I enjoy visiting this site and receive so much information from everyone, thanks! I am a resource room teacher with one associate for the classroom and am expected to teach five classes, 10 students, within an hour and a half. I am going to be getting two more students before the end of the month. Due to our reading block time for the K-3 kids, the students’ IEP’s are written so that they receive 30 minutes of reading in my classroom daily. My principal has read that all students’ lessons should last a maximum of 39 minutes. He just doesn’t see how a sped. student can pay attention that long. With this information, my students’ instructional time for reading is cutt off at 30 minutes daily. I have the students grouped the best I can, but I still have to flip-flop the groups who are instructed so that the best the students get is direct instruction from me every other day. I have had a problem accepting this and feel I am putting band-aids on broken arms. The principal and our Area Education Agency director met with me so they could provide ideas to help. If the students are not being taught by me, they receive assistance in other areas by my associate. Some students have seat work also. Our school has K-3 reading from 8:30-9:45 a.m. which is the time I am expected to teach reading to my students no matter how many kids I have or how many groups I have. It is so frustrating having to flip-flop every day. The AEA director said I didn’t have to provide *instruction* daily as long as the students were working on reading skills, the IEP was still within legal limits. I feel like I am losing a big battle here and feel like the parents of these students are being deceived. I feel so overwhelmed by the lack of time and the intense needs of these kids. I also have a student who has multiple disabilities within this instructional time, and at his staffing his mom was concerned that he hasn’t made much progress in reading at grade level. (Who would??) We compare our resource students’ progress to the regular ed. kids by using Curriculum Based Measurements and I think this little guy just isn’t going to be a speedy reader. He reads a Guided Reading Book Level E in the regular classroom and the others in 2nd grade are reading from Level K. What’s a teacher to do when there just is no time to teach these kids?? The general ed. schedule dictates my schedule and how much time the kids spend in my room receiving instruction. I think the IEP should drive my schedule, but it never has, and probably never will. I need some help coping. What should I tell the parents of a new student about my program? I feel the parents deserve to be told at the staffing the child will be directly taught every other day. It’s no wonder some sped. students never make it out of sped. I would appreciate hearing advice and suggestions. Am I the only one dealing with this?? Thanks, everybody!
: There is not much a teacher can do, but refer to the law, to IDEA. IDEA calls for an individualized plan for each child, based on child’s needs. No way cutting every child off at 30 minutes is individualized, nor is it based on need. It is a one-size fits all and for your sake, I hope a parent calls the district to task on this item.My biases are similar to yours. I find my LD students learn best when they have daily, intensive, well-structured direct instruction. When they have seatwork aplenty, they end up practicing and reinforcing errors and bad reading habits.What can you do? Oh, boy. After you fire your principal and that other dingbat from wherever, you can set up you program to work for students, not for the whim of the administration. Or you may need to seriously think about finding a new job. I am deadly serious, here.In the meantime, buy or get several computers. Get hold of a large budget and outfit each computer with some of the really nice software that is out and about. Visit the technology BB and ask others what they like, you’ll get suggestions. Also acquire several language masters and have every child drill themselves on a few sight words daily on language master. They put the word through, see it, hear it say it and write it x 5 for each word, each day. I test on Friday.Create, if you have not already, a learning center. Make the tapes yourself. Students listen to 20 minute lessons on tape (you can tape science/social studies concept books and texts, plus core literature), students listen and complete a simple follow-up activity. Won’t build word reading skills, will expose them to good language, vocabulary and concepts. AAh, canvass the upper grades, “hire” a several upper grade buddies to come in and work with the lowest. I have 5/6 grade teachers at my site who will send students who are above grade level for 20 min. blocks, even during LA. Set up a schedule for these guys.Have students taperecord their own reading on their own personal tape, rewind and play back to hear themselves read their reader they have already read with you. Give them math practice (10 minutes of daily practice won’t hurt them, it is good independent work and may keep many of them afloat in math class).But, get another job for next year. Try to find a way to “leak” to parents that this school you teach in violates FAPE for handicapped learners all over the place.