The document emphasizes the importance of building relationships with children, especially in the context of implementing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities. It discusses various educational acronyms, modifications, and strategies to support students' behavioral and academic needs while fostering collaboration with parents and peers. Additionally, it shares real-life challenges faced by students, illustrating the critical role of teachers in making a positive impact on their lives.

1. Learning to Love Behavior and the IEP Amber Halliburton

2. Nothing really matters if you don’t have a relationship with your kids.

3. Learning the Language of EC Acronyms Galore Basic categories Basic modifications Other

4. EC ACRONYMS IEP – individualized education plan EC – exceptional children LEA – local education agency (the school district) IDEA (2004) - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This federal law, reauthorized in 2004, is designed to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free and appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living. (NCDPI, Parent Resources)

5. Areas of Disability AU – Autism Spectrum Disorder DB – Deafness-Blindness DD – Developmental Delay DF – Deafness ED/SED – Serious Emotional Disability HI – Hearing Impairment ID – Intellectual Disability OHI – Other Health Impaired OI – Orthopedic Impairment SI – Speech Impairment (SLI – Speech Language Impairment SLD - Specific Learning Disabilities TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury VI - Visual Impairment, including Blindness

6. Common Modifications/Accommodations RA – read aloud RATS – read aloud to self ET – extended time PS – preferential seating DTS – dictate to scribe MIB – mark in book SG – small group SR – separate room

7. Your Role in the IEP EC teacher RE teacher LEA (usually principal or appointed person) Counselor Related Services EC director Superintendent

8. THE IEP Goals – Goal Sheet Modifications Assessment

9. Your Role after the IEP Teachers Regular Education Special Education Principal

10. Modifications/Accommodations Understanding the classroom expectations The legal implications Documentation

11. Cake in the Classroom C – Crazy A – Aggravating K – Kids E – Exhaust you!

12. The Most Needy…ICING on the cake I – Identify your most needy kids. C – Commit to calling home everyday. I - Initiate a plan of when to call. N - Note the change – positive and negative G - Gauge the success of your plan, the student, and the parent.

13. Understanding the Parent While the parent may not have the same parenting style as you, most still care about their child. Most parents love their children. We are not here to assess how they express their love to their child, but to help their child as much as we, the teacher can. We cannot change the home, but we can change the school-home interaction. It can begin with one positive phone call.

14. What to Praise If you can observe, you can praise it! Materials brought to class Raised hands Not talking Looks nice Name on paper ANYTHING YOU CAN OBSERVE

15. Ways to Praise Praise and Rewards can be easy. Economical Pencils and school supplies serve 2 purposes. Individualized Given with expectation Given randomly

16. Academics not Behavior Separate academics and behavior. The two are very different. Some children are successful in one area and not another. We have to start at the area of success.

17. Behavior EVERY behavior has a purpose. Every behavior helps the student gain or escape/avoid something. The challenge is to find out the reason for the behavior.

18. 10 Words Every Child Should Know

19. Resources Valuable information that can aid you in school, work, college and in life. Examples include: notes, textbooks, peers, computer, internet, adults

20. Collaboration To work together, to seek the input of others Peers, friends, colleagues, are valuable resources. Collaboration means working together, not taking someone’s work as your own (that is stealing)

21. Your definition…. Define Respect

22. Respect To treat kindly, to speak to in an appropriate tone, with appropriate topics and maintain recognition of the person’s authority. Most of us would have a hard time defining respect. It is often an ideal that we know, but cannot describe.

23. Appropriate Acceptable, following social rules I couple this with socially appropriate behaviors. What is appropriate for many kids at home is not appropriate for them at school. We must teach what is appropriate and inappropriate. We cannot expect them to know.

24. Privilege A reward, a special treat, something that you are not required to have Examples – location of desk, group work, privilege to choose your work space, privilege to sit with friends at lunch School is full of privileges that we often overlook. Food, personal space, and other such examples are not privileges and should never be taken away.

25. Self-Advocacy To speak for yourself and your needs in an appropriate, respectful way. I cannot see the board. Can you please move my seat? Can I please talk to you about my grade. I think there is a mistake on my progress report.

26. Consequence The end result of an action, this can be good or bad. The consequence for not completing your work is a loss of group privilege. The consequence for getting a 100 is a drink. I use the word interchangeably with most students.

27. Honesty To tell the truth, without withholding information, altering information or leading someone to believe something besides what is true. Move from punitive to purposeful by having students be accountable and honest for what they have done. It is not about consequences, but teaching students to be honest.

28. Accountability To be accountable for one’s actions, to own what you did, to admit to what you did, whether it is good or bad We each should be accountable for our choices. I need you to own what you did and be open about it.

29. Self-Regulate To control one’s self, without another person’s directions, orders or supervision. Self-regulate, 2 at a time to the bathroom. Are we using good self-regulation?

30. Classroom Jobs Most missed out on these opportunities when they were younger.

31. Group Consequences Token System Never a loss Points Collaboration Individual and Group All students must complete all work or the entire class has a specific consequence.

32. A B C’s A B asic C ontinuum Nothing is permanent. Everything can be earned or lost. It is always at the discretion of the teacher, but can be contingent on what YOU say and want. Silent lunch for a week. Motivation?

33. Alternatives Games – worksheet makeover Group work – specific roles (recorder, reporter, supporter) Teams - competition Rubrics – teach them to assess themselves and others Materials – give options Testing – oral, group, team, etc. Calls home – immediate

34. Shhhhh…… Intentional Pause Intentional Ignoring Silence Rote answers/Repetition Check your tone in all that you say. It’s not in what you say, but the way you say it.

35. The Way You Say It Get in line. When you’re ready, we will go. You aren’t working. Are you working? Stop talking. When it’s quiet, we can… You haven’t done anything at all. Do you need help? Sit in your seat. Are you in your seat? Command/Demand/ Accusation Question/Statement to refocus, redirect, and ready students for learning

36. Options Providing options to students can meet all of your objectives, but give some control back to kids. Provide 3-4 options that are acceptable to you that the student may enjoy. Poster, paper, photo story, PowerPoint Provide options on the order of work they complete. This or that first (Does it really matter?)

37. Considering our own purpose and role Punitive or Purposeful ?

38. Question and Answer IEP Behavior Other

39. Contact Information Amber Halliburton Walter Johnson Middle Email – [email_address] Email for PowerPoint and templates Updated on Conference Wiki

40. Baggage Activity Acquire a suitcase, preferably old, beat up suitcase. Give students several copies of a shirt (or black sheets of paper) Discuss that we all carry “baggage” everywhere we go. A lot of times we don’t know what’s in each other’s suitcase of baggage. Encourage students to write possible “baggage” that either they or their peers bring to school with them everyday. Remind them this is anonymous. Have students place shirts in suitcase when finished. Discuss answers with students.

41. Baggage Activity Reality

42. I lived in a bad neighborhood. My mom and I lived with my grandma. One day my bedroom window got shot out by somebody driving down the street. It was cold and we didn't have any money. My mom stuffed a blanket in the window so the cold air wouldn’t come in. It didn't really work...

43. I am number 5 out of 5 kids. My grandma and grandpa have raised all of us. My mom and dad are both in and out of jail. My brother and 2 sisters already have kids. Most of the time, I have to watch their babies. I have been beaten in and out of a gang. I have been sexually active since 12.

44. My mom is a prostitute. Everyone knows it. She has 6 kids. I don't know where some of them live. I am the last one at home. I don't live at home a lot though. I stay with this man I call Ernie. She says he is my uncle, but I really think he is too old to be my uncle. He has another kid that lives there with him. He's about 70 years old and I am just 14. My mom is busy with her business and leaves town a lot. What will I do when Ernie dies?

45. My teacher is so nosey. It's just a knot on my head. She asked me about so I told her. My mom hit me with a pool ball. She was drunk and I was mad and she hit me. I deserved it. My teacher called DSS about it and they came to my house. Did my teacher not know that I would get into so much trouble for telling that? I deserved it and I told her not to tell. She just had to go tell. My mom found out who called DSS and then she called my teacher and told her a lot of mean things. Then I got hit, but I deserved it. I have to be more careful.

46. Me and my mom live in an apartment. I have an older brother who people tell me is dumber than me and my mom. I don't really like it when they say that. Anyway, my mom has company over a lot. It's always men. I know what they do. One day at school I was so sleepy. I just couldn't keep my eyes open. The night before my mom made me get up in the middle of the night so that she and some man could use my bed. I had to sleep on the couch, but I am too tall for that little couch and just couldn't sleep. My mom told me that she would buy me some new jeans though. I guess it was worth it...

47. Everyone called me a faggot or queer. I was tall, lanky and had bright red hair. I loved to decorate. My brother used to like to beat me. He also liked to make me have sex with him. To try to get away from him and my drunk mom, I would go outside in the trailer park and visit an older woman with cancer. She was very nice. She brought me paint, Christmas lights, lots of pretty things to make my room better. One day, she decided she liked me a lot and kissed me. I didn't like the kiss, but it was better than the beatings my brother gave or the other things he made me do. DSS wouldn't help me. They said that's what brothers do - fight. They did not believe the rest. I kept visiting her, things progressed, I told her to stop and then she told me not to come back. I am now in high school. My brother is gone and it's just me and my mom. Maybe it will get better now....

48. I changed schools in 6th grade. I hated my new school. My old school let me sit in the custodian's closet where the shower thing is and all the cleaners are and play my video game all day. I didn't bother them and they didn't bother me. My new school was awful. They made me stay in class all day and wouldn't let me leave except for bathroom and lunch. I spent the first 3 weeks under the table, barking, growling and trying to bite my teacher. I hated her. I would also bite myself. It made me feel better. I would bite my skin off and make myself bleed. Sometimes the angels would tell me to do. Sometimes I would talk to dead people. The angles were nice, but when they all started talking at the same time it was so loud. I just wanted it to stop. I used to try to kill myself a lot.

49. I am a child who watched my daddy die when I was five. He went to get money from a drug dealer and was shot and killed. I sat there until the police came. I was a victim of hurricane Katrina. I lived in a stadium for 6 months. I spent time in a juvenile detention center. I was 16 in 8th grade and could not read. I changed my life around, learned to read and returned to regular classes. My life was on the right track. I wanted to join the Marines. I was later shot at 17 by a police officer. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

50. I am number 4 out of 5 kids. I began dating a 23 year old man when I was 12 years old. My mom introduced us. When I was 13, I became pregnant by him. I loved him so much. My mom paid for the hotel room. Some people say I was used as a prostitute for drugs. I disagree. He loved me and we will get married one day. I gave birth to my baby by myself in a detention center for pregnant girls. I was so scared. I moved back home and because I made bad choices, I lost my baby, probably forever.

51. I was called a worthless piece of trash by my teacher. I was made to sit by the window because my teachers told the class I stunk like cigarette smoke. I got so angry I punched a kid in the face and broke his nose. The teacher said I deserved to go to jail. She didn't realize that I lived in a prison everyday. I couldn't escape the world that I was trapped in.

52. I tried pot one time with my friend. My mom found out, but she didn't get mad. By the time I was fourteen, my mom and I were shooting up together. She would cover for me and I would cover for her. Sometimes she would drink or get high and she would touch me. It made me feel weird, but I thought it was because she was high. At least this was one way she would spend time with me. Drugs connected me and my mom.

53. I was 13 years old at the time. I had been diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, tourettes and some other thing I can't remember. Anyway, I was really crazy. I had to take a lot of medicine. During the summer, my parents don't make me take medicine. It's really cool under the trailer. I pulled out a piece of underpinning from our trailer and crawled under the trailer. It was so much fun. I would stay out there all day and night. My mom would push food under there for me. And I didn't have to take my medicine. I got to play my video game all day. One day my favorite dog died because my dad got mad at it and beat it to death. I pulled the dog under the trailer with me and we played all summer. I was really sad he died, but glad I could live under the trailer and he could be there with me.

54. Relationships Matter The good news… Without a positive relationship you can’t do anything. Everything begins with a positive relationship. Everyday we have the choice to positively impact a child. Will you?