We got the long division done last night (note to self: don't forget to remind the teacher, resource teacher and Little Dude that he needs graph paper for the Math SOL); we could have done a little more, but we had to redo the suffixes sheet from the night before and he had to complete last night's homework. I think I might put Little Dude on the computer with spell check to review the suffix info. Or maybe I can just convince him to think of it as one big spelling test - he excels at spelling.
There is a "Class Placement Information" sheet attached to this month's online newsletter, so I've been thinking about next year for about a week now. The form is due by June 1st and there is a request for no letters. Makes me wonder whether the administration wants input from parents, but it seems easier to ask for input in May than to have an office full of angry parents in August. Question: "What type of instructional style meets the learning style of your child?" Maybe, just maybe a better statement might be: "Describe the learning style of your child." And at what age do you stop trying to improve their weaknesses and just play to their strengths? With some students it might be obvious in high school, but didn't the rest of us pick a major (or two or three) in college?
We made the jump out of "inclusion" classes this year and hope to continue next year. Not that there won't be any other IEP students in the classroom, we are just trying to ensure that the academic bars are set high enough to continue to challenge Little Dude and keep him busy with academics so we see few behavior problems and keep feeding his brain. But not wanting a lot of down time or boredom is a common interest of parents, I think. The inclusion classes worked well for us for a number of years as it is my opinion that these are very safe classrooms with almost no bullying and a wide range of acceptable maturity levels. The down side was the wide range of academic expectations: the low bar was not at current grade level. And Little Dude is not always self-motivated.
Here are some words and phrases I have used or will use for class placement:
Creative
Happy (in general and as a teacher)
Kind
Affectionate
Strong in science
Strong in writing
Differentiates needs
Organized, but not rigid
Challenges without overwhelming
Teaches/encourages a variety of methods
Allows movement around the classroom
Doesn't use sarcasm
No long term sub
No peanut butter restrictions
There is a "Class Placement Information" sheet attached to this month's online newsletter, so I've been thinking about next year for about a week now. The form is due by June 1st and there is a request for no letters. Makes me wonder whether the administration wants input from parents, but it seems easier to ask for input in May than to have an office full of angry parents in August. Question: "What type of instructional style meets the learning style of your child?" Maybe, just maybe a better statement might be: "Describe the learning style of your child." And at what age do you stop trying to improve their weaknesses and just play to their strengths? With some students it might be obvious in high school, but didn't the rest of us pick a major (or two or three) in college?
We made the jump out of "inclusion" classes this year and hope to continue next year. Not that there won't be any other IEP students in the classroom, we are just trying to ensure that the academic bars are set high enough to continue to challenge Little Dude and keep him busy with academics so we see few behavior problems and keep feeding his brain. But not wanting a lot of down time or boredom is a common interest of parents, I think. The inclusion classes worked well for us for a number of years as it is my opinion that these are very safe classrooms with almost no bullying and a wide range of acceptable maturity levels. The down side was the wide range of academic expectations: the low bar was not at current grade level. And Little Dude is not always self-motivated.
Here are some words and phrases I have used or will use for class placement:
Creative
Happy (in general and as a teacher)
Kind
Affectionate
Strong in science
Strong in writing
Differentiates needs
Organized, but not rigid
Challenges without overwhelming
Teaches/encourages a variety of methods
Allows movement around the classroom
Doesn't use sarcasm
No long term sub
No peanut butter restrictions
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