I am a special education math teacher in a Title I Middle School south of Seattle. More than 75% of the students at my school are from low-income My kiddos come from over 60 countries and speak more languages than we've ever even heard of. All of my students are in special education, many 6-7 levels below their grade. Outwardly, they are vocal, social, and perfectly normal tweens and teens. Inwardly, they struggle to read, to calculate, and to simply make sense of numbers. School is a safe place for them and I want to make it a fun place, too. Math isn't easy for any middle schooler, and when my kiddos come to school with more on their shoulders than most adults can carry, it's my job to make that load a bit lighter with lessons that help them explore, discover, and maybe even enjoy math.
When I asked my special education students what their dream jobs were, they told me they wanted to be doctors, nurses, veterinarians, engineers, and teachers. Please help me purchase resources to help my students reach their goals. My students learn differently. To reach them all in their own unique way of learning, I create individualized educational programs targeted toward each student based on their IEP goals. Not all of them take notes, realize an equation with paper and a pencil, or can make sense of a word problem. But, games, a bit of fun and competition make learning math easier. I will be able to create more effective lessons with these new, hands-on resources developed with my students in mind. And, each of these materials will give me a broader set of resources to choose from as I teach, assess, monitor progress, and report that growth to parents and administrators.
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I am a special education math teacher in a Title I Middle School south of Seattle. More than 75% of the students at my school are from low-income My kiddos come from over 60 countries and speak more languages than we've ever even heard of. All of my students are in special education, many 6-7 levels below their grade. Outwardly, they are vocal, social, and perfectly normal tweens and teens. Inwardly, they struggle to read, to calculate, and to simply make sense of numbers. School is a safe place for them and I want to make it a fun place, too. Math isn't easy for any middle schooler, and when my kiddos come to school with more on their shoulders than most adults can carry, it's my job to make that load a bit lighter with lessons that help them explore, discover, and maybe even enjoy math.
When I asked my special education students what their dream jobs were, they told me they wanted to be doctors, nurses, veterinarians, engineers, and teachers. Please help me purchase resources to help my students reach their goals. My students learn differently. To reach them all in their own unique way of learning, I create individualized educational programs targeted toward each student based on their IEP goals. Not all of them take notes, realize an equation with paper and a pencil, or can make sense of a word problem. But, games, a bit of fun and competition make learning math easier. I will be able to create more effective lessons with these new, hands-on resources developed with my students in mind. And, each of these materials will give me a broader set of resources to choose from as I teach, assess, monitor progress, and report that growth to parents and administrators.
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