A Teacher's Playground

It’s something we deal with every single day as teachers…reaching every student in the class, and, in particular, meeting needs of those with “special” needs. Let’s face it, for all practical purposes, all teachers are in fact ESE teachers. Every student has a special need or two. However, many students struggle with very difficult physical, emotional, or academic challenges. It is my task as the teacher to make sure these students are able to succeed, even when the playing field isn’t exactly level.

Not ‘business as usual’

A student may not respond to other kids, their teachers, or to what is going on in the classroom in the ways we are used to seeing. I have to find creative ways to handle these situations with fairness and compassion. This student doesn’t need to “fit in” to my class, because all are welcome. I must make sure the child knows he/she belongs.

Too much to ask?

Is this too much to ask of the classroom teacher with only a course or two in special education? For some teachers, maybe it is. So many students end up repeatedly being sent to the office, or placed in time out, or continually punished in some way for their behavior. The behavior only gets worse and the situation deteriorates until the child is “removed” to another classroom or even another school.

As the teacher, I have to keep trying to find what works for that child. It might be where the child sits in the classroom, or who the child sits next to. It might be giving the student more/less choices, or more time to finish. What about allowing the child to take a break and finish the assignment later? The possibilities are endless.

The key is to be flexible

Like it or not, the teacher must be willing to change things up. Remember, I have to find what works for that child. All too often, teachers make changes to suit themselves. No, no, no. I have to keep in mind that I am meeting someone else’s needs, not my own.

One more thing

Realize, that teachers cannot do this alone. We need the support and cooperation of parents, other teachers, and administrators in our journey with this child. Also, it is crucial that we continue to educate ourselves. Subscribe to a special needs teacher podcast. Take another ESE course. Read, read, read everything we can on the subject.

This child may learn differently and challenge us continually to be better educators. But far from being a burden, this child is truly a wonderful blessing for the teacher and for the entire class. This is the student you will never forget.

Have you ever wanted to try something new at your school, but didn’t have the backing? You pitched it to your PLC and your colleagues seemed to like the idea…but you could tell they weren’t really on board?

For two years, I tried to convince my administration and co-workers to join me in setting up a “Maker Space” at our school. There was talk about creating a place for it, but ultimately the project went nowhere.

Just do it!

Finally, I decided to fly solo with a Maker Space in my classroom. I collected a lot of materials and compiled a parent wish list: hand tools, recyclables, building sets such as Legos and K’nex, circuit sets, broken cell phones, broken electronic toys, etc.

I poured through books and subscribed to online newsletters and websites to learn how to pull it all together. I decorated a corner of our classroom and dubbed it our Maker Space!

Unlike my colleagues, my students were very excited and curious about this new challenge. I designated Friday afternoon as the Maker Space time, and they could hardly wait until Friday!

Lots of choices

During our Maker Space time, they had five activities to choose from: Construction, Coding, Art Exploration, Electronics: circuitry & “take apart,”and Design/build a prototype.

After the first few sessions, I found that some students are clearly “builders” who love to work with their hands. Others completely enjoy exploring various art media to create something special. Projects involving circuits seems to appeal to the academically advanced students. But gradually, others are giving it a try and liking it.

Option #5, Design and build a prototype, was a huge hit with all of the students. One of the first tasks I gave them to do was to design and build a new theme park ride.

On their own, the students formed work groups, and got busy sketching out their ride ideas. One group needed to take a vote on what to build, because they had come up with three ride ideas! After several revisions, the groups were ready to build their prototypes.

It took three Maker Space sessions to complete the prototypes. Finding a place in the classroom to store the unfinished projects was a challenge. And as much as we tried to clean up after each session, the school maintenance crew dubbed our classroom the messiest on the second floor!

But I didn’t care, because I was so proud of the work the children had done and of the level of their engagement in the task.

What’s next?

I’m not sure if I organized the Maker Space true to form. Or if we are doing it “right.” But maybe that doesn’t really matter. They are making and they are loving it. More importantly, they are learning so many critical thinking skills through Maker Space. I will be “tweaking” it, but the Maker Space will be back next school year.