As a teacher, having to discuss a child’s deficits with his or her parents can be a very uncomfortable experience. Every parent wants their child to have a successful, happy life and that certainly is possible for students who are challenged with a disability.

Sometimes we are tasked with helping their parents see what wonderful strengths their child possesses. We bring in samples of work that show how much their son or daughter has learned, provide examples of the progress they are making, and speak with pride about their child’s educational victories. Other times, however, we have to discuss what challenges or needs the student is going to require help overcoming in order to achieve that success and happiness.

Often, parents are well aware of these strengths and weaknesses and are happy to work with their child’s teaching team to create a plan to support them, but sometimes things don’t go as smoothly.

An IEP meeting (or any parent-teacher meeting) may turn tense in a hurry if a parent:

* is confused or unaware (either accidentally or deliberately) of what difficulties their child has,
* wants a level of academic success or a career path for their child that might not be possible,
* feels that their child’s teaching team hasn’t done their job to the utmost of their ability,

In these instances, it is our responsibility not only to continue to be honest with parents, but also to find a way to get back to a place where the parent feels like a partner in their child’s teaching team – rather than an unhappy or confused outsider. I have found that this can often be achieved with some very simple communication tips:

YouTube has been an educational resource with tremendous potential that teachers have been wanting to tap into for years. School bans and content concerns have gotten in the way… until now.

With YouTube for Schools, school can block the main YouTube while giving teachers and students access to educational videos for free.

The video site has created a new education section called YouTube EDU that allows schools to use educational videos from the world’s largest video sharing platform without opening the door to inappropriate or time-wasting content.

Schools can also add their own videos to their channel, customize their video playlists and keep their student video uploads private. YouTube Teachers lets you search by grade level and subject matter.

Even if your school didn’t block YouTube before, this seems to make using the site to teach easier and less stressful for teachers (at least in theory).

I just finished teaching a unit on literary elements that used Suzanne Collins’ smash-hit novel, The Hunger Games. It was a huge success. Finding novels that my students (9th-12th graders with Learning and Emotional Support needs) will respond to can be a real challenge – but this novel more than delivered. I can honestly say I’ve never found a novel that students responded to so positively. With the movie coming out, English teachers who are starting to plan for next year would be well-served to consider how they might include this novel in their lesson plans.

My situation is a bit unique in that I will have the same students for multiple years – so I won’t be able to teach using The Hunger Games for another 4 years or so. Because of this, I find myself wondering: What about this novel drew my students in so completely? Was it the theme? The characters? The plot?

With that in mind, I’ve started searching for novels that seems to tap into the same types of feelings and issues, novels that have interesting plots and well-developed characters, that I might be able to introduce my students to next year.

Here are some of the most promising book recommendations for The Hunger Games fans in your classroom… and may the odds be ever in your favor (that they like them).

Kids are fascinated by themselves – it’s a natural part of their development. So why not take that fascination and use it to stir up a little enthusiasm about your subject matter?

With Spring upon us, and the warmer temperatures on their way, it is a great time to think about spring cleaning those filing cabinets!

Follow my simple filing method to ensure that you never lose, forget or misplace your teaching resources.

As we teach and prepare students for 21st century careers and college, the effective integration of technology is an effective pedagogical tool for meeting the needs of diverse learners.

Technology tools, like iPads are particularly useful in meeting the diverse needs of our students with special needs. Technology makes what was once inaccessible for many of the students accessible. Since iPads are relatively easy to use and don\’t have a significant demand on fine motor schools, they are becoming increasing popular for instruction of our students with special needs.

There are thousands of apps that can be used to develop students’ skills. I am always collecting apps that can be effectively integrated into instruction.

Here are some of my current favorite apps that benefit all children but are particularly useful for reaching and teaching students with special needs.