Rigor and Special Needs Students

Reading this for an upcoming webinar and presentation....

This book is a short read and FULL of information. So far it has been practical and easy to apply. Black line masters are included so that the strategies shared can be implemented in the classroom. As I work on the presentation, I'm also working on a couple of tools that can be used with the strategies to increase rigor with special needs students. The two I'm focusing on right now are Padlet and Skitch, so stay tuned! 

Quotes from the book thus far: 

• "Having high expectations starts with the recognition that every student possesses the potential to succeed at his or her individual level. " 
• "Consider rewards from the students' points of view. Some students respond to public praise; others prefer to be rewarded privately." 
• " Instead of running to the rescue of students who can succeed without us or even refusing to help such students, it is important to find ways to teach students to gain independence in their problem solving." 

Stay tuned! More to come I promise ;-)

Don't forget to check out my LiveBinder this week. I'm posting more resources. 

Have questions or need something! Leave a comment, I will reply and connect back with you. 

Always a learner.......

I'll admit....I've been in a teaching slump lately. I don't know what exactly started it, even though I can kind of guess when it started. From what I can tell on social media and just talking with other teachers, there has been a lot of the slump going around. It is so hard as teachers to keep going at times because we give so much of ourselves throughout the day. We pour everything we have into our students until we literally have nothing left to give. Most weeks we tend to run low on Wednesday or Thursday, but at times Monday can drain all that we have. I'm a special education teacher. With that being said, sometimes it is harder for us to keep going. We may give all we have just on Monday due to the needs of our students and the demands put on by federal./state guidelines. One thing I have found that lights my fire again or at least makes me smile is learning. I love reading professional literature that others have recommended. I love connecting with teachers on social media and gaining new ideas. I love connecting with others and developing my PLN (Professional Learning Network). Today was a day of that type of learning. If you have never been to an EdCamp I highly recommend it. EdCamp is a laid back conference where teachers get together and share what they want to. They connect with others on social media and find ways to enhance their own professional growth.  Once I find a few minutes to play with what I learned today, I will be sharing. Until then, find an EdCamp close to you and make plans to attend! I promise you will not be disappointed. As teachers, we learn every day. We learn by what we say and do. We learn by the content we teach. We also learn by listening and researching new ideas and a better way to do things. We chose teaching because we love learning. It may be a job during the day, but the learning never stops.

Until next time
~Melissa

Sharing a little about Simple K-12 today at EdCamp. I love this site! It makes professional development rewindable and has expanded my PLN to so many places. Blessed to present and share with others through this resource as well. If you have any questions about it, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer.