Charisma

From chapter 2 of The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, I have paraphrased the following tips John C. Maxwell offers for making yourself attractive to others ...

1. Love Life. Be the kind of person you love to be around.
2. Put a "10" on Every Person's Head. Look for the good in people and expect the best of them. Encourage people and help them reach their potential.
3. Give People Hope. French General Napolean Bonaparte knew that hope was the greatest of all possessions and characterized leaders as "dealers in hope."
4. Share Yourself. Share your knowledge and resources. Allow others to be a part of your special occasions.

I love this quote by Dan Reiland, Vice President of Leadership Development, INJOY

"How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you."

Strock v. Independent School District No. 281, 49 IDELR 273, 2008 WL 782346 (D. Minn. 2008)

In her presentation at the 19th Annual CASE (Counsel for Administrators in Special Education), Julie Weatherly mentioned a case involving a student with ADHD. "Children having ADHD who graduate with no special education or any section 504 accommodations are commonplace." Just because a student has been diagnosed with ADHD does not mean the student qualifies for an individualized education plan. The student in this case completed required work and earned average or above average grades. Although the student was required to take remedial courses when beginning at the community college, this scenario is "neither unusual or evidence of 'unsuccessful transition', an entirely undefined term."

What Obligation Does a School Have to Allow Parents or Other Non-School Personnel to Observe or Video Tape a Child in the Educational Setting?

According to Parents Rights in Special Education (Procedural Safeguards) distributed by South Carolina's Office of Exceptional Children at the State Department of Education, neither federal or state laws or regulations give parents the right to observe their children in class. A district may, however, give a parent permission to observe a child in class if doing so would not disrupt school activites and would help the district and the parents work together to develop an appropriate IEP. Many districts have policies that define the conditions under which parents and others may observe children in school and for videotaping children in the classroom.

Whenever possible, parents and schools need to work together to identify ways to help children succeed in the classroom.

Character Check

One of my favorite authors is John C. Maxwell. All the books I own of his have are penciled in as I underline statements that speak to me about becoming a better communicator, coworker, wife, mother, and friend. From chapter 1 of The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, I have paraphrased the following tips he offers for improving character ...

1. 1. Search for the cracks. Examine the major areas of your life (work, marriage, family, service, etc.) and identify places where you have cut corners, let people down, or compromised.
2. Look for patterns in your responses. Do you have a type of problem that keeps resurfacing? Patterns will help you diagnose character issues.
3. Face the music. Character repair is possible when you take responsibility for your flaws, apologize, and manage the consequences of your actions.
4. Rebuild. Develop a strategy to prevent yourself from repeating the same mistakes.

If you are looking for a quick read with a lot of punch, I highly recommend this book. You can read it over and over and still take a golden nugget away with you each time you set it down.

Harassment and Students with Disabilities

In her presentation at the 19th Annual CASE (Counsel for Administrators in Special Education), Julie Weatherly mentioned a case involving harassment. In S.S. v. Eastern Kentucky University, 50 IDELR 91 (6th Cir. 2008), it was determined that there was not enough proof to determine what the LEA could have done differently to end the harassment of a student with a disability. Evidence supported the allegations were investigated, the students involved were disciplined, interviews were conducted, the student was monitored and separated from his harassers, mediation sessions were held, the school communicated with the parents, and training was provided to the student body about name-calling.
For a finding of liability for student-on-student harassment, the following is required:

1. the student being harassed is an individual with a disability


2. the student was harassed based on his disability


3. the harassment "was sufficiently severe or pervasive"


4. the school agency knew of the harassment


5. the school agency was deliberately indifferent to the harassment

It is imperative that LEA's take harassment complaints seriously and that they document every effort to address each case.

Do Parents Have the Option of Consenting to the Individual Annual Goals in Their Child's IEP?

According to Parents Rights in Special Education (Procedural Safeguards) distributed by South Carolina's Office of Exceptional Children at the State Department of Education, parents provide consent only for placement and services including supplemental aids and services, in the IEP. They do not have the option of consenting to the individual annual goals in the IEP. Parents should consider which individual services they wish to consent to; the annual goals are the method for measuring the progress made by the provision of the services. Parents may revoke consent for some services and not others, but need to realize that when they revoke consent for a service, they have also eliminated the goal(s) that would have measured progress for that service.

Best Wishes for 2009!!

I love beginnings...a fresh syllabus, an unchartered book, a new year. Although I have never been one to firmly establish resolutions each January 1st, I do make it a point to reflect on the past year and set goals for the next 12 months. A personal goal of mine is to become more creative and innovative.

I have been reading a book from the Center for Creative Leadership titled The Leader's Edge: Six Creative Competencies for Navigating Complex Challenges by Charles J. Palus and David M. Horth and have been inspired to start a blog strand labeled Leadership. This book provided an idea that would certainly help with reflection. It is called a visual verbal journal (VVJ) and it is used to track observations and ideas in both words and illustrations. According to the authors, "...a working journal integrates the technical and personal and provides a risk-free place to develop your personal voice and style."

The following are tips for keeping a VVJ:

• Keep it in a notebook separate from other papers in a private, protected place.
• Cultivate an artistic style in your journal sketches and illustrations.
• Cultivate a scientific style in the way you gather and weigh evidence, and create new hypotheses.
• Pick a theme for the VVJ and stick to it. You may want to keep more than one for varying themes: important life lessons or career development.
• Return regularly to past VVJs in order to reflect on ideas and gain insight into your development.

So...what will your first sketch be? Mine...a vessel filled with varying sized rocks, pebbles and water. It is a reminder that there is only so much time in the day. The size of the vessel doesn't change. The large rocks go in first. For me, they represent my family and valuable relationships. People matter most. The smaller pebbles and water will have to fit in as size (time) allows.

I wish all of you a blessed, healthy, fulfilling, and prosperous New Year !