Breathe in, breathe out

Such exciting times in educational work these days. I have the opportunity to work with many educators to improve classroom practice. The work is challenging and interesting. I am running a Paraprofessional Academy with the lovely and talented Cheryl Richardson. We meet on a monthly basis with an group of paraprofessionals to explore topics that are tailored to the support work that they do with the students and teachers inside and outside the classroom.
I've met a number of wonderful teachers through my work with the Special Education Professional Development Institutes. We've been focusing on Integrated Co-Teaching. Our emphasis is on the need to build a working relationship with the co-teacher. Teachers in NYC face many hurdles in delivering appropriate and meaningful education for the students they teach. The co-teaching relationship provides a means of mutual, professional support in a system that sometimes just doesn't make sense. Another initiative is the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools program. This program comes out of Cornell University.  This training focuses on ways to support students in crisis. We teach personnel how to explore the meaning behind a student's behavior. Strategies to help the student self-regulate and learn appropriate coping strategies. I believe behavioral support can lead to greater academic success.