There are a lot of terms being thrown around to describe what schools are doing right now. What are the differences? Which term fits what you and your school are providing during school?

Have you been told that you have to track your interactions with colleagues, students, and families? This is something that teachers have not been expected to do in the past. When you showed up at school, there was an assumption that you were engaged in professional activities – teaching students, planning lessons, grading, collaborating with colleagues, interacting with families.

I kept hearing that teachers are scrambling for practical strategies for distance education that address students’ diverse needs in all kinds of home situations. So…I created a 5 step process!

As I’m sure you know, the COVID-19 crisis has changed everything.

While medical and political leaders are doing their best to control the outbreak with information and advice to the public, most of us are struggling to find our direction in all the confusion.

Teaching students with disabilities is a lot like being at the helm of a sailboat. Now, just in case you haven’t spent much time on the water, there’s a big difference between sailing and motor-boating. If your vessel is motor driven, you can point it at your destination and it will head in that direction, with some interference by wind and water currents.

I have been thinking about the phenomenon in school culture we call “problem parents.” These are the parents who advocate for their children, who inform themselves, who demand services or programs outside normal procedures.

I have gotten behind with my newsblogs because I’ve been out in schools supporting school leaders as they collect Inclusion Rounds data. That process has been exciting, but the best part what the amazing teaching that I witnessed. I just have to share with you what I saw!

Have you ever been around a teacher who finds joy in everyday life? I remember my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Postles. She really enjoyed teaching; she thought learning was fun; she really loved us kids. And we knew it every day!

Whether you are a teacher, a parent, a spouse, an administrator or an Inclusion Coach, you may find yourself smack-dab in the middle of an opportunity to coach somebody. You see an opening for her to grow, but she clearly is NOT COACHABLE.

At the beginning of the year, do you check with other teachers to get their perspectives on your class list? I think this is a universal practice that we’ve been doing as far back as I remember.

But are we getting the most value from other teachers’ perspectives? What questions do we ask?

Well, it was my first Twitter Chat. I’ll declare it a success because of what I learned!

How did I get here?

Sometimes life gives you unexpected opportunities…

In early March, I attended a Women’s Junior League Leadership Conference. Throughout my career, I have embraced education sponsored leadership offerings; I was curious what I could learn from the business world. I wasn’t disappointed. Women leaders expanded my view of what it means to lead.

When we hear the term “mentor,” most of us conjure up an image of an older, wiser person who has positively impacted our lives. For me, it was Art Nierenberg, founder of Breakthrough Disability. He was twenty years older than me and so much wiser! He organized breakthrough workshops that were amazing opportunities to learn how to have a bigger impact in the lives and conditions of individuals with disabilities.

Are your students in charge of their own success?

Who is responsible for your students’ success?

Over the last ten years, as I’ve been in hundreds of classrooms as an Inclusion Coach, I’ve talked with teachers and watched their student interactions.

If you really want to learn, find a coach!

Does your school use coaching services to support professional learning?

I have worked with several districts that employ instructional coaches, literacy coaches, and math coaches. Recently, I’ve started to ask, “Why not Inclusion Coaches?”

In Search of…the special hearted….

Looking for courageous educators committed to transforming large-scale special education systems.

Which do you see?

I discovered this drawing on social media and stopped to reflect. Pause a moment to notice what each sees in the other.

Which do you empower?

We all look toward the future and ask “What if?” But the thinking behind the question makes a huge difference in our outcomes.

What message would YOU give to families of transitioning youth?

Who says you can’t go back?

Last Saturday, I was the keynote speaker at the Baltimore County Transition Expo in Timonium. It’s been 20 years since their last Transition Expo, and I was probably there. Deja vu!

Last weekend I attended a Women’s Leadership Summit with the theme “the time is now!” The spirit of stepping forward to lead has stayed with me, haunting my thoughts and inspiring me to action.

Can we be honest?

Special education services in this country aren’t working.