Excellent interview once again. A life changing event for me was meeting and teaching A, a bright and talented middle schooler who happened to be a little person. I read her IEP with its detailed list of accommodations but it only gave a one view of her. I treated A like all my other students, yet certain situations felt awkward. Should I lower the hanging bathroom passes for her? Should I pick up things that fell off her desk? I decided to meet with her after class and ask her what she needed to be comfortable in my class. This conversation was important for both of us. She told me how happy and included she felt. At first she was reluctant to “criticize” my room. A had been taught to just accept inaccessible environments. Together we went through my room and tweaked any physical challenges that prevented her from 100% participation. That opened the door for lots of future discussions.
Excellent interview once again. A life changing event for me was meeting and teaching A, a bright and talented middle schooler who happened to be a little person. I read her IEP with its detailed list of accommodations but it only gave a one view of her. I treated A like all my other students, yet certain situations felt awkward. Should I lower the hanging bathroom passes for her? Should I pick up things that fell off her desk? I decided to meet with her after class and ask her what she needed to be comfortable in my class. This conversation was important for both of us. She told me how happy and included she felt. At first she was reluctant to “criticize” my room. A had been taught to just accept inaccessible environments. Together we went through my room and tweaked any physical challenges that prevented her from 100% participation. That opened the door for lots of future discussions.