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 !

Save Money Using Online Promotional Codes

Doing some last minute online shopping? Here's a tip that could save you lots of cash. Google online promotional codes and you will find a plethora of websites offering them free. I ordered my grandmother a pair of slippers from LL Bean and used this website http://www.retailmenot.com/ to locate a promotional code for free shipping which saved me $6.95.

I wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year! I will resume my blog entries when students return to school January 5, 2009. Til then....

Seneca High School's Transition to Independence Program Makes the News

Great things are happening at SHS! Many thanks to Stephanie Brewer for sharing the article below that appreared in the Daily Journal on December 10th.

"Several students in Seneca High Transition To Independence program volunteered at the Seneca Goodwill store and McDonald's. Student Jody McAlister, front left, works with cashier Mary Smith in assisting customer Leslie O'Kelley Tuesday morning at the Goodwill store in Seneca. The Transition To Independence program is designed to prepare students with disabilities to live as independently as possible. Students involved in the program learn social and customer service skills, safety in the work place and more."

What Should an IEP Team Do if a Child Moves to the District With No Records or IEP At All?

According to Parents Rights in Special Education (Procedural Safeguards) distributed by South Carolina's Office of Exceptional Children at the State Department of Education....

"The provision of the special education and related services the child needs in order to receive FAPE and progress in the general curriculum should not be withheld pendng the receipt of records when the district knows the child has been identified as a child with a disability and has an IEP. If the new district has no records and no documentation at all that the child was served in special education in the previous district, then the child is to be placed in the general education setting until such time as the new district receives the documentation or conducts an initial evaluation."

Helping Children Cope in Unsettling Times-Full Version

Yesterday I provided a few tips from the National Association of School Psychologists for helping children cope during the current financial crisis our country is experiencing. Follow the link below to view the article in entirety.

http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/mocq374helping_children_cope.aspx

NASP Provides Tips for Helping Children

The National Association of School Psychologists publishes a journal called the Communique. In the December publication (Volume 37, Number 4), a very helpful article titled "Helping Children Cope in Unsettling Times: The Economic Crisis" offers suggestions. According to the author, "Adults need to help children feel in control, even if they themselves feel vulnerable or angry." The following are just a few of the tips offered for parents and teachers:

Identify vulnerable populations. These children may suffer from mental health deficits or have familes or communities impacted by economic stress.
Be reassuring. "Children take their cues from you, expecially young children. Acknowledge that the potential economic challenges and uncertainty are unnerving but the likelihood is that you and your children or students will be okay."
Acknowledge and normalize their feelings. Listen while children talk about their concerns. Let them know their feelings are normal and other people are feeling the same way.
Take care of your own needs. Children know when we are upset. "Sharing feelings with others often makes us feel more connected and secure."
Turn off or monitor the television.

Enhance Communication at IEP Meetings

*I don't believe there is another field with more acronyms than Special Education. Special educators need to be mindful of the use of acronyms during IEP meetings. Some parents may be embarrased to ask what certain acronyms mean.

*Intermittently check for clarification throughout the IEP meeting rather than waiting until the end. Ask if any of the team members have a question or comment then wait for a response. Silence may seem awkward; however, it offers individual team members to reflect on what has been said and possibly generate questions.

*Try not to use negative statements. Examples include, "We've never done it that way." "We can't do that" or "We don't have the funding." Ask questions instead. "Why do you think that way is best?" or "How is that going to help your child?"

The art of communication is an area in which I am continually striving to improve. I don't believe I have ever left an IEP meeting without thinking to myself "It would have been better if..." If you have some tips of your own, please share. :)