May is an unusual month really. Some schools are getting out for the year. But the real surprise of May how you turn around and suddenly it is May. In traditional academic schedules May is a month when you have too many days left and not enough days left.
Taking a few moments and remember where you were a month ago or back in September. Progress has been made.
May is a month when you have too many days left and not enough days left.
ParaEducate
We assure you that as things get faster as the end of the year approaches, these days are a part of the fabric that make things a bit bitter sweet.
But this is also not the time of year to only think about this year. Next year’s planning is already under going some review. This is also a time when final evaluations of staff are in progress.
- If you tend to lead, learn to step back, let someone else lead the way.
- If you don’t like being in charge, take a chance to speak up anyway–a kind word to a colleague, a word of support to a leader
- If you listen, share what you took away from a conversation.
Even if you do not know if you will return or even return to the site you currently work: act like you will return. Demonstrate a longevity even if it may not be true for you.
Speaking of May…
We realized last week in a conversation with the rest of Inclusion From Square One that we needed to announce our final blog for the 2018-2019 academic year. It is May, we will end this year on May 23.
The things you find when you least expect it
We have been working on a few side projects here at ParaEducate. We mentioned on our Facebook that we came down on a question: what resources are available (for free or low cost) about specific influences by the federal government or the state governments about specific topics. This is a very muddled question.
The story involved that we ended up supplementing a teacher lesson with some curriculum issued by a different state in a state government office. Which is wonderful and free to everyone with access to a computer. But this had us asking, “What do other states offer? And what does it look like?”
It turns out, the real problem is, “What do other states call this agency and do they have educational materials for their state?” We are getting much better at leading the questions into what should we be asking.
So for some students, this may be in California tracking the water sources, which is available, but then finding material for a student who may not be able to access the material written for high school students.
So we literally started listing off topics that are generally important that are sometimes examined by science classes, and then trying to find the different government agencies both federal and state levels. When we’re done, we’ll share but we are finding a variety of information about this.
Oh, We’ve Introduced Them, But We Really Haven’t Spoken…
A few weeks back, we mentioned that Renay was working with Inclusion From Square One. What we didn’t know in March when Renay started working on it was that it wasn’t a one and done sort of event.
Inclusion From Square One is a resource for folks looking for the “How?” of Inclusion. Beyond the question of “Why” [and sometimes ‘Why not?’] is often asked and explored. The journey is often disjointed for many different groups, parents, schools, and students.
Renay has plans for both our blog and Inclusion From Square One. We’re proud to work with Inclusion From Square One.
ParaEducate will sign off for the 2018-2019 academic year on May 23, 2019. Do you have any comments about this week’s blog? Do you have a question for us? Would you like to be a guest blogger? Would you like to have an opportunity to pilot some materials at your campus? Find ParaEducate online here, here, here, here, and on our website. ParaEducate is a company interested in providing materials, information, and strategies for people working in special education inclusion settings for grades K-12. ParaEducate, the blog, is published weekly during the academic school year on Thursdays, unless a holiday. ParaEducate shares their findings at conferences, through their books, and their academic adaptations.
