Where are the Desks?

While making the transition from special education to regular education, I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I had no idea what was in store. The one thing I did know was that I wanted my classroom to be like no other!

Imagine coming to school to find a classroom filled with sofas with pillows, a cozy recliner, beanbags, huge area rugs, bookcases lined with books, lamps, plants and community supplies for all of the children to use and share. That was my third grade classroom, and it revealed much about me as a teacher. As children entered my classroom on the first day of school, they were astonished to find that it looked more like a living room than the typical classroom with desks, chairs and assigned seats. I believe that the classroom should be comfortable, welcoming, intimate, and accommodating to different learning styles? Within the first week and a half of living and learning in this new environment, I found that my students are more relaxed and willing to share their ideas, thoughts, and feelings. I also found that my unique classroom environment was more suitable for students with high energy levels. As an outsider looking in, the teaching and learning may have looked a bit chaotic; however, my classroom environment enabled me to effectively teach and my students succeed.

Student collaboration was also an integral part of my teaching. Every morning after independent reading, the students shared the books they were currently reading and the strategies they are using with their peers.  This allowed for interesting discussions and provided me the opportunity to teach mini-lessons on a variety of topics. While standards were used to create long-range plans, accommodations were made to incorporate student needs and interests as often as necessary. The most interesting part of the share time is that the children, not the textbook, were guiding my instruction. I was following children not a script.

Choice was the operative word in my classroom. Children choose where they wanted to sit, the books they wanted to read, the topics they wanted to research. While the children were working on their weeklong projects at home, we work together on in-class group projects. I chose two project leaders, who pick their teams. They know best who they can work well with and how to accomplish the task at hand. After the completion of the in-class projects, I would sit down with each team. Together, we would evaluate how well they worked together and what they learned and make suggestions for improvement.

According to Shelly Harwayne, “Literature triggers thoughts, unlocks memories, and helps create the kind of community in which it’s safe to tell our stories.”  This quote described my classroom in 2004. However, prior to participating in the South Carolina Reading Initiative (SCRI), my classroom environment and teaching styles were very different. As an SCRI participant, I embraced literacy learning and quickly began to try out new practices. Thinking outside the box became the norm rather than the exception. Led by a nurturing literacy coach, Barbara Fewell, I reveled in the new knowledge that I was gaining through professional reading, study groups, and stimulating conversations with peers. During this time, I found myself challenging my own beliefs about how children learn to read and write, as well as those of my colleagues. Peers not involved in SCRI challenged me every step of the way; however, I persevered with support from my principal, Mr. Rawlinson, who was learning too and Barbara who created a safe environment where I was free to question my beliefs and practices.

Many of the SCRI group participants have left the classrooms, are now in administrative roles, and are known throughout our district for being strong instructional leaders.  I think that if you asked any of them, they would all agree that without Barbara Fewell’s unwavering support, guidance, and knowledge of best practices in the area of literacy, we wouldn’t be where we are today!  Now as an administrator, I am constantly striving to create a similar environment within our school where teachers are free to take risks and participate in a community of learners.

PS - Sorry for the large font...having a few issues getting use to the template! 

Why Would You Want to Teach in a “Failing School”?

   In 2000 when I joined the Sunset Park faculty as a self-contained teacher for students with special needs (emotional and behavior disorders) in grades K-3, the student population was 99.5% minority, 100% free lunch, and was considered a neighborhood school serving approximately 350 students.  At the time, Sunset Park had an incredibly negative perception within the city of Rock Hill and many people questioned their own safety as they entered the surrounding neighborhood of the school. 
   In my 10 years working at Sunset Park, arriving early and staying late, I NEVER once felt unsafe! With the reputation of being a “failing school”, David Rawlinson, our principal at the time invested his time and energy into creating a culture of trust within the walls of Sunset Park.  It was a safe haven for children whose only meals were breakfast and lunch at school and place where their families were treated with respect.  We loved each and every child! Mr. Rawlinson created school improvement teams charged with school reform, he utilized Title One resources to provide the teachers with needed professional development, and sought out new ways to improve the level of academic achievement at Sunset Park. 
   Mr. Rawlinson commanded everyone’s attention when he walked in the room. His stature alone was enough to intimidate most people and you always knew where you stood with him.  After proving myself within the first months of school and not allowing the children to reek havic, he gave me the “go ahead” to make all of the decisions for my students, knowing that I always had their best interest in mind.  He supported me during difficult IEP meetings, defended my instructional practices, and allowed me to make a transition within the building from special education to regular education when he knew I had enough.  I had enough of the paperwork and politics associated with special education and wanted to be an advocate for children in a general education classroom and throughout the building.  While teaching students with special needs, I sometimes felt isolated from the other teachers in the building. Although I would see them in faculty meetings, talk with them briefly in IEP planning meetings, I so desperately wanted a chance to collaborate and be an advocate for students with special needs in the general education population …. Moving to a third grade classroom proved to be the answer in 2003.

My Journey Begins - 1999

I am many things to many people—a daughter, a sister, a friend, a colleague, and a teacher. While I enjoy each of these roles, the one that I consider the most important is teaching. It is more than a profession, it role that brings me the greatest joy. It is my life. As a teacher, I have been influenced by many people and varied experiences. It is the sum of these that have shaped me into the teacher that I have become and the administrator I strive to be. Everything that I have accomplished can be attributed to the teachers that I have known, the children I have taught, and the lessons that I have learned.

   Since I was a little girl playing with dolls in my bedroom, I have wanted to be a teacher, like my mother and grandmother before her. My parents remind me that at the age of two I would “play” teacher. After I started school, I continued the practice. I would line up all of my childhood friends--dolls, stuffed animals, a wooden llama--and teach them their ABCs and 1, 2, 3s for hours on end. I can remember talking to them like a teacher with commands like “Raise your hand before you speak” or “Line up quietly for recess.” I even punished them when they did not complete their schoolwork. While I was pretending to teach the children in my upstairs classroom, my mother was downstairs grading papers and preparing lesson plans. At home, I observed the endless hours of preparation necessary for teaching. Accompanying her to various school events, I was also influenced by the things I saw her do and say—drama productions, the Latin Forum, field trips, athletic events, awards’ day, graduation. As a teacher and administrator, my Mother has devoted her professional life to teaching, and I have always wanted to be just like her.

   As I started school with the goal of becoming a teacher, I volunteered to help my teachers with their “teacher tasks”--cleaning the chalkboard, filing papers, posting student work, grading spelling tests. While some of my friends accused me of being the teacher’s pet, I did not think of it in that way. I felt as though I was practicing for the future, not buttering up to my teachers. In their own way, each of my teachers influenced me to teach.

Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

   As a high school senior, I enrolled in the Teacher Cadet Program at Aiken High School and excitedly worked in a special needs classroom at a nearby elementary school. It was during this time that I decided to become a teacher of special needs children. While an education major at Clemson University, I spent the summers volunteering at Camp Burnt Gin, a camp for children with mental and physical disabilities. Although I was confident that special education was the right choice for me, serving as a camp counselor confirmed my decision. The children with whom I worked influenced me to become a teacher who could help other children with similar needs.

Camp Burnt Gin
A Special Camp for Special Kids

Like the teachers who influenced me through their contributions to teaching, I too think I have contributed to the profession as an advocate for all children and a model teacher. During my teaching career, I have gravitated toward children in need. As a special needs teacher, I advocated for my students and their parents. If I thought the system was not providing the best placement options and accommodations for a child, I was the first to speak up, whether or not my position was a popular one. Adverse to a one size fits all approach to teaching children to read, I utilized a variety of methods and materials, rather than scripted lessons that were favored by they system. While this was not a popular view, it was the right thing to do for the children that I taught. I also advocated for the special needs students to have the same experiences that the regular educations students had, such as overnight field trips. As a member of the Sunset Park staff, I constantly advocate for the school during my tenure there. I used every opportunity to promote the accomplishments of our students and the dedication of the staff. My colleagues often called me the school cheerleader and I looked forward to the opportunity to share the great things taking place in our “failing school”. While we did not have the highest socio-economic status, we had outstanding students who are eager to learn and parents who are eager to help their children succeed. Many teachers would have considered teaching at Sunset Park a last choice but, I consider it my first choice.