Special Ed. Sanctuary

I, like many other special education teachers, decided to go into this field because of my own experiences as a child.  In the early 1970’s, while I was in kindergarten, I was diagnosed as dyslexic and hyperactive. This was before anyone had used the diagnosis ADHD.   I was subsequently shipped off to another elementary school where I attended class with the other 9 “special” students in the district.  I spent 1st and 2nd grade in my “special” class.  Let me interject here quickly and add that I am not complaining at all about being in such a small class, I really think that it was beneficial for me.  The problem was, apparently in 3rd grade I was miraculously healed of all afflictions and sent to join the “regular” class back at my home school (remember this was the 1970’s).  I was given no support whatsoever, and as you can imagine, I started out OK but quickly fell further and further behind. School became more and more difficult for me as th...

         Becoming a teacher is something that I have always wanted to do since I can remember. I’m fortunate to have had teachers and parents who made learning and school fun, and I always wanted to pass that on to my students. Although I don’t have a  “pivotal” moment that made me decide to get a special education degree, there were many different experiences that helped me decide that this was something else I wanted to pursue beyond my general education degree. Through working with different ages and different abilities throughout babysitting experiences, summer camps, internships, and later teaching, I knew that special education was something that was extremely important for me and the future students I would work with. I knew that although I wanted to teach, I wanted to be able to find a way to make sure that all of my students would be able to use the information I taught, but more importantly, feel successful. I feel that these t...

This is the first time that I have ever blogged, and I’m excited to be doing it with a co-worker that has been so helpful throughout this school year! My name is Kim Palmisano and although I have been teaching for four years, this is my first year teaching in a co-taught classroom as the special education teacher. Previously, I taught first grade as a general education teacher in a private school. Sue was assigned as my mentor when I started in the district this year, and am so lucky to have her by my side! My name is Sue Flood  and I am also new to the blogging world, and am equally excited to be embarking on this new endeavor with Kim.  This is my ninth year as a special education teacher.  I began my career in middle school and then moved to third grade (What a culture shock! But at least now I am taller than my students:) From third I moved to fourth grade for five years and now I am back teaching third.   My hope for this blog is to reflect on ...