Teresa Thompson
My journey into the Master’s of Education program began in the summer of 2012. Before beginning the program I knew that I would end up furthering my education through the greatest University I have ever known: Michigan State University. From Undergrad work to a yearlong internship then onto a Graduate degree and beyond, my life as a learner at MSU will forever be a part of the whole picture. I knew that continuing my education would allow me to become a better, more passionate and understanding teacher for years to come. In all honesty, when I was not attending classes I felt like there was a void inside myself and I was incomplete. I am a lifelong learner and will always find ways to better myself for my students. To put it short, I was ready to continue my formal education and learn how to become a better teacher for all of my students.
During my Undergraduate studies I obtained certifications in Elementary Education, Mathematics, and English. I believe I covered a lot of ground when it comes to what makes a good teacher great. The additions of my certifications gave me a well rounded education. I studied the two dominate subjects a young child will learn and felt prepared to enter the classroom full speed ahead. Throughout my first two years of teaching I felt prepared and successful in teaching my classroom. I was confident is my abilities, although at times it could be a bit over whelming adapting my studies to the real world of teaching. I still felt as though something was missing; that I was prepared to teach the majority but not the entire class. In my short career I have worked with almost every disability that could walk through the door. Many children with cognitive impairment, ADHD, autism, emotional impairment, family issue became a part of my classroom community. I tried to embrace each individual for who they are and help them become the best educated child they could become during their first grade year. I would never say that I failed these students but only that I did the best that I knew how. When it came time to select a concentration in continuing my education, I knew not only what would be best for me as an educator but what would be best for my students as learners as well. I decided to peruse a concentration in Special Education. This concentration allowed me to explore many disabilities and begin to understand how children with these disabilities learn best and how to teach each individual student.
One of the first classes in my course load was TE 846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners. This was a required course for the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program and I was very unsure of what was to come. My initial thoughts were that I already have a certification in English so what more can I really get from another literacy class. Needless to say I was completely wrong! This class not only taught me about literacy but it also taught me how to analyze and evaluate an individual student as a literacy learner. The case study project was the main focus of the course. I picked a student, Harper, which was a struggling kindergartner who I knew was would be in my class the following school year. Harper struggled to apply phonics and decoding during reading and writing. The study allowed me to get to know Harper as a literacy learner and evaluate the reasons why Harper was struggling. I gathered data about Harper’s home and family from her mother, interviewed her current teacher, conducted evaluations, and created lesson plans that were individualized to Harper’s needs. Harper’s family consisted of only her and her mother who is raising her with the help of Harper’s grandparents. Her current teacher informed me that Harper was struggling with letter sound relationships and that was affecting her ability to decode during reading. My evaluations revealed that she enjoyed learning but was in fact struggling with phonics. So I developed lesson including blending, segments, and sounding out words. This projected showed me the process of how to look at my students as individuals and find out what they really need from me to help them succeed as a learner. I believe that the process is not only applicable to literacy but to all subject areas because a child cannot learn, if I as a teacher do not know what to teach them as an individual or how to teach them as an individual.
The second course of the MAED program that impacted my learning was CEP 840: Policies, Practices, and Perspectives in Special Education. This course was a very general blanket course that opened my eyes up to the world of Special Education. During this course I was in control of my learning because I was able to choose the disabilities I wished to study more about and create my projects on. One project was to create a simple one page fact sheet about a disability of your choice. I have not had students with Hearing or Visual Impairments in my classroom therefore I was interested in learning more about both of these disabilities. These are just two of the many different types of disabilities I have learned more about through this course. These are physical disabilities which I felt were different than the many learning and emotional disabilities that I have had experience with in my teaching career. Knowing about and being able to understand disabilities is extremely important for a classroom teacher because one never knows what the next year’s group of students will be like. Along with learning about the different types of disabilities, I also learned how teachers can accommodate for each individual learner. I also learned how to read and write Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Finally, because of this course and the assignments I have become very familiar with observing and reflecting on other teacher’s lessons and apply my knowledge to my own teaching techniques.
I also learned a lot of applicable knowledge from CEP 841: Classroom and Behavior Management in the Inclusive Classroom. This course taught me about behavior management in the classroom. The course began with the simple assignment of evaluating the behavior management that I already have in place in my classroom. I evaluated the plan I have for behavior management, my implementation of the plan, how I am being preventative instead of reactive when it comes to behavior management, and how I manage behavior based on the way I teach. This assignment allowed me to be a reflective teacher and look at my classroom and find the holes I have in my behavior management. I learned that my behavior management plan in my classroom was geared toward the general education student. I developed a plan that included my special needs students and implemented techniques such as sticker charts and more positive reinforcement. The positive reinforcement was a preventative behavior management technique and improved the children’s behavior as they learned what behaviors they would receive praise for. Throughout the course I was able to gain knowledge about all of the listed areas and apply them to create a better managed classroom.
Another major assignment in the course was to create a PowerPoint that explains the importance and reasoning behind PBIS: Positive Behavior Intervention and Support in a school and classroom. In the past my school has not been very cohesive in their behavior plans; we had more of an every man for himself approach. When we finally implemented PBIS I was ready and willing to apply my knowledge from CEP 841 to my classroom. I began to teach my students expected behaviors through rotations, centers, showing non-examples and modeling appropriate behaviors. I now allow my students to give input about rules of the classroom and sign a contract stating that they agree to follow the rules. Finally I was able to learn about the ins and outs of a Behavior Intervention Plan. Behavior Intervention Plans are used a lot in my school but the process was never really explained to me. Behavior Intervention Plans are created for high risk students to help them transition into the inclusive classroom with very little difficulty. I now understand the importance of parent classroom support, incentive systems for students, implementing check lists and posting the daily schedule in the classroom. Now I am more comfortable implementing Behavior Intervention Plans in my classroom. All of these assignments were very relatable to my classroom and I now apply them on a daily basis.
CEP 843, ASD: Characters and Education Implications is another course that I took through the MAED program. During this course I learned a plethora of useful information about autism and the challenges faced by students with ASD. I learned how to identify key characteristics of individuals across the autism spectrum. I also took part in classroom observations to see how students with autism function in an inclusive classroom. These observations taught me a lot about how a child can function and how to differentiate for their individual needs in a classroom setting. I also created a transition plan from one grade level to the next for a child. I took into account the child’s needs of consistency and need for understanding to create an effortless transition with very little interruption. I began this plan by allowing the student to visit the classroom the year prior and get to know the teacher and classroom set up they would become a part of in the following school year. This prior knowledge helped to make the transition run smoothly.
I also was able to examine many resources and books that are readily available for teachers and parents to help better understand autism. One book that I read during this course was called “Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Development Disorder: A Mother’s Story of Research and Recovery”. This book was written from a parent’s point of view and explained the process that the family went through while testing their child for autism. Mom began a strict diet for her son, Miles, while his father, scientist tried to better understand his sons development by testing theories at work. It was interesting to see Miles’ parents’ point of view and see how they handled their son’s differences and tried to do what is best for him. I feel that not only did I gain knowledge about ASD but I also now have more resources that are ready at my will. Finally, and most importantly, I discovered interventions and information about autistic children’s language development. I learned about social interventions such as video modeling, priming, self-management, and Social Stories. All of these interventions teach children now to communicate and help explain proper social behaviors. I also learned about voice output communication aids that help students communicate with others when they cannot speak verbally. This newly found knowledge allows me to become a more confident teacher of students with autism. I feel as though I know and understand a lot more about autism and how to teach students that are ASD.
I began this program knowing that I wanted to learn to be a better teacher for all of my students. I can now end with the feeling that I have achieved my goal. During the courses I expanded my understanding of literacy learners and how to effectively teach every child. I now understand and implement Positive Behavior Plans and Behavior Intervention Plans. Throughout the program I learned about many different disabilities and how to accommodate for them in a classroom setting. I learned about Autism and how it affects not only the child but every person that works with the child. I also learned how to help students with Autism communicate effectively. I will take the lessons I have learned and my newly filled bag of trick with me into every school, every classroom, and every lesson from here on out.