What your Special Education Teacher wants you to know - Part 1

Sitting through a two-hour IEP meeting last week, my mind started to drift.  The regular education teacher I had at the meeting pretty much ignored anything I was saying, and just made sure her point was made.  Then she left, came back, left again, came back, and left yet again.  At that moment, while I was clenching my fists under the table, there were several things I wish I could have said.  After some thought and some discussion with other colleagues, it occurred to me that maybe she wasn't aware of my expectations.  For that reason, I thought it best to start compiling some of the little things that I would those I work with regularly to know:

1.  My job is just as important as yours.  Just because I do not have a "homeroom" does not make me any less of a teacher.  If there is one thing that gets me going, it is when other teachers try to discount what I do.  If it were that easy, why aren't you doing it?

2.  Yes, I am flexible, but I'm not Gumby.  When you try to bend things too many times, they tend to break.  All those schedule changes, impromptu tests, and other "issues" add up!  I do not sit around all day waiting for you to call upon my services, I do have other things to tend to.  Any amount of advance warning is greatly appreciated.

3.  It is not "my kids" and "your kids."  Just because they have an IEP does not mean that they aren't a part of your class.  The only child I appreciate being referred to as "mine" is my daughter.

4.  IEP meetings are not a torture device I created to ruin your morning, they are something that I am required by law to do.  I can assure you, I don't find them that enthralling either. 

5.  Just because I am sitting at my computer does not mean that I'm not doing anything.  My computer and I have a very close relationship.  I spend more time with her (yes, my computer is a she) than my husband and my daughter, and not by choice.  There are things I do that do not involve standing in front of a classroom, and yes, they are even more important than that worksheet you need copied for next Tuesday.

Well, I guess I've pissed off enough people for today.  Stay tuned for the next edition!