Kami Almy

Remember when it was acceptable to punish students with corporal punishment? How about when students were sent to a corner with their nose in it for hours? We have discovered that these practices are no longer acceptable. Since then we have discovered many more effective ways for dealing with students with problem behaviors as well as students with disabilities. One of my favorites is School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). We are currently working on creating a program for our school.

 

When thinking back to the fall of 2014 when I first started to apply to Michigan State University in the Masters of Education program, I thought to myself, I want to know the newest methods for dealing with challenging behavior and students with special needs. My goal was to learn what the latest technology, curriculum and interactions with students were. I knew that pursuing special education was not going to lead to another endorsement on my degree. Many people asked then why would I do it? The answer is simple: I do not choose my students (not that they always choose me) but I want to know the best methods to teach each and every one of my students. I want them to become successful learners and be prepared for kindergarten. I knew if I could find methods to reach my students early on their path of education they would be more likely to become successful as they continued down their path. Early intervention is the key to helping students become the best they can be.

 

Now that I am about to complete my final semester at MSU, looking back I have realized that my goal has not changed and I would not change my goal for anything. I still want to know what the best practice is for my current and future students. I attend workshops and seminars outside of the required ones from my district to help me keep up to date with methods. Also, during the course of my degree I have had the opportunity to take a lot of great courses that helped with my students. I have been able to use this knowledge to help others in my building and I had the opportunity to take what I have learned and share it with a group of fellow teachers who were struggling with their students during our Professional Learning Community (PLC).

 

During my Masters program I have learned so many new things that have helped me with my students. I have been able to decide what old methods we were trying to use needed to go and what new methods would work best in our Pre-K classroom. Using the High Scope curriculum (click for more information) and being a part of the Great Start Readiness Program limits what kinds of methods we can use but that has never stopped me from working toward my goal of learning the latest technology, curriculum and interactions to use with my students. I look forward to sharing many of these ideas with my fellow teachers and my student’s parents.