It Just Won't Quit

Some of York's hardest working audiologist/hearing itinerant teachers!

Current and future teacher educators in higher education...  :)

The other day, I heard an oldie but goodie on my iPod.  I was listening to one of my favorite Meatloaf albums and “It Just Won’t Quit” came on….a song that I’ve heard before but this time around, it took on a whole new meaning for me.  Perhaps it’s because it is crunch time at work/school and I’ve not been sleeping well.  Perhaps it’s because the end of the semester is upon us…and with that comes looming deadlines, finals, and needing to pack for the upcoming holiday travel plans not to mention get Christmas cards and gifts together, etc., etc., etc.  Or perhaps it’s because I’m a little older than when I used to listen to this album in middle school.  Whatever the reason, I found myself hitting repeat over and over again when this song ended as I drove to my schools the other day.  Here are the lyrics to the song…

And I never really sleep anymore,
And I always get those dangerous dreams
And I never get a minute of peace,
And I gotta wonder what it means
And I gotta wonder what it means

Maybe it's nothing and I'm under the weather
Maybe it's just one of those bugs going round
Maybe I'm under a spell and it's magic
Maybe there's a witch doctor with an office in town

Oh is this a blessing or is it a curse?
Does it get any better? Can it get any worse?
Will it go on forever or is it over tonight?
Does it come with the darkness? Does it bring out the light?
Is it richer than diamonds or just a little cheaper than spit?
I don't know what it is
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit

And there used to be such an easy way of living
And there used to be every hope in the world
And I used to get everything that I went after
But there never used to be this girl,
But there never used to be this girl

Maybe I'm crazy and I'm losing my senses
Maybe I'm possessed by a spirit or such
Maybe I'm desperate and I've got no defenses
Can you get me a prescription for that one perfect touch?

Oh is this a blessing or is it a curse?
Does it get any better? Can it get any worse?
Will it go on forever or is it over tonight?
Does it come with the darkness? Does it bring out the light?
It's a stairway to heaven or a subway going down to the pits
Is it some kind of love?
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit

I don't know what it is
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit

There was a time when nothing ever really mattered
There was a time when there was nothing I didn't know
There was a time when I knew just what I was living for
There was a time and the time was so long ago
There was a time and the time was so long ago
And I never really sleep anymore

This song also makes me think of teachers and how we, as teachers, just don’t quit.  We work long hours at school and bring schoolwork home with us and work nights and weekends planning and preparing for our lessons, completing paperwork, and looking for new ways of teaching the material.  We don’t give up on our children in our classrooms and are always searching for ways to reach that hard to reach or difficult child or show the neglected child that someone does care about him or her.  Even when we are underpaid and underappreciated, we just don’t quit doing what we were born to do … in the hopes that we are able to change at least one child’s life.  Even if we have administrators who don’t understand what it is that we do, governments who take away funding, or parents who feel that they have all the answers, we just lean on into it and keep on persevering and continue working hard because we just don’t quit.  We keep evolving and growing by taking classes and trainings to stay current on the latest research and trends in the field and pay for materials and supplies with our own money so that our students don’t go without…yeah, we just won’t quit.  Students may refuse to work, might even hit or try to bite us, or cry but we, as special educators, continue to try to find that missing piece of the puzzle and work together to turn things around for our students.  Sometimes we are the only ones in the child’s life who believes they can be somebody and that they do matter.  It is for those children that we do what we do and we won’t quit.

Lastly...when typing this blog, I couldn't help but think about one of my favorite Youtube videos of all time...here is a link to the 3 minute clip.  Enjoy and thanks for reading my blog!!  

What Teachers Make: Taylor Mali

Donna Summer and teachers...?!

Recently, Dr. Lashley mentioned an article he read that discussed the fact that teachers are having to work second and third jobs to bring in enough wages to survive.  As Dr. Lashley talked about the article he read, my mind started to wander as I thought of all the jobs I’ve held, ever since graduating from IUP with my undergraduate degree in education of persons with hearing loss. 

As I mentioned in another blog posting, I was instilled with a hard work ethic growing up, through being a newspaper carrier for 10 years, babysitting, and doing chores and errands for the elderly in my neighborhood.  However, in the back of my head, as I grew up, I think I always thought that once I was a grown up and in the “real world”, I would make the big bucks and not have to work multiple jobs.  Boy, was I wrong!!

I worked my way through college, while going to school full time, at Subway and as a companion for the Visiting Nurses Association.  Then, once I received my degree, I left Pennsylvania behind to teach at the beach in Delaware.  Since I had graduated in December, I was fortunate to find a full time teaching job for the remainder of the school year.  By the time school let out for the summer, I had a summer job lined up, working at a toy store/educational supply store.  I also taught summer school for Delaware School for the Deaf.  Little did I know that these two side jobs would be the first of many in my 8 year teaching career. 

 

Once I returned to Pennsylvania, the school loans kicked in from IUP, so I started working at another educational supply teacher store in addition to teaching full time.  I also babysat in my spare time.  As if that weren’t enough to keep me busy, I enrolled in my Master’s Program at Kutztown University.  So, in a typical day, I would commute from Harrisburg to York (45 minutes) to teach at various schools all day (drive all around York County and Adams County), travel the commute from York to Kutztown University (1.5 hours), go to class, then drive the 1 hour and 45 minutes home to Harrisburg.  On the nights I didn’t have class, I would work at the teacher store or babysit.  As I wrapped up my Master’s program in a little under 2 years, I decided I needed a retail job that gave me more hours than I was getting at the teacher store to help pay with new student bills so I applied to work at Hallmark.  I transitioned from working at the teacher store to Hallmark and began working a LOT more hours after school and on weekends.  Somewhere in the middle of all that, I also helped out with inventory at a local grocery store a few times a year, began taking on homebound visits in several districts I worked for, took on a cheer coach position at a local high school, and tutored after school as well. 

I worked at Hallmark for almost a year before a babysitting opportunity opened up that I could not turn down…so I began to babysit for a terrific family in Lemoyne a few nights a week after teaching in York (30 minute drive).  I did this for 2 years even after I relocated from Harrisburg to York.  Looking back, it’s sad to realize that even with a Master’s Degree, I still had to work multiple jobs in addition to the full time teaching job I had to try to pay off student loans, my car payment, and other bills.

It was frustrating to see other friends in my age bracket get promotions and raises in their respective careers as I continued to remain at the same level.  It was even more so to see that some of these peers were advancing with the undergraduate degrees while I had my Master's.  In addition, while my friends got to go on cruises and take fun vacations, I was only able to afford quick beach getaways or day trips, if able to do anything at all.  In addition, I always had an IEP to write, schoolwork to do progress monitoring on, or lessons to plan during my “free” time while others did not have to bring their work home with them.   There were many times that I had schoolwork with me, while at other jobs, that I would work on when I had a break or when there weren’t many customers.

Just on Friday morning, this came up again….since I am back in school as a full time student and have given up my full time teaching job, I’m back at the bottom trying to scrape my way to the top or at least to survive bills from month to month.  To combat the lack of insurance benefits and the fact that I’m now making less than half of what I made when I was teaching, I’m babysitting on the side when I’m not in school, doing research, or working my assistantship on campus.  This makes for little sleep and even less time to get work done that is always needing to get done….but when I realized that I needed to obtain some form of additional income, I chose to go with a babysitting agency rather than going back to Subway or into some other form of retail work since I would still have some flexibility.  Let’s face it, I’m also probably never going to escape from working with children in some form or capacity either!  ;)  

So anyhow, this semester, Fridays are the only days that I’m not on campus so I tend to babysit on those days.  When working on Friday morning, one of my “regulars” mentioned offhandedly while we were chatting that her husband made a comment that went something like this, “I don’t know how all these students can babysit on Fridays all the time.  Don’t they have class?”  Yes, I wish that I didn’t have to work this side job and could put my time and energy into school without having to worry about bills/finances but the fact of the matter is, while in the teaching profession or education field, that will always be a reality….and while I would rather not be in class from 4pm til 10pm on Monday nights, at least that leaves Friday free that I can try to earn some supplemental income.  I guess what I wish I could say to those who say teachers get the summers off and that we are “done” with school by 3 or 4pm or that we just play with kids all day……I would say please don’t be so quick to judge.  There is so much more that goes into what teachers do day in and day out…all the planning, preparation, problem solving, caring, disciplining, teaching, and everything else I haven’t mentioned are what make teachers great at what they do.  We all know that we don’t enter this profession for the monetary reward but our rewards are so much more than that when we see a child have a lightbulb or “aha” moment or when a child knows that someone cares about him or her and and wants him or her to be all he or she can be.  So I hope those teachers who have to work multiple jobs don’t get discouraged and leave the profession…I hope they hold onto their passion and keep teaching with vigor…even if they might be a little bit tired from working late the night before at their side job…

In closing, I couldn't help but think of this song as I wrote this blog....just for the title...!  ;-)

References

Donna Summer:  She Works Hard for the Money.  (2006).  In Youtube.  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TKQcWEXSKU

Teachers, Facing Low Salaries, Moonlight in Second Jobs.  (2011).  In Huff Post Education:  The Internet Newspaper:  News Blogs Video Community.  Retrieved fromhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/teachers-facing-low-salar_n_1088367.html

Please Forgive Me...

“To forgive is to forget…”                

“Kill ‘em with kindness...”                

“Take the high road…”

"Turn the cheek…”       

"Do unto others as you would have done to you..."

These are all common expressions we hear when it comes to dealing with forgiveness.  Sometimes it is easier to say these things than to actually do them.  How many of us are able to forget when someone has wronged or hurt us in the spirit of forgiving?  It might not happen overnight or even over several months’ time, but eventually, the pain and the anger subside until it is just a dull reminder of what upset you in the first place. 

The other day, in my counseling class, we discussed this concept of forgiveness.  One of my classmates brought up the Amish shooting story.  Since I’m in school in North Carolina now, a lot of my classmates were unfamiliar with this story as was evident by my professor's casual comment about vaguely hearing something about the story but that he had not followed it....before continuing on with our lecture.

It took all I could to get through the remaining 45 minutes of class because I, for one, will never forget when the Amish shooting in Pennsylvania, happened for many reasons.  During lunch on October 2, 2006, I was sitting in a pizza shop in my hometown with several high school friends.  Some of these friends I had known since elementary school while others I had met in middle or high school.  We were all gathered together that Monday, around noon, to say goodbye to one of my best friends from high school.  We had spent the morning at the funeral parlor and the cemetery before wearily gathering for lunch at the pizza shop before heading our prospective ways back to our own lives.  

Mere, Meg, Jess, & Niki ~ Senior Formal '98

It was surreal to us to think that one of our own was not physically with us anymore….we were 25 and 26 year old kids working in the “real world”…many of us were embarking on our first jobs or in grad school…we were too “young” to have to deal with death.  Amidst our conversations about where we had moved to, what we were doing in our occupations, and talking about our shock over what had happened to Jess, someone drew our attention to the restaurant TVs in the corners of the restaurant.  A hush fell over our table as we watched the news in growing horror…

We were already reeling from the death of a good friend who had just turned 26 less than a month prior to her untimely death.  Now, according to the news, ten girls, between the ages of 6 and 13 had been brutally murdered while attending a one room school in an Amish community!!  Lancaster is about an hour from where we were gathered for lunch that day and is one county over from where I was teaching at the time.  As the story unfolded, we learned that a gunman had taken over the one room schoolhouse and eventually killed himself after executing the children.

What really stands out in my mind about this story, other than the horror, and the sad sad day that it was for Jess' family and for me personally….is what happened next……Just hours after the massacre, these were quotes that were heard from the Amish (Taken from Wikipedia): 

• A grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls was heard warning some young relatives not to hate the killer, saying, "We must not think evil of this man."

• Another Amish father noted, "He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God."

• Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts."

• The shooter’s family spokesman said an Amish neighbor comforted Roberts’ (the shooter’s) family hours after the shooting and extended forgiveness to them.  Amish community members visited and comforted the shooter's widow, parents, and parents-in-law. One Amish man held Roberts' sobbing father in his arms, reportedly for as long as an hour, to comfort him.  The Amish have also set up a charitable fund for the family of the shooter.  About 30 members of the Amish community attended Roberts' funeral, and Marie Roberts, the widow of the killer, was one of the few outsiders invited to the funeral of one of the victims.  Marie Roberts wrote an open letter to her Amish neighbors thanking them for their forgiveness, grace, and mercy. She wrote, "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you."

• Some commentators criticized the swift and complete forgiveness with which the Amish responded, arguing that forgiveness is inappropriate when no remorse has been expressed, and that such an attitude runs the risk of denying the existence of evil; others were supportive.  Donald Kraybill and two other scholars of Amish life noted that "letting go of grudges" is a deeply rooted value in Amish culture, which remembers forgiving martyrs including Dirk Willems and Jesus himself. They explained that the Amish willingness to forgo vengeance does not undo the tragedy or pardon the wrong, but rather constitutes a first step toward a future that is more hopeful.

I don’t know about you but I don’t know how I would have acted in a situation like that!!  How admirable of the Amish for swiftly forgiving the shooter.  Can you imagine how different our justice system would be if more of us had this mentality?  Or how different the world would be??  Would we have fewer due process cases??

Amish School Shooting.  (2006).  In MSNBC.  Retrieved from http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video /amish-school-shooting/686a1a0 .

Amish School Shooting.  (2011).  In Youtube.  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_school_shooting.

WWYD?!

What would you do if you were a parent of a student with a disability?  Would you sit back and let others make schooling decisions regarding your child?  Would you fight day and night for your child’s rights?  Would you educate yourself on the disability?  Would you follow the advice of “experts” and take them at their word?  What would you do?  What if your child’s school disagreed with your suggestions or with what you thought was best for your child?  What would you do then?

The reason I ask these questions is because I had to become more familiar with the Rowley v Hendrick Hudson BOE (1982) court case.  Without getting into too much detail, this case was about a deaf little girl with deaf parents.  Total communication was used in the home but in the school setting, the school determined Amy did not need a sign language interpreter (whom the parents wanted in school with Amy).  The courts ruled that when schools provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), the schools are able to provide just enough services to be of benefit to the child with a disability.  So, since Amy was able to use some residual hearing and speechread and made good grades, the school decided that a sign language interpreter was not necessary.  

This case made me wonder…how does a school determine what is “just enough” in terms of educational benefit.  Shouldn’t the school make every effort to provide an education that is equivalent to what a child without a disability would receive by making education as accessible as possible?  How would someone feel going to the gas station to fill up the tank of the car but instead of giving a full tank of gas, the attendant pumped ¼ of the tank’s worth of gas.  The attendant gave enough gas for the car to go from the gas station to point A but what about later when the car attempts to go to point B?  Would the same argument of providing just enough hold true then?  

On the other hand, if more time, money, manpower, and effort is going to be spent on accommodating to a child with a disability to help that child achieve all he or she is able to within the school, then what about the average student without a disability.  The child is not entitled to receive any services because there is no disability but he or she may benefit from accommodations just the same.  How is it fair to the child without a disability to make satisfactory performance when he could be doing better with some assistance?

Regardless of how you feel about the provision of services to students with disabilities in schools, I highly recommend you learn more about the Rowley v Hendrick Hudson BOE (1982) case.  Even though it is over 25 years old, it still proves very relevant in today’s schools.  Many cases since 1982, have referred to Rowley v Hendrick Hudson BOE (1982) to act as a guide or benchmark in determining court decisions.  If you’re interested in reading about this case in more depth, I stumbled upon this book that I think would make for a fascinating read!  I might have to add it to my wish list!

 http://www.amazon.com/Case-About-Health-Society-Policy/dp/1566394120

Making a difference politically...?

The other day, I received an email from a faculty member in my department.  She urged my peers and me to take action and help out The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) by taking a stand.  She asked us to contact our Senators through CEC’s website through their Legislative Action Center.  CEC urged us to vote NO on the Isakson Amendment to help make classrooms a better place for all.

For those of you not familiar with the Isakson Amendment, Senator Isakson (R-GA) has offered an amendment that would allow states to remove any number of students with disabilities from the general accountability system. Those in special education do not want the Isakson Amendment to pass because students with disabilities do deserve access to the same education as other students! 

This is the letter that I signed, through CEC’s website, and sent to my local senator…additional questions or comments I had about portions of this letter are in green font.

I'm a constituent and a member of the Council for Exceptional Children,
the largest professional association of educators who work on behalf of
special and gifted education students. The Isakson amendment would remove
the limits on how many students with disabilities can be counted as making
sufficient progress using separate systems of standards and assessments.

(What does this mean?  Does it mean that students with disabilities will no longer have alternate assessments?  That they will be tested using general education assessments?  That they will not be tested at all?)

•       The Isakson amendment INCORRECTLY promotes that most students with
disabilities can't learn or achieve when most students with disabilities
are able to learn and achieve, just like all other students, when provided
appropriate access, services and supports.

(Students with disabilities can make progress.  That progress may not appear as quickly as progress of students without disabilities or may not be as evident but progress is still made nonetheless.  Progress must be measured in appropriate ways using appropriate materials.)

•    The Isakson amendment promotes abuse and overuse of alternate assessments by allowing any
student with a disability to be tested through these assessments.

(Alternate assessments should be used by only the students with disabilities who’s progress cannot be measured in any other way.) 

•     The Isakson amendment will turn back the clock on the advances made in
educating students with disabilities over the past 10 years.
 

(This would be such a shame if it were to happen.  Think of all those who have fought and paved the way for students with disabilities to be valued, counted in the education system, and to receive fundamental rights in our schools.  It would be a terrible shame if we moved backwards instead of forward in this area.)
 

Please vote NO on this amendment so that students with disabilities can
have the same opportunities to achieve college and career ready standards
as all other students.
 

What do you think?  Do students with disabilities have the same right to achieve college and career ready standards as students without disabilities do?