Special Education » Amount Of Time

How To Get Certified As A Substitute Teacher

admin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:42:37 +0000

If you are looking to make a career switch to substitute teaching, there are several steps you will need to take to make that dream a reality. Certification is one important step in reaching the goal of becoming a substitute teacher.

You will need to first decide what age range of student you wish to teach. Knowing this information will help you select the correct college classes that will give you the preparation you need to teach the age level you wish. If you are not sure, you will be given opportunities in the college class setting to gain a bit of experience teaching different age levels, and this will help clarify which you prefer.

You will also need to think about what you wish to teach. Some teachers are generalists while others are specialists. You can specialize in special education, physical education, driver’s education, the arts or music. Typically, elementary teachers are generalists, because they teach every subject to their young students. The more areas in which you receive enough education means a greater number of endorsed areas on your certificate, which will be a boon to the substitute teacher, who can be asked to teach any subject as needed by a school district.

All teachers must have at minimum a four-year college degree in some subject. In addition, you will receive specialized training in education to learn how to teach. You will spend time observing certified teachers in the classroom. This also includes a certain amount of time spent as a student teacher. Your master teacher will help you gain experience in the classroom actually teaching students. You’ll start by observing the teacher at work, and discussing the procedures and topics. Over time you will get worked into the teacher’s schedule, until eventually you will fully take over one or more of the teacher’s regular classes.

Your master teacher will observe you and give you valuable feedback so that you will improve your skills. You will also be able to ask questions and get any clarification you need. You might also be asked to attend usual meetings that the teacher attends, to get a feel for what happens behind the scenes after the students are gone. You might also get asked to help out with after-school activities, practices or rehearsals, especially if your teacher’s teaching area is performance related, such as a PE teacher or a drama or choir teacher. All of these experiences will help give you the training you need to step into an educational setting successfully.

By: Susan Slobac

Caesareans And Childbirth Education Classes – Why Do I Need Them?

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:40:52 +0000

One in four births in the UK and almost one in three in the US are now caesareans. Yet the amount of time spent covering this eventuality in most childbirth education classes is about one hour; out of an eight to twelve hour course. Many couples face a caesarean birth with very little understanding of the procedure.

If you know that you will be having a caesarean birth, how can you best prepare? One answer is special childbirth education classes focusing on caesarean births. Although not offered at all hospitals, these special classes can be found through independent childbirth educators in many major UK and US cities.

But if the doctor is doing the surgery, why do you even need to prepare with classes?

Most importantly childbirth education classes will help you to prepare for your birth. Studies have shown that as many as 25% of caesarean mothers view their births as traumatic. One possible reason for this trauma is fear of the unknown. By taking a special class that focuses upon caesarean birth, you will learn about the basic procedure as well as what to expect after your baby is born and tips for improving your recovery. By understanding and preparing for your birth, you remove the unknown and the fear/trauma that goes with it.

And those relaxation and breathing exercises? You might be surprised at how valuable those techniques can be during a caesarean and recovery. Imagine a technician comes into your room an hour before your birth. You are a bit tense with anticipation already. She explains that she needs to draw a couple of tubes of blood and put in your IV. Your heart starts racing, your breathing becomes more rapid and shallow, your hands start to sweat and your veins actually start to constrict sending more blood to your heart. But also making it harder for the technician to find a vein.

Now imagine that you had learned visualization and breathing exercises. You are able to use those with the support of your partner or labour supporter. You relax and the technician is able to find your vein immediately…and you barely felt it. Repeat the process for the epidural, except this time the needle is going into your spine. And after the surgery, you are able to use the same techniques to minimise the use of pain medications.

So what do you look for in childbirth education classes if you are having a caesarean birth?

In addition to all the basic information about pregnancy and postpartum, ask some of the following questions:

Do you have classes just for caesarean births? If not how much time do you spend on the topic? What is the teacher’s experience with caesarean births? Has she had one? Has she observed one? Has she received special training on breastfeeding after a caesarean? What exercises and techniques to improve recovery times are covered in the class?

If you have difficulty finding special classes in your area, speak with your doctor or an independent childbirth educator about arranging a series or even having private classes. It might be that they had never realised how popular the classes would be.

Remember that this is still your baby’s birth and it deserves the same excitement and respect as any other birth. Learn and prepare your body, mind and heart to welcome your new baby. Maybe a caesarean birth was not what you had wanted or planned, but with knowledge and persistence you can still have a good birth experience…and the first step on that path is childbirth education classes.

By: Terri O'Neale

Keys To An Effective In School Suspension Program

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:18:39 +0000

I was introduced to the in-school suspension process when I became an administrator in a school for students with severe behavior problems. It was used as I expected to keep students in school when they would have otherwise been suspended. The one thing that set this (ISS) In-School Suspension program apart from other programs was the amount of time that a student spent in ISS, and the level of student accountability. Students who were assigned ISS were not put in there for hours but, for days. Students also had to produce a voluminous amount of work in order to be released. If the student’s behavior was out of line while they were in in-school suspension, they were assigned more time.

This idea of in-school suspension has been around since the 1970’s when researchers began propagating the notion that out-of-school suspensions (OSS) were ineffective, and perhaps even detrimental to students. It has been my experience that out of school suspension is only ineffective when the student is left unsupervised in the home while they are suspended, and because the parents don’t hold the child accountable for his poor behavior in school. Students would come back from out of school suspension, without any consequence imposed in the home, and had no fear of being suspended again. The school then has been handed the responsibility of holding students accountable, while the student remained in school for behaviors that they would otherwise be suspended for.

The Key Components to an Effective In-School Suspension Program:

Respect must be Present – If mutual respect is not established between the instructor and the students assigned the program will be a dismal failure. An in-school suspension program should have one, and I stress one supervising teacher. Students who have chronic behavioral problems have difficulty adjusting to different personalities and really need more of a mentor to help and encourage them to change their behavior. The supervising teacher should be a certified professional and have a background in Special Education, or counseling.

Students must be responsible and held accountable – The teachers and administration must develop a user friendly mechanism that provides assignments for the students assigned on a daily basis. All work must be completed before a student is allowed to leave. The work should be checked for completeness by the in-school suspension teacher and routed back to the teacher who provided the assignment. If students complete their assignments before the end of the day, supplemental packets should be made available. These assignments should not be busy work, but rather they should be used to address some of the specific behaviors that put the student in in-school suspension in the first place.

Non-compliance must be addressed – If a student continues to exhibit inappropriate behavior while in in-school suspension it must be addressed. Too often inappropriate behaviors are ignored; this sends the wrong message to other students in the room, and in its own way communicates by default agreement. Students who exhibit inappropriate behavior, should be given instruction regarding the rules and regulations of the room, given a firm warning, and then if the inappropriate behavior continues support needs to be summoned to the room. Counselors are not disciplinarians, but they should be called first to help manage the student’s behavior. A clear line needs to be drawn between the counselor and the administrator. Counselors deal with behavior from a therapeutic standpoint and provide compassion and understanding; administrators enforce the rules and regulations of the school. Both are needed for the discipline process to be effective.

Room location, size, and student teacher ratio – The In-School Suspension room should be far enough away from the general population of the school, but close enough to allow for administrative visits. The room should not be so far away that the disciplinarian by-passes the room during building tours. The size of the room should be large enough to keep plenty of space between each student to avoid the possibility of any student confrontations. Students in an in-school suspension program can be chronic behavior problems. Large numbers of these students in one room can become unmanageable. The student teacher ratio should be no more than 8-1.

Amount of time assigned – It has been my experience that periods, or hours do nothing to change a student’s behavior. Students should be assigned 2 days of In-School Suspension for every day that the student would otherwise be suspended for. Too often ISS is used as a holding area and can become a place where students want to go. Students should not be allowed to assign themselves ISS because of problems with a particular teacher, or because they refuse to do work. The disciplinarian of the school has the responsibility of assigning the day and time a student should report to ISS. Administration and only administration should assign students to the ISS room.

By: James H Burns