First Five Years
Meeting Those Special Needs

Students with disabilities need resources and support--and so do their teachers.

When Drew Houlihan entered his classroom his first year of teaching, he thought he was prepared to meet the needs of all his students. He was assigned a part-time classroom assistant and he had only 23 students in his class.

But soon after his first week, "My confidence dropped and my vision for my classroom had to be adjusted," says Houlihan, a second-grade teacher at A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Eight of my students received special education services and were pulled out of my classroom at least four days a week. I needed to keep updated on my students' progress, and I wanted to collaborate on strategies."

Adequate time for planning and collaboration is critical when working with special needs students. All classroom teachers--but beginning teachers especially--need time to adapt materials for students who learn differently, to communicate with parents about student progress, and to collaborate with other staff members about appropriate strategies.

Houlihan was fortunate to work in a school that emphasized staff collaboration. But not all teachers are that lucky. A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education found that teachers' confidence in working with students with disabilities often depends on their relationships with their schools' special education teachers. While most teachers felt they received the support they needed, more than one-third reported receiving little help. (You can check out the study at www.spense.org/Results.html.)

One of the first things new teachers should do is meet with the special educators in their schools, including related service providers such as speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, and school nurses. "Once they realize you're open to suggestions, they likely will share loads of materials and resources with you," says Houlihan.

Beginning special education teachers need to reach out to their colleagues as well, says Rhonda Thompson, a special education teacher at Bolton High School in Millington, Tennessee. Thompson, who is in her fourth year of teaching, encourages other teachers to visit her classroom and observe class activities. Communication between the general education and special education teachers is key, she says.

"Be nice to everyone because your relationships with them reflect on how they relate to your students," says Thompson. "Don't just leave a problem child with a regular education teacher without providing any instruction on how to handle the child. You are the special education expert."

If you have a student in your class with special education needs, find out which of the student's goals and objectives you can address in your classroom. Also, ask about specific materials or equipment you should use and any accommodations for instruction and assessment the student might need. Special education teachers can explain ways to assess and grade the student's performance and provide information about completing necessary reports.

Sometimes new teachers feel unprepared to teach students with disabilities. "My student teaching experience was phenomenal, but looking back, it was very unrealistic at times," Houlihan admits.

Matching the classroom reality with the training preservice programs provide can be a challenge. The Department of Education study found that fewer than one-third of beginning teachers received any preservice preparation on collaborating with special education teachers. Although two-thirds learned how to manage student behavior, only slightly more than half received preparation on adapting instruction. Thompson encourages preservice teachers to keep the materials and resource guides they receive in college so they can draw on that research-based information in the classroom.

New teachers also can turn to many worthwhile websites and books designed to help teachers address the needs of students with disabilities. (See Resources below for suggestions.)

"When teachers have support and resources, they can be successful teaching all their students--including those with special needs," says Houlihan.

--Patti Ralabate
NEA Student Achievement Department

Two Minute Tips

Extra Points Worksheet
To keep students occupied after they finish a test, I always attach a word search with words from my lessons. I tell students to complete the word search after they finish the test. This keeps all students engaged during the test period and allows slower students to work at their own pace. At the end of the period I collect all the papers. All the students don't finish the word searches, but I give them extra points for their efforts.

Michael Ciavola
Wallingford, Pennsylvania

Organized Lesson Plans
Keep a binder for each class you teach divided into sections for each day of the week. Have an additional section for make-up work. Write your lesson plans for each day on separate sheets of paper and place them in the appropriate sections. Also include any handouts you need. If students are absent, place the day's handouts in the make-up work section. You now have a record of everything you did during the year, along with the handouts you used.

Midori Wagner
Sonoma, California

Resources

Meeting the Challenge
Meeting the Challenge: Special Education Tools that Work for All Kids offers effective strategies and practical resources to help students overcome academic or behavior difficulties. The book includes specialized forms, checklists, rubrics, individualized education program (IEP) goals, behavior modification plans, and other resources teachers in general and special education can use in their classes. $15.95 from the NEA Professional Library. To order a copy or for more information, go to http://home.nea.org/books/.

Surviving IDEA
The New IDEA Survival Guide explains the most pressing concerns about IDEA '97, including discipline, developing IEPs, managing paperwork, and communicating with parents. $5.95 from the NEA Professional Library. To order a copy or for more information, go to http://home.nea.org/books/.

Partner Up
The IDEA Partnerships, funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, involve more than 200 organizations committed to a common message about the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The group's website offers information to help teachers, administrators, families, and policy makers navigate the act. The site features articles, professional development resources, a question-and-answer section, and links to other useful websites. Visit www.ideapractices.org/.

Nobody Ever Told Me

Holding On
My first year of teaching I taught language arts in a middle school with double periods. During a break between periods, I heard a commotion at one end of my room. When I reached the group at the center of it, I found a student lying on the floor, having a seizure.

"What do I do?" I thought. I pushed back the panic and remembered two things I had heard about seizures: Don't let her head bang against the floor and don't let her swallow her tongue. I had no idea how to protect her tongue, but I could cradle her head, which I did.

It ended in less than 10 seconds. The student looked around, confused, and then jumped up. I sent her to the nurse with a friend, then calmed the other students. The experience was scary at the time, but the student was fine. She still laughs about it.

Anne Kaufman
Sixth-grade language arts teacher
Middletown, New Jersey

Got a Story?
E-mail kloschert@nea.org.

[Dilemma]
What do you do if a child comes to school sick?

When I have a sick student on my bus, I try to comfort the child. If the child has an upset stomach, I offer the child a plastic bag in case of an accident. I notify my dispatcher and ask to have an administrator or school nurse meet my bus when I arrive at the school.

Mary Simmons
Bus driver
Grayson, Georgia

I send the child to the nurse and ask the nurse to contact the child's parents. If the child has to wait in my classroom for her parents, she rests her head on her desk or she relaxes in my rocking chair and reads a book.

Felicia Arnold
Third-grade teacher
Vernon, New Jersey

We call the parents and ask them to pick up their child. If we can't reach them, we call one of the emergency numbers on the child's card. The child stays in the health room until we reach someone who will pick up the child.

Jeanette J. Marquardt
Administrative receptionist
Bothell, Washington

The teacher and I make the child as comfortable as possible. Then we contact the child's parents. If we cannot reach a parent, and the situation is urgent, our social worker makes a home visit to see if anyone is home. If a responsible adult is home, then the social worker or the principal may take the child home.

Teresa Barbour
Teacher assistant
Johnston County, North Carolina

I send sick children to the nurse, who takes their temperature and holds them for pick up. If there is no contact number or it is not in service, the sick child remains with the nurse until the school day ends. If the child feels better, the child may return to class.

Kathy Hetrick
Special education resource teacher
Phoenix, Arizona

Got an Answer?

How do you help kids cope with test-taking anxiety?
E-mail your answer to dilemma2@list.nea.org. Or send by regular mail, or fax to 202/822-7206. Include your name, city, state, and job. If published, you will receive an NEA Today mug!