What is it like to be a Special Education Teacher for Extended School Year?
I learned during my field observation that being a special education teacher for Gwinnett County Public School opens the door to many opportunities, one of which is the availability to work as a teacher for Extended School Year (ESY). Students are eligible for ESY services if they have an IEP and have data to support significant gains made on their individual goals and objectives. In addition, the student has displayed regression when returning from a break.
The site I visited was Chattahoochee Elementary School in Duluth, Ga, where I had the opportunity to shadow a teacher in the Moderate/ASD program. Chattahoochee ES is an older, red brick building with a newer addition …show more content…
Bowman was preparing the daily schedule, as the para placed the chairs and morning work folders on the rectangular table. The students’ names were written in black sharpie directly on the table, to indicate where they needed to sit. The students arrived at 9:30am. First, they unpacked their backpacks and begin their morning work folder. I learned this is the same routine every day. In the folders there were sheets for tracing name, numbers, and the alphabet the teacher informed me this was more for independence, with the exception of 4 students who had writing their name as a goal. The demographics varied, the gender ratio was 6 boys to 1 girl, representing 4 grade levels. I learned that the goals and objectives don’t always coincide with grade level requirements. Every 15 minutes a timer went off and the students rotated areas. Some students had a sensory diet; they went out of the room, assisted by the paraprofessional, to the alert and calming rooms. This intrigued me because not all students received this service. One of the students began to jump on the trampoline, it seemed to make him less lethargic. The para informed me jumping would alert him and he would perform better on his individual goals. The para educated me about sensory diets, the occupational therapist generates them. We returned to the room at 10:15, the 3 students sat at study carols and began their goals and …show more content…
Bowman took data as the students worked. One student was working on math while the others read with the paraprofessional. The rotation continued until data collection on all students had been completed. Along with taking data, Ms. Bowman and the para would multi-task by redirecting certain students to stay in their area until the timer went off. At 11:40 the class went to recess, when they returned at 12:00pm they took out their snack and sat at the rectangular table. Ms. Bowman went over the calendar month and they sang a weather song and alphabet rap, while having a snack. At 12:15pm the students prepared for dismissal and at 12:30pm went to their bus or car. From 12:30pm-1pm, Ms. Bowman recorded data and prepared for the next day. During this time I conducted my
I learned during my field observation that being a special education teacher for Gwinnett County Public School opens the door to many opportunities, one of which is the availability to work as a teacher for Extended School Year (ESY). Students are eligible for ESY services if they have an IEP and have data to support significant gains made on their individual goals and objectives. In addition, the student has displayed regression when returning from a break.
The site I visited was Chattahoochee Elementary School in Duluth, Ga, where I had the opportunity to shadow a teacher in the Moderate/ASD program. Chattahoochee ES is an older, red brick building with a newer addition …show more content…
Bowman was preparing the daily schedule, as the para placed the chairs and morning work folders on the rectangular table. The students’ names were written in black sharpie directly on the table, to indicate where they needed to sit. The students arrived at 9:30am. First, they unpacked their backpacks and begin their morning work folder. I learned this is the same routine every day. In the folders there were sheets for tracing name, numbers, and the alphabet the teacher informed me this was more for independence, with the exception of 4 students who had writing their name as a goal. The demographics varied, the gender ratio was 6 boys to 1 girl, representing 4 grade levels. I learned that the goals and objectives don’t always coincide with grade level requirements. Every 15 minutes a timer went off and the students rotated areas. Some students had a sensory diet; they went out of the room, assisted by the paraprofessional, to the alert and calming rooms. This intrigued me because not all students received this service. One of the students began to jump on the trampoline, it seemed to make him less lethargic. The para informed me jumping would alert him and he would perform better on his individual goals. The para educated me about sensory diets, the occupational therapist generates them. We returned to the room at 10:15, the 3 students sat at study carols and began their goals and …show more content…
Bowman took data as the students worked. One student was working on math while the others read with the paraprofessional. The rotation continued until data collection on all students had been completed. Along with taking data, Ms. Bowman and the para would multi-task by redirecting certain students to stay in their area until the timer went off. At 11:40 the class went to recess, when they returned at 12:00pm they took out their snack and sat at the rectangular table. Ms. Bowman went over the calendar month and they sang a weather song and alphabet rap, while having a snack. At 12:15pm the students prepared for dismissal and at 12:30pm went to their bus or car. From 12:30pm-1pm, Ms. Bowman recorded data and prepared for the next day. During this time I conducted my