***This is the third blog post in a continuing series detailing the launch of a new district EBD center housed inside a traditional high school. Now that the “regular” school year is over, Jenny and I are in the thick of getting things handled for the new program. I thought I’d feel pulled in fewer directions. […]
Author Archives: sara
“Who Gives a Final in Social Skills?!?”
Pfft. That one’s easy to answer: every single teacher who works in a school that requires all credit courses to culminate in a final exam. That’s who. School districts aren’t too keen on ideas like “the real benchmark of a student’s success will come not in the classroom, but in the corridors outside of it.” […]
#2: Intake Interviews (aka. Being Pecked to Death By Chickens)
***This is the second in a series of blog posts about the process Jenny and I are using as we prepare to set up a new district high school center for EBD transition services in our school district in August 2016. Everybody in this line of work knows what it’s like to get a move-in […]
#1: Setting Up the Room–Making a List, And Checking It Twice (So Far Today)
***This is gonna be a long one, but it’s because I think that the classroom environment can make or break an EBD classroom. I’m not JUST rambling, I promise! I’ll be making additional posts in the coming days and weeks about how Jenny and I are setting up and preparing for our new program set […]
“OMG, MS. DZIADOSZ IS ABSENT! THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!”
I’ve got some family stuff going on that is likely to lead to me being absent for several days unexpectedly, so this year I’ve been pretty obsessed with making sure I have a set of solid, successful, and simple sub plans (that was some quality alliteration) ready to go. Just this week, I got a […]
Like a Magnet
Wherever I go, I am a magnet for quirky people. Statistically, the probability of engaging in an interaction with a person with behavior disorders is pretty good for any individual. Something like 10% of teenagers in America have a conduct disorder. Something like 90% of my outings into the community involve an interaction with a person […]
Behavior Plans Begin At Home
One of the pitfalls of being the “behavior lady” is that everyone (E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E) you know gets put on a behavior plan at some point. And they work even more poorly at home than at work. Right now, I’ve got my longtime partner, George, on a BIP. I have had George on a BIP since I […]
I’m Judging You!
Being the “behavior lady” is a weird job. My contract (and my teensy, weensy, itty, bitty paycheck) says “teacher.” My clipboard and walkie-talkie say “administrator” (Even though I’m not. Seriously. I have zero power to make any decisions about anything). I’ve been going around doing a LOT of interviews with current case managers and classroom […]
Family Relationship IEP Tips
Let’s face it. Our students’ parents pretty much have PTSD by the time these kids are in high school. They’ve spent the last 15 years or so gulping down lungfuls of air between ocean waves, and they’re more or less exhausted. For a lot of families, the ugly reality that their soon-to-be-adult children aren’t likely […]
The “Finals” Countdown!
George and I were talking about school (because, second only to talking about what OUR kids are doing and how we’re going to pay for dry rot repair around the chimney, school is our primary topic of conversation), and the subject of final exams came up. I’ve been doing this “alternative scheduling” thing with kids […]
