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special needs resource teacher in public school
Hi, I am wondering on why does a resource teacher doesn't know on how to handle my grandson and any one else child who has adhd, sensory disorder intergration, neorobehavior? I thought they all got trained on how to handle them. I got a call from the school from the resource teacher to talk to my grandson because he was scribbling on his desk and on his paper on which he was suppose to be doing a spelling test on. he out right refused to do anything for her. she shared she thinks what got him started was another child that was bothering him. she had me talk to him to listen to her in her class. its like, don't you recognise a meltdown when you see one. when something upsets him he won't do nothing...till he gets it resolved. and he won't talk about it either. he is in the third grade( even though he is not at his level in that grade, but they passed him anyway, I wanted him to got forth too.) he is eigth years old. any suggestions or comments please by all means share. thanks. cynthia
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hannah Ehrli on -
Dear Cynthia,
As a former resource teacher I felt the need to respond to you in the hopes of providing some answers. While I cannot answer your question in regards to why that particular teacher called you, I can answer from my own experience when I have done the same. As for training: Yes, Resource teachers are trained special education teachers. In my state, we have to be certified in Exceptional Education as well as General Education . However with that being said, there can be quite a variety of expertise. I for instance have a good understanding of sensory processing issues in elementary ed, as well as learning disabilities strategies and behavioral interventions-I also have endorsements in Austism and PreK with disabilities. I do know that there are resource teachers down the road that are equally well certified, but have expertise in different areas and do things very differently than I do yet met the student's needs for academic and personal success as best we can. Now I don't call parents usually when a student was having a problem, but I have sometimes when everything else I have done did not work. I also have called when I knew that the student needed to speak to their primary adult for reassurance when upset. I have also called when the student needed a reminder from the primary parent that they(the parent) and I(the teacher) were on the same page and wanted the student to complete the work as assigned. I have also called the parent when I had hit a road block with the student and their behavior was out of the code of conduct for the school-despite the fact that they had been identified as a student with special needs. The reasons could be any one of the above but the main thing is that teaching is a team effort-especially when a student has special needs. Sometimes it takes a team approach to help a student refocus and work on subjects or methods that are not usually comfortable for them . Being uncomfortable with learning can create anxiety for a student and sometimes that quick call home can help to redirect a student when all else fails. So I am hoping that at least this gives you some ideas of perhaps why the teacher called you. The best advice I could give is to maybe in another moment, see if you can make an apt for a conference with the teacher or you could even call an IEP meeting to discuss creating some goals for his social emotional responses when he gets frustrated and you could discuss the call there as well. Hope this helps. Your grandson is lucky to have an advocate like you in his life.
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Permalink Reply by PAM BROGDON on -
Hi Cynthia,
You sound like a very concerned and involved grandmother, and I applaud you! I am sure it worries you when the teacher calls and asks you to “talk to him about scribbling on his desk and his paper”.
You are right about resource teachers having training in different strategies that help children who learn differently be successful in school, and, as you know, it is their responsibility to make sure the objectives on the Individual Education Plan (IEP) are addressed and met. I am sure the resource teacher has a copy of your grandson’s IEP and has studied all of the objectives and accommodations for him.
Since it is the beginning of the year, the teacher has not had time to learn the specifics of your grandson’s behavior or develop a relationship with him. She will, but it takes the first few weeks. Once she knows your grandson and develops their relationship, she will be able to quickly stop, then address any inappropriate behaviors. The goal is to replace inappropriate with appropriate behaviors. You know him better than anyone. You know what upsets him, what excites him, what is the best environment in which he can focus and do his work, etc. You also know what works with him for handling inappropriate behavior when he exhibits it. You are a wealth of information regarding your grandson and a wonderful and helpful resource for his teacher, especially at the beginning of the school year. Without knowing the teacher, I would offer that she called you and asked for your help because she wants to form a partnership with you so the two of you can collaborate on the best strategies for your grandson. It is very important to have regular communication between home and school and the two support each other. When that happens, the child benefits and makes much stronger gains.
As a past resource teacher and Director of Exceptional Children, I suggest that you and the teacher have a face-to-face meeting as soon as you can. Discuss your grandson. Tell her everything that you know about him. What upsets him at home? How do you handle inappropriate behavior at home? What are some things that trigger the inappropriate behavior? What motivates him? I cannot tell you how helpful that would be for his teacher. As I said, you are a wealth of information! After you have had that discussion, the teacher will be equipped with the information that you shared as well as her knowledge and expertise in strategies to effectively address his achievement. With your help, the teacher will be able to learn more about your grandson much quicker; therefore, she will be able to quickly and effectively use positive strategies that work for him! You could save her a lot of precious time! Your grandson has several conditions that require expertise. You are a very important member of the team that can offer valuable information.
If you continue to have concerns, you have the right to request an IEP meeting at any time. Please do not hesitate to do this. The IEP team is made up of members who have knowledge of your grandson and his abilities. If you feel that it is in the best interest of your grandson, tell the special education coordinator, teacher, or principal that you would like to have an IEP Review Meeting to discuss strategies and programs for him.
I hope my answer has helped you. I will be happy to help you and/or his teacher with positive strategies for addressing ADHD and other challenges. Again, do not hesitate to contact us. All of us at My Special Needs Network will be glad to help you.
I hope you and your grandson have a wonderful year and one in which he makes great progress toward all of the goals and objectives on his IEP!
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Permalink Reply by Cynthia Old Person on -
Thanks, Hannah. I appreciated your comment. I feel like I need a meeting with the resource teacher along with the class room teacher. I got a sensory diet for my grandson and mentioned it to the resource teacher and that she could get a copy of it from the class room teacher. she responded," why didn't I get it." I didn't respond to her. I just left it at that. I liked what you shared. I am usually openminded about how people are in their teaching styles. so I will look at the different expertise of her. I am not sure what it is but in the short run, I will find out by asking her. thanks again for the responds. cynthia
Hannah Ehrli said:Dear Cynthia,
As a former resource teacher I felt the need to respond to you in the hopes of providing some answers. While I cannot answer your question in regards to why that particular teacher called you, I can answer from my own experience when I have done the same. As for training: Yes, Resource teachers are trained special education teachers. In my state, we have to be certified in Exceptional Education as well as General Education . However with that being said, there can be quite a variety of expertise. I for instance have a good understanding of sensory processing issues in elementary ed, as well as learning disabilities strategies and behavioral interventions-I also have endorsements in Austism and PreK with disabilities. I do know that there are resource teachers down the road that are equally well certified, but have expertise in different areas and do things very differently than I do yet met the student's needs for academic and personal success as best we can. Now I don't call parents usually when a student was having a problem, but I have sometimes when everything else I have done did not work. I also have called when I knew that the student needed to speak to their primary adult for reassurance when upset. I have also called when the student needed a reminder from the primary parent that they(the parent) and I(the teacher) were on the same page and wanted the student to complete the work as assigned. I have also called the parent when I had hit a road block with the student and their behavior was out of the code of conduct for the school-despite the fact that they had been identified as a student with special needs. The reasons could be any one of the above but the main thing is that teaching is a team effort-especially when a student has special needs. Sometimes it takes a team approach to help a student refocus and work on subjects or methods that are not usually comfortable for them . Being uncomfortable with learning can create anxiety for a student and sometimes that quick call home can help to redirect a student when all else fails. So I am hoping that at least this gives you some ideas of perhaps why the teacher called you. The best advice I could give is to maybe in another moment, see if you can make an apt for a conference with the teacher or you could even call an IEP meeting to discuss creating some goals for his social emotional responses when he gets frustrated and you could discuss the call there as well. Hope this helps. Your grandson is lucky to have an advocate like you in his life.
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Permalink Reply by Cynthia Old Person on
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Thank you, Pam. I enjoyed your respond. I definatlely want to share all I can to help my grandson in his education by having the teachers understand him and what he has. He does have an IEP and the review is coming up in November. I will be letting the Special Education program know who I would like to invite to my meeting. I guess I am glad she called. I always ask how he is doing but all they say is great. then I get a call that he is having a meltdown. i just feel like they get very offended by his actions that he can't help it. My grandson knows who likes him and who doesn't. by the way he acts around the staff I know who likes him. sure they all tell him Hi! but I see his responds. makes me go hhhhmmm. what is going on there. well, thanks for the responds. I will surely keep you ladies in my thoughts and to come again with my comments and questions . thanks again.
PAM BROGDON said:Hi Cynthia,
You sound like a very concerned and involved grandmother, and I applaud you! I am sure it worries you when the teacher calls and asks you to “talk to him about scribbling on his desk and his paper”.
You are right about resource teachers having training in different strategies that help children who learn differently be successful in school, and, as you know, it is their responsibility to make sure the objectives on the Individual Education Plan (IEP) are addressed and met. I am sure the resource teacher has a copy of your grandson’s IEP and has studied all of the objectives and accommodations for him.
Since it is the beginning of the year, the teacher has not had time to learn the specifics of your grandson’s behavior or develop a relationship with him. She will, but it takes the first few weeks. Once she knows your grandson and develops their relationship, she will be able to quickly stop, then address any inappropriate behaviors. The goal is to replace inappropriate with appropriate behaviors. You know him better than anyone. You know what upsets him, what excites him, what is the best environment in which he can focus and do his work, etc. You also know what works with him for handling inappropriate behavior when he exhibits it. You are a wealth of information regarding your grandson and a wonderful and helpful resource for his teacher, especially at the beginning of the school year. Without knowing the teacher, I would offer that she called you and asked for your help because she wants to form a partnership with you so the two of you can collaborate on the best strategies for your grandson. It is very important to have regular communication between home and school and the two support each other. When that happens, the child benefits and makes much stronger gains.
As a past resource teacher and Director of Exceptional Children, I suggest that you and the teacher have a face-to-face meeting as soon as you can. Discuss your grandson. Tell her everything that you know about him. What upsets him at home? How do you handle inappropriate behavior at home? What are some things that trigger the inappropriate behavior? What motivates him? I cannot tell you how helpful that would be for his teacher. As I said, you are a wealth of information! After you have had that discussion, the teacher will be equipped with the information that you shared as well as her knowledge and expertise in strategies to effectively address his achievement. With your help, the teacher will be able to learn more about your grandson much quicker; therefore, she will be able to quickly and effectively use positive strategies that work for him! You could save her a lot of precious time! Your grandson has several conditions that require expertise. You are a very important member of the team that can offer valuable information.
If you continue to have concerns, you have the right to request an IEP meeting at any time. Please do not hesitate to do this. The IEP team is made up of members who have knowledge of your grandson and his abilities. If you feel that it is in the best interest of your grandson, tell the special education coordinator, teacher, or principal that you would like to have an IEP Review Meeting to discuss strategies and programs for him.
I hope my answer has helped you. I will be happy to help you and/or his teacher with positive strategies for addressing ADHD and other challenges. Again, do not hesitate to contact us. All of us at My Special Needs Network will be glad to help you.
I hope you and your grandson have a wonderful year and one in which he makes great progress toward all of the goals and objectives on his IEP!
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