The Mentor
Coleen Armstrong taught secondary school for 31 years in Hamilton, Ohio. She hosted a TV talk-show that covered education issues from 1990-1999 and in 2002, co-authored . She has won state and national recognition as a teacher, including being named one of five finalists for the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 1996. Armstrong鈥檚 recent book, , is a 2007 first-place divisional winner for the Benjamin Franklin Award. A self-described 鈥渓ove letter鈥� to new teachers, Armstrong鈥檚 book offers those just starting out a quick course in appreciating the most mundane tasks and coping with the greatest challenges.
I鈥檓 a resource teacher. What are some good strategies for working with general educators to implement inclusion when some teachers are reluctant?
General educators are reluctant only because they鈥檙e afraid it will increase their workload. So when you check in, you might give them a few simple power-and-control choices: Should you two communicate by phone, by personal visit, or by e-mail? Should they fill out evaluation sheets, or should you show up carrying a clipboard?
In her first and second installments, Coleen Armstrong answered questions from readers about, handling gossip, accommodating ADD/ADHD students, motivating kids to read, and more.
Also, it would help to bring the students around before classes start. Introduce them, tell the teachers what makes each one special, express how much each child is looking forward to inclusion. This can result in some real magic. Unless a teacher has a heart of stone, he or she will be instantly charmed. Suddenly a bit of extra work doesn鈥檛 seem like such a hurdle after all. The child has become a person, not just another name on a seating chart.
Throughout the year, whenever you stop by, say something positive about how much Kelly or Sam is enjoying the class. It will be true. Kids with special needs are thrilled to be included. And few teachers can resist a genuine compliment.
I just finished my first year of teaching special education in a self-contained 5th-9th grade classroom. I am in the process of securing another teaching position in special education, grades 4th-8th. How do I prepare for the new year, when I don鈥檛 yet know where or what I鈥檒l be teaching?
I鈥檒l tell you a secret. The 鈥渨here鈥� and the 鈥渨hat鈥� are the least of your concerns. That鈥檚 about grade level and subject matter鈥攊n other words, lesson planning. What鈥檚 far more essential is examining which of your approaches, attitudes, philosophies, and techniques were effective, which ones weren鈥檛, and what made the difference.
Use your remaining downtime to sit outside with a beer or lemonade, stare at the trees, and rethink the past school year. Were you too strict? Too lenient? Were expectations too high? Too low? (Chances are, a mix of both.) Recall every interpersonal clash. What might have prevented it? What better strategy would have sent everyone home smiling?
Your answers won鈥檛 always come quickly or easily. That鈥檚 one reason we need summers! But once inspiration hits, your mind will be crackling with excitement. Then, the lesson planning stage will be a cinch.
I鈥檇 like some advice for room arrangement and organization. What can I do to give my 1st grade room and walls a bright, welcoming appearance?
Are you allowed to paint? I hope so. It creates an instant overhaul. I like soft brights which will expand your space, like orchid, banana and pale lime, rather than cobalt or nutmeg. Or, God forbid, beige. Hire a couple of teenagers and pay them with all the fast food burgers they can eat.
If painting walls isn鈥檛 possible, perhaps your principal will okay your painting just the bulletin boards. Hit any nearby college town for posters of baby animals. Check teacher Web sites for creative ideas regarding hanging outstanding work and kids鈥� personality profiles.
Next, take out a sheet of graph paper. Lay down white cutouts in the shapes of your work tables, file cabinets, and student desks. Be sure to get the scale right. Play around a bit鈥攖ry placing your desk dead center, the work tables along the perimeter, and student desks inside the square in groups of three or four. Even after you鈥檝e hit on a layout you like, switch things around seasonally so no one gets bored.
There鈥檚 nothing duller than that traditional setup of teacher facing six long rows of six seats apiece. You can do better.
I am caught in a political crossfire. The new principal of our school has asked me to mentor the new instructional facilitator, who is replacing me in that job, although I will remain at the school in a different capacity. Our principal has expressed concern that because the new facilitator is young, some of our staff will not view her as an instructional leader, and so he wants me to 鈥渕entor鈥� her. This is not part of my job description, but may be the best for our school. What should I do?
It鈥檚 easy to see why your principal has paid you the enormous compliment of entrusting you with this person鈥檚 future. Your choice of words, 鈥渂est for our school,鈥� speaks volumes. No, this really isn鈥檛 your job. But since you鈥檝e been drafted, you鈥檒l find a way to make it work.
Be aware, however, that your principal鈥檚 fear will probably come to pass. The staff may stonewall this young facilitator, bait her, or even harass her. She could be in for a very rough year. So the first thing you鈥檒l need to do is prepare her for that possibility. Then show her some ways to gain credibility鈥攍ike citing research and soliciting comment, spearheading discussions rather than leading or dictating, and offering staff just enough ownership that they don鈥檛 feel they鈥檙e being controlled.
At the same time, I would caution you not to give away the farm by becoming her guru. It smacks of 鈥淎ll About Eve鈥� (1950), where the prot茅g茅e eventually becomes the star but believes she rose to the top on her own merits. Yes, I鈥檝e seen it happen, even in education. Don鈥檛 hand your wisdom and experience to her on a platter; let her find her own, lest she grow complacent鈥攐r worse, feel entitled to borrow your brain on a regular basis. Your goal is to guide, but only briefly, and then to step back. In other words, gradually make yourself obsolete.
And every time she comes to you weeping, give her a gentle shake by inquiring, 鈥淥kay. What are you learning from this?鈥� Someday she鈥檒l look back and realize that you presented her with a huge gift鈥攖he ability to self-evaluate and move on, rather than just wallow.
I鈥檓 an older teacher, entering the profession as a second career. How do you suggest that I prepare for and ace an interview?
You鈥檒l likely be asked questions, which examine one central issue: What can you bring to this very demanding table? Answers: Maturity and experience, which means you don鈥檛 get ruffled or feel overwhelmed easily. Wisdom and insight, which means you recognize that acting out and becoming belligerent are primarily due to fear and loss of power. Perseverance, which means you won鈥檛 run howling into the parking lot when you discover how difficult the job really is. If you鈥檝e raised a couple of kids yourself, you鈥檝e had a valuable glimpse into parental tunnel vision, where the only concern is preserving and protecting offspring.
In each case be ready with a brief, two-sentence anecdote, which illustrates your expertise. Don鈥檛 fret if you aren鈥檛 given the chance to use all of them. One may be enough.
Also, you鈥檒l somehow want to make clear that you understand and accept the heightened level of accountability that didn鈥檛 exist 15 years ago. This is huge. Your interviewer needs some reassurance that you know what you鈥檙e getting into.
If asked for your philosophies on discipline and student achievement, you鈥檒l want to have ready a few tidbits, which back up the importance of having high expectations. Be aware, however, that these are really trick questions鈥攁lthough your interviewer may not think so. There are no single right answers to queries like, 鈥淗ow will you go about raising your class鈥� test scores?鈥� and 鈥淗ow will you handle a classroom confrontation?鈥� Since it鈥檚 impossible to assess students whom you鈥檝e never met, your interviewer will mostly be watching your reaction.
Finally, you鈥檒l be asked if you have any questions yourself. 鈥淭ell me more about the makeup of the student body and what you believe my greatest challenges are鈥� will indicate that your attention is exactly where it should be. Act eager about the prospect of at last having your own classroom. A bright, excited smile may make more of an impression than anything you say.
How can administrators and teachers learn to appreciate each other? They are so distant at our school.
That distance is due, I believe, to a lack of understanding and very little communication鈥攃omplicated by the fact that one group not only has authority over the other, but also earns higher salaries!
The remedy is not 鈥渟hadowing,鈥� as many school districts think, because that only steals more time from everyone. Instead of using after-school staff meetings for reading announcements aloud, (pass out printed sheets, please), schedule true meetings of the minds. Small groups or even one-on-one discussions where administrators and teachers sit down as equals might begin with each one answering a simple question like, 鈥淗ow was your day? Tell me about it.鈥� Then over time they might evolve into, 鈥淭ell me about your top three frustrations,鈥� and 鈥淲hat do you wish we understood about you?鈥� It won鈥檛 be difficult to come up with enough prompts to last a whole semester, and a semester is what it could take to develop any genuine warmth. The only rule should be the same one used in marriage counseling: Don鈥檛 interrupt; just listen.
One afternoon during my last year of teaching, my principal asked in the course of casual conversation my opinion on a couple of educational issues鈥攁nd then remained silent while I struggled through my answers. It was a rare compliment, which I still cherish. I only wish we hadn鈥檛 been sidetracked, and I鈥檇 had time to ask for his thoughts too.
