Sunday, March 6, 2016

Which Path to Take

Which Path to take


In the special education profession there are several paths available. The obvious path follows the beaten trail; it's down the lane where everyone expects you to go. Then there's the other path.  The second passage, that's the one that had my name written all over it!

I went from horticulturist to special ed teacher and at first I was fine with this transition. But, the status quo or 'normal' approach of treating our learning disabled kids wasn't giving me or my students the results they deserved. The kids weren't blooming. All kids deserve the best we can give them.  I wanted the kiddos to have the opportunity to weave down paths where they could bloom. To bloom like the roses I'd cared for in the past.

Once I maneuvered onto the unknown trail in search of 'roses' there was NO turning back.

The trail began innocently. In a way I think it started when a student needed a place to stay over a weekend. They would spend time with me and my family. Or, a parent would confide in me their concerns for the child's education. I'd make special arrangements to hang out on a Saturday with another student and learn more about them then I could at school. A parent would come into my office in tears. I'd try to help and I could at least listen. These special events, they impacted me.

Tourette's and Autism info
But there was more. These kids had enormous difficulties in reading, writing effectively, solving math problems and more. Even greater was their dislike for school. I needed answers. Parents needed answers.

I started out researching in an area where a student was having difficulty. Then another area of need would arise..for that student or for another student.

At the top of the picture that's in the center of this page is the receipt for the Tourette's conference I attended in St. Louis. One student had received a Tourette's diagnosis and I wanted more info on how to work with this disorder. It was a stepping stone on my path.

Categorizing my searches into areas like dyslexia, diagnostic teaching, brain processing and multi-intelligence helped me to sort out the massive amounts of info I was collecting. These binders held my mounds of paper; research I'd tucked away and forgotten about until I started cleaning out the storage area!

I have to admit that at first I was excited when I found these old things...only because I figured here's something I can get rid of!

Then I realized these verify my early searches. Now the question is do I keep these as reminders, or recycle them and free up space?
Early dyslexia and speech implementer info 

Save or recycle? In the meantime I'm amazed at the journey I've been on.