Case Study 1 – Myths
“Flipping Burgers”
Sociology:
This case illustrates ways in which mentoring programs can fail to achieve the desired outcomes of supporting new teachers. How do you think age, experience, status, and other factors affect this professional relationship?
As a teacher candidate entering the field at a time of many recent changes to the curriculum, and with a shift in teaching practices, the reality of us coming face to face with a similar scenario as discussed in this case study is real. While a teacher mentoring program has the potential to offer new teachers a positive experience, it must be entered into with an open mind from both parties; a willingness to learn from each other. Over the last two years, a new curriculum has been implemented. With this, the field of education is experiencing a ripple effect of change in all areas of teaching, not just the academic component. Recent teacher candidate graduates are entering their new careers, formally trained in the new curriculum. Teachers that have been teaching for many years may have their philosophies cemented into their teaching practice and are finding themselves having to relook at the way they teach. Age, experience, and status directly affected this adaptation process. A teacher who has been teaching for 20 years may struggle with this change, new ideas of child-centered learning, a focus on students’ mental health, and making many changes to adapt lessons to individual learning patterns so that students can gain more significant success with a more positive experience. Experiencing these two very different approaches to teaching has the potential to create conflict, as seen in the case study, between the veteran teacher and the new teacher entering the field.
While saying this, I want to emphasize that the potential is there, not that it will be the experience of most new teachers entering their teaching career. My experience as a CEA for the school district over the last five years, as well as my experience working with my teacher mentor in my first practicum, has allowed me to see the open-mindedness that many veteran teachers have. I have witnessed the high level of professional development that teachers undergo to ensure they are up-to-date with curricular changes and with best practices in teaching. An example of this is reflected in the alternate schools reading for this course, “At the heart of TREC’s work is the relationships that are developed between students and adults in our buildings” (Twin Rivers Education Center, School Learning Plan). This statement alone reinforces the value placed on relationship building between adults and students. This reading also explains that it is the goal of this school, but also in my experience the goal of many teachers and schools within the district, that value is placed on ensuring each student reaches their personal best, in whatever way works best for the individual student. Therefore, age, status, and experience of a veteran teacher mentor should be received with an open mind, an understanding of the processes of transition, and a willingness to learn.
Case Study 2 – Bandwagons
“Alone in the Crowd”
The Case
What changes did Jim use to support Darlene in the classroom? How effective were these strategies?
Jim and the staff at Darlene’s school had limited strategies in place to support Darlene in the classroom. For example, due to Darlene’s sensory overload from noise, she was supposed to enter the building after the initial morning hallway rush had subsided. However, Darlene repeatedly disregarded this, entering the building with the rest of the students so as not to miss out on classwork. Jim, Darlene’s teacher, was also aware of what Darlene’s escalating looked like and watched for it, but often failed to reach her in time to avoid an outburst. Knowing what Darlene’s triggers are, and watching out for them, is not an effective enough strategy when working with a student like Darlene.
As an education assistant for the school district, at one time, I provided one-to-one support to a student very much like Darlene. When we first began to work together, this student could also not enter the building in the morning with the rest of the school. A plan was put in place to provide the student with a soft start to the day. The student would meet me 20 minutes before the rest of the school entered the building. We would head to the classroom where the student would complete the morning agenda routine, have a snack, set up a daily schedule, and perhaps read a story if time permitted. This routine eliminated the mad rush of the halls and the sensory overload that would inevitably result from exposure to that. Other strategies that were put into place for this student were, break cards that the student could use when an immediate break was needed. A safe place for the student to go when they felt they were escalating had already been arranged and had been included in the student’s behavior plan. The student did not need to use words, but merely indicated where they were going with the break card.
Strategies that predict potential behaviors, and front load the student, provide the opportunity for the student to be successful in the classroom. It is also essential to have these strategies formal written into a behavior or safety plan so that new adults working with the student can know the routine to step in as seamlessly as possible, avoiding unnecessary interruption to the student’s day.
Case Study 3 – Moral Panics
“A Stitch in Time”
Philosophy
How should schools balance the rights of behaviorally disordered students with the rights of the classmates to be safe? Explain why you think so.
All students have the right to be safe and feel safe in their classroom/school. The reality of the situation is that schools are composed of a variety of abilities and behaviours. Often the diversity goes beyond the students alone, as we see in this case. Parental views and understandings contribute to the complexity of each and every situation.
I believe that first and foremost the physical safety of each student must be addressed. As a CEA, I can personally attest to the reality of day-to-day supervision. It only takes a moment to be distracted by another student that needs your attention for an incident to happen. Knowing the layers in this situation, parental concerns, past conflicts, predictability of behavior, and unpredictability of students, I would have arranged for this particular student to eat where there was no chance of an incident. Perhaps in one of the administrator’s office. The balance is seen when each child’s self-worth remains intact. The separation is not seen as a punishment, but as a tactic to avoid an incident. Once an incident occurs, the job then becomes complex, managing reactions often out of your control. It is best to establish the risk of occurrence and input strategies that avoid potential conflict directly into behaviour plans.