, your program required at least some volunteer work or student teaching, so you should know what kind of program you COULD get.  I suggest volunteering/working in as many different types as possible before needing to get a real person job.  Maybe you even got lucky and were able to Intern during your credential! An internship is a *PAID* big boy/girl teaching job that you can have while you are still in school.  Usually your school will hook you up with a mentor and you still have to take all your classes and go to all your mentorship meetings.  While this sounds like a lot, and yes it usually is, it is an easy way to get into the field and pay your rent at the same time.  More on internships at a later date.  If you can’t intern, districts are ALWAYS hiring subs and paraeducators/instructional assistants! Another brilliant way to get into the field and find your dream classroom.

Once you have whatever your state/country requires for the field, it is time to job hunt! Lets hope you made some connections during your student teaching/volunteer work because Special Education jobs are so hard to get! *Insert Sarcasm Emoji here so you know I’m kidding*.  But seriously, unless the teaching world drastically changes in the next 5 years, I think it’s pretty safe to say that you have some job security.  At this point, the hardest thing is just making sure all of your paperwork is in order.  Did you know after I got my MASTERS degree and CREDENTIAL, I still needed to pass 3 state tests and pay a fee to register with the state? Do you know any other job where they do that? I mean maybe Doctors? But med school? No thanks.  (Although my pay might be a little better….)

If your state has a job site for education positions, it would definitely be worth it to sign up. Many districts in California post jobs with EDJOIN.ORG.  Once you upload your resume, tests passed, and credential, then its an easy few clicks to browse and apply for a teaching job.  If they don’t have an Edjoin equivalent and you find yourself searching through districts, you can help yourself out by searching using Google Keywords. Instead of searching by going through each districts webpage, you can search specific phrases on google and hopefully get narrowed down results.  This also helps if you aren’t really specific about where you want to be.

However if you have a dream district, you can stalk their job boards and hope something comes up, or you can send your resume and a stellar Cover Letter directly to HR and try to sweet talk them into an interview.

But let’s get real again for a sec, Your first job is probably going to suck.

Hey you may get lucky and find something you love right off the bat.  But chances are, you wont be in love with your first teaching job.  AND THAT IS OKAY!  Between the ridiculous learning curve, the difference between districts, and the fact that no two children with disabilities are alike, you couldn’t possibly have been fully prepared! And hopefully no crazy admin is expecting you to be.  My first teaching job was an internship.  I started late October to a Self Contained Autism Program that had been completely taken over by a new district.  They were understaffed. We were on an old run down elementary campus.  We had significant behaviors I had never experienced before. I cried quite a few days on my 45 minute commute home.  I luckily had kind paras and a dedicated admin that helped me survive and thrive.  And though I ended up moving and leaving that job, it will always hold a special place in my heart as a place I learned SO MUCH.

I am not scared to admit that my new classroom is classroom number 4 for me as a teacher.  I have taught in a Non-Public Setting, an LD Middle School classroom, a K-6 for Severe/Profound multiple disabilities, and currently I am in a K-2 Autism Classroom. I have been in charge of as few as 1 paraeducator and as many as 6. I have been the newbie on campus and the more experienced one.  And though I definitely did not LOVE every position, I was able to LEARN from each and every second.

My point being, you may not like it at first.  It may take you a while to crack where you fit in this vast system. There is SO much opportunity and diversity in the SpEd World.  Stick to your strengths and remember that even though they probably did not teach you this in grad school, it’s OK to not know what you want to do with your shiny new SpEd degree yet.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read! If you liked it, leave a comment below or on my Instagram @funfunctionaleducation. And stay tuned for the next post in the series: TSTDTY About How to Nail Your Teacher Interview!

 

50 Things to Do Instead of Prepping on Sunday!

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Okay- I will be the first here to admit that I kind of like prep work- especially in special education where a lot of that is figuring out puzzles, visuals, cutting, glue, and Velcro. It can be therapeutic!

But I am NOT a fan of the way the teacher community often glorifies working on evenings and weekends! I recently came across the hashtag #SpEdPrepSunday on instagram.  My first thought was, “Cute, that is a cool project they are working on”.
My next thought was “Oh Crap, should I be working on that too? Does that make me a bad teacher? What cute Pinterest project could I be doing for my kids?” (Hello Teacher Guilt!)

But after my manic brain calmed down, all I could think was “But why the heck are they doing this on a perfectly good Sunday?!”  I don’t know about you guys, I do not get to turn in a Time-Sheet with the 4 extra hours I worked Sunday evening putting together crafts for this week or cutting out endless icons for our new Unit.  I do not get paid enough as it is and I certainly don’t get paid enough to be working for free on the weekends (let alone that I have to buy my own Ink, Velcro and Laminate most of the time).

The sad truth is that most teachers do not get a DIME more or less whether they work their butts off all weekend or sit on their butts eating Ice-Cream and Netflix binging.

Yes- I know. We do it because we love our jobs, our students, and there are never enough extra hours in our workday.  Believe me, I am super guilty of this as well.  But lets stop glorifying the extra work.  It should be the exception, not the rule.  You work hard enough as it is.  You are a champion for your students! You help with toiletting and feeding kiddos while also managing their legal paperwork AND you TEACH them academics! That’s a lot. So this weekend I challenge you to do NO PREP WORK! *gasp*

It took getting married (even then I have had hubby do his fair share of cutting and gluing on Sunday Nights, sorry boo) and having a baby to realize that while I love my job and my students with all of my heart, they are NOT my whole life.

So again, this weekend I challenge you to forgo the #spedprepsunday and make it a #SelfLoveSunday. Show your body, your mind, your family, your pets, whatever! Some love by doing one these things (or two, or seven, or fifty, it’s up to you)! Spread the love and share with an overworked and underpaid Teacher Friend!

50things

Time-Filler Educational and Movement Games

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Have you ever been at the end of your lesson and realized that you still had 10 minutes left in your period?

Have you ever been teaching and realized that your kids are basically sleeping, and you really can’t blame them….

Then it’s time for a game!

I call them “time-fillers” but in reality *most* are educational and can relate to what you are currently teaching. Here are a few that I have used this year. Some of them I made up, some a took from Drama class and some were modified from random items found online!

ABC Yoga Stretch
Use whenever your kids are nodding off- have them all stand with space between them. Have a child chose a letter and then have all of the kids attempt to create the letter with their bodies.  Another option is to create a team of 2 students and then have them race to create each letter using both of them before the other teams!

Animal Imagery
A basic game we did this week while practicing imagery for our Poetry Unit. We sat in a circle and one student thought of an animal. They had to describe the animal using only description and the 5 senses (what does it say, smell like, look like etc). Can be made more difficult using different animals or different types of descriptors, but we just did a basic one.

I Spy Imagery
Basically the same as the above game but using the game “I Spy” and the five senses. So instead of saying “I spy something green”, you can say “I spy something that feels rough” Or I spy something that would taste like wood”. Practice Imagery and observational skills.

Vocab Pic-tionary
We did this game to help us practice our vocabulary words with visuals. I gathered the kids into teams of 2 and gave them each a mini-whiteboard and a pen. They each were assigned 1 vocabulary word and had to come up with a drawing to represent it. Other teams would try to guess the word based on the picture. Points and Prizes optional!

Math Relay Race
I am fortunate enough to have a little ‘backyard break area’ behind my classroom. I set up a few obstacles like ‘stand on one foot for 10 seconds’ then balance a cone on your head for 10 seconds, etc. Once they got to the end, they had to solve a review math problem then run back to their line and then their teammate would go. The first team to solve all of their math problems wins!

Zip Zap Zop
This is a game I learned in my ‘teaching drama to elementary students’ class at CSUS. You can use a ball or just pointing (its easier to use a tangible thing for lower functioning students). You can begin by just saying Zip-Zap-Zop in order as you go around so students get the hang of it. Once they get used to the words you can create new rules such as ‘if you say Zip, you go to the right, if you say Zop go back to the left’. Be creative, the more rules the more difficult to follow, and the more fun to mess up! Practice processing and attention skills.

Fact/Opinion
Used to practice the difference between Facts and Opinions- Give each child a card that says fact or opinion on it. Have a list of mixed factual and opinion statements. Read them off to the students and when the students think they know whether or not it is fact or opinion, the put their card up on their forehead (facing forward so no other students can use their answers). You can use points, prizes, etc. The speedier it gets, the more fun!

Question Ball
A social skills game to practice asking interesting questions of others, as well as being interested in their responses and remaining in eye contact. The person who starts says a name, makes eye contact, asks a question, then throws the ball. The other student catches the ball, answers the question, and then asks a new question of another student. Going around until time is up!

1 Sentence Story
We did this during our fictional story writing/descriptive word unit and the kids loooved it.  We sat in a circle and I began a simple story (eg: Once upon a time, there was a princess named Rebecca). The next person in the circle had to say the next sentence in the story. We added rules as we practiced the game such as you must follow the story line, set up a plot action/solution, and conclusion, etc. I would give a time limit and they were ‘responsible’ for finishing their story by then. I could take notes on a white board to keep track of characters/plot and then read it back to them at the end to see if they had made any sense. Working together/group skills as well as story elements/plot building and description skills!

Debate/Rotate
We had this game out of the blue one day and they actually really liked it. It fit perfectly into our persuasive writing unit.  We began with a spin off of a ‘unity building activity’ our school gave us about setting boundaries. Rules were stated to the children such as “You have to turn off your phone by 10pm each night” and the students would align themselves next to signs that read “Fair” “Extreme” or “unsure”.  We took this one step further and I would pick one student from the “fair” and “extreme” group and have them explain in one sentence why their position was right. They like this so much that we came up with new ‘rules’ and even had the students come up with their own scenarios to debate.

Rock/Paper/Scissors Full Body
Basically the same as rock paper scissors. You do this as a full body game ‘versus’ the teacher. Have everyone turn their back to you (Or you turn your back). On the count of three have the turned away group jump back around and into a position of rock (holding knees on ground), paper (standing stick straight like a board), or scissors (arms and legs out like an X). You will be in a position too. Whoever you ‘beat’ has to sit down. The rest of the class continues to play until you have one winner or everyone is out. A fun movement time-filler.

Don’t Match Me- Animals
Similar to the rock/paper/scissors- pick three animals that are easy to act out. We chose tiger, elephant, and shark. Similar to the above game, face opposite directions, turn on count of 3 and make an animal! The goal is NOT to match the teacher. If they match the teacher, there is ‘turf war’ and the teacher always wins, so they are out. Good for imagination and as a movement game.

There are so many more out there, even books on this subject! But these are just a few that have been ‘tried and tested and loved’ by my fabulous students.