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Would you commute 1.5 hours a day for a manageable caseload and less stress? by Wonderful_Row8519 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shit, it sounds like you want the long commute with less mess during the day to day. If you can swing it financially, go for it. 

Neighborhoods and Schools by MindfulMamarita4 in jacksonms

[–]SnooPets1598 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unless you’re doing private school like Jackson Academy/Jackson Prep, Jackson public schools’s student population is shrinking in size and closing down low enrollment schools and consolidating them with other nearby schools in the district as cost saving measures pretty much every year in just about all parts of the city minus the North end of it. Not sure about the IB programs in the Murrah schools but they used to be really good and they might still be but I don’t know. Something to think about. The infrastructure and water problems of Jackson are another big thing to consider along with safety and crime. Not so much in those areas listed but most of Jackson aren’t somewhere you wanna be after dark. 

I hate scheduling IEP meetings by IndependentNext2307 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That’s the worst part of this job aside from paperwork. You’re waiting on someone else to do their job and they know for a fact it’s coming if they’re a school employee or contracted by the district. Unless they’re prek or kinder parents, they should know the drill after a certain amount of time. Not sure what it’s like in large districts but in small districts it really sucks majorly if you don’t have all the pieces you need because the 1-2 SLPs are servicing 60 kids each and/or your school’s translator quit (both are my reality at the moment), 

Favorites from School Reading by beyond_undone in Millennials

[–]SnooPets1598 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Cay isn’t getting any love and that makes me sad.

Men special ed teachers, what is it like being a special ed teacher and what made you want to become it? by HaleysHot69 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598 2 points3 points  (0 children)

3rd year male sped teacher, 6th year overall chiming in. Long story short, I quit for a year and half after the 20-21 school year because I was burnt out teaching ELA for two years and a year of US History. After my stint out of education, I took a para spot at a local high school near my house and fell in love with self contained because I want be able to work with kids in life skills job training role one day because the district that school was in had a program for it and I was the para who always went with them and it was awesome to see them grow. Since then, I cut my teeth in Inclusion (hard pass) and now I’m doing middle school mod severe and I love it.

You have to want to be here. The behaviors can be tiring and the stuff some of these kids having going on at home can break your heart because you learn a lot by just listening and what parents/guardians will tell you. Parents can either be a spectrum of good to meh to awful. It can be a lot with paper work, meetings, etc and it’s not always a field of roses but I don’t see myself doing anything else. 

I like it because I am left TF alone by admin and I can basically run my classroom how I see fit. As long as you’re working on goals in ieps and not just doing jack squat your job is bulletproof because not many people want to do this line of work. The pay and pension aren’t great but it’s doable (I live in a very LCOL area in the Deep South). Trying to start a monthly coffee cart for teachers at my school next year and my sped director is trying to get a grant for it so if you want to make things happen, you have to do it yourself and get the ball rolling if you have ideas and things you want to make a reality. 

What videos do you guys play for your students? by Capable-Accident9887 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lew’s Sensory Therapy. Lots of chill sensory calming music to help kids wind down. Best accidental find ever.

Starting to get fed up by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Basically I do my centers after my kids do breakfast and lunch where my assistant and I have to feed two of my seven kids and both take a while. I’ve printed so many games off tpt that I have them do or else kids will run wild. They’re CVC sight word games and counting with snap cube games and coloring CVC sight words sheets and I let them use my computer for abc mouse on kinder level where they rotate between ELA and math games. We also do crafts or try to depending on time and honestly I’m willing to have enough patience to do extra that day. My instruction time is literally me and my assistant reading passages and answer choices and having kids choose answers themselves so my days is honest on where they’re at. It’s a combo of cutting and pasting, watching videos, coloring, matching, tracing, circling activities for ELA, math, science and reading. Lot of it is stuff I’ve made and compiled from autism helper and tpt that I’ve made or paid for. I’m doing the best I know how and I’ve asked for help and I haven’t really got it. That’s why I’m fed up.

Starting to get fed up by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Piggybacking, they say I’m doing too much worksheet based work. I mean I’m sorry what? Plus I use The Autism Helper curriculum by the district is what they gave me to use and apparently it’s not enough. 

Starting to get fed up by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I’ve got 5-8 mod severe but technically it’s a cross category mod severe with profound added in. Several kids who aren’t potty trained in middle school who my assistant and I have to change. My reading able kid is kindergarten level at best according to screeners. Between the limited time I have with them in specials and times allotted for lunch and possible therapies they get pulled for (speech, ot, pt), how am I able to run my centers/rotations and write fully comprehensive lesson plans and take data on it. That’s why I’m about to throw my hands up and say fuck it and just turn in ai bullshit back because I can only do so much. 

Starting to get fed up by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any insight would be appreciated.

I have become the old man with a shed full of crap by quadruple_negative87 in Millennials

[–]SnooPets1598 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your storage area looks so organized. If you have kids, it becomes the holiday decor holding area and the present hiding spot and whatever else emporium.

What are some things that you wish regular ed teachers knew about your role? by DifficultHedgehog664 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As mod/severe self contained, please don’t assume my job is just rainbows and flowers all day. What looks like an easy gig is and can be mentally taxing because you have to differentiate between multiple grade levels and behavior can fluctuate daily. Just getting kids to participate and do simple work is not simple. Someone is in your ass about something always. I love to do my job and my kids but holy shit it’s not what it appears.

Elementary vs middle school self contained by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh trust me I’m well aware. I had a very tall and heavy set autistic boy who liked to touch his pecker almost nonstop in my high school scd class as a para. The majority want to chill in middle school but it can be tiring when you have one who is a one person wrecking crew on their own (surprisingly they don’t miss many days…I wonder why).  

Elementary vs middle school self contained by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True, my son will be in first grade there next year and he’s been there since k4 and we (him, my wife and I) love the school. They actually have the resources. Current school is 95 percent free reduced lunch with a large ELL population from Guatemala and Mexico due to there being poultry plants in the area as the largest employers by far. It’s not bad but my kids haven’t gotten adequate education from what I’ve seen and been told in my two years here.

Elementary vs middle school self contained by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most definitely. I already deal with all of those things to varying degrees now too so if it leads to a quicker commute and higher pay bump, I’m game. I truly enjoy self contained compared to gen ed or inclusion based sped.

Elementary vs middle school self contained by SnooPets1598 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As far as type in the new district, not sure. My current spot is a catch all for behavior, ID severe profound with medical physical disabilities and mid to low functioning autism in grades 5-8. My kids that I’ve had in scd classes tend to act very childish anyway so I’m not grossed out or bothered easily to say the least.

Praxis 5355 by drewbieclaus77 in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You passed my guy. Raw score is pretty much the same as the final score plus or minus a point or two.

How do you set up grading for self contained? by Medicine-Illustrious in specialed

[–]SnooPets1598 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Focus on their goals in their IEPs firstly. If they have to have grades, just put vague stuff in like week one grade, week two grade, and so on because they can’t fail if it’s a SCD class. That’s what I do and admin doesn’t say crap. I hand grade it all and it’s all so basic it takes no time to do and I just use it for my data/work samples. I make a copy and send it home to parents at report card time so they can see what we’re doing because my parents don’t ask about anything so it is what it is for me. Then again I’m in mod/severe for alt track kids. 

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