im a special ed preschool teacher, ask me anything!

manhattanmom

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 8:25 pm

and yet you're being anonymous...so nobody could PM you.
What population are you teaching and where? (I know you said special ed, but it really does vary...) How long have you been teaching there? And what is your educational background? Do you do evaluations? Parents want to know that before they just ask.
I'm teaching in a special needs preschool now--in Brooklyn for children with multiple and low incidence disabilities.

amother

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 8:32 pm

I understand. I should have been more specific. I prefer not to give away personal details or my screen name. I teach in a school for children with developemental delays and have experience with with varying levels of delays. I do not profess to be an expert in all areas, and I obviously am not offering information in a professional or formal setting at all. id be happy to answer general questions. I know ive beeen asked irl about how people in my position veiw parents, and and how we deal with the emotional impact this job has. that is more what I had in mind.

manhattanmom

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 8:41 pm

amother wrote:

got it. It's hard I'm sure...I haven't been teaching for so long (about 4 years) I love teaching the young ones because it's all so new for everyone and you are so involved in the families and their needs as the parents are all leaning to navigate the system...When I taught high school, I saw zero parent involvement, nobody cared anymore :/
I do find it interesting how the frum world has so many more resources than anyone else. None of my students have any res-hab or respite help for example....Even though beyond any doubt, they would qualify--I have parents literally falling apart---in horrible marriages, insane stuff happening at home--ZERO family support and NO money and with a very high needs child at home (I.e. children who are fully dependent on adults for ALL their needs.)
Do you know of any agencies that deal with medicaid/medicaid waiver benefits NOT in the frum community (NYC?) that offers the same types of programs that Bais Ezra or Otsar do--as in all the programs on sundays and when there's vacation from school??

cuties' mom

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 8:51 pm

Lots of agencies offer medicaid benefits. The big ones are YAI and AHRC. I'm using Cerebral Palsy Association (used to be part of UCP) because they were the easiest to get through to. Here's a list of the Manhattan service providers. http://www.opwdd.ny.gov/node/497 The website has separate lists for each borough.

amother

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 8:52 pm

manhattanmom wrote:

unfortunately I do not. I would maybe try calling the frum places and seeing if they can point you in a direction that could help these families get services. what you were saying about parent inolvement- yes, that is a HUGE part of my job. because of the newness to the special ed world at teh preschool level, there is a lot of emotional upheaval going on that I end up working with as well many times. sometimes I feel like a social worker/teacher. as much I as empathize, and ive cried after many many a phone call, I cant fully comprehend the pain.

amother

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 8:54 pm

amother wrote:

How can I know whether my child is normal?

usually, there is a concern if something doesnt seem right. I always encourage my family and friends to get their children evaluated if something seems to be missing, or if there is any concern about any aspects of developement.

manhattanmom

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 9:02 pm

cuties' mom wrote:

okay, but many don't have aggressive service coordinators and lack the ability to work with parents who won't see things through on their own. I have a list of these resources but they are really not the same.

manhattanmom

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 10:44 pm

Ashrei wrote:

So you are a SEIT in a regular preschool, or is it a special preschool?

Does the BOE pay you?

Why do you think OP is a SEIT? She said she teaches special education preschool, which would mean she's a classroom teacher for a class of children who have special needs. IN NYC, which she may not be living in, some classes have 12 kids and some would have up to 8 with some assistant teachers...

And preschool is not a Department of Education Salary.

If you are interested in Department of Education Salary scales for full-time employees, it's all on their website--it would depend on your specialty, how many graduate level credits you have, etc.

manhattanmom

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 10:46 pm

I am teaching in a preschool that is state-funded. It means there is money from the state for providing each child with services (education, speech, PT, OT, etc.) and I am not on a DOE pay-scale. But there are some other benefits that make it more worthwhile--if you are seriously interested in a job (no, my school is not hiring, just if you wanted some financial information and to know your options you can PM me.)

amother

Tue, Dec 31 2013, 11:57 pm

its hard to answer that question special ed teachers are paid differebtly across different states, schools, agencies etc. I know for example a school that pays as little as 30 a year starting salary and one that goes up to 60-65 a year in a different state, same type of job and hours. seits are paid by the hour and so are ei therapists. so it really really depends what aspect if special ed teaching you are doing and where you are working.

bnm

Wed, Jan 01 2014, 11:31 pm

tachllis: my kid is in an EI center based program 5x120, speech 2x30, special instruction 2x30 and OT is also at the center 1x30. I want to go away for 3 days and changing bussing is a pain in the neck. the teacher does the same unit the whole week since some kids only come twice a week etc. he seems to be catching on to the main idea the first day of the week. do I drive myself crazy to change the bussing for 3 days or do I just let him skip?
also why in the wold is it sooo difficult to change the bus? they need 10 days notice Sad

oh and if a mother sends cookies do you eat it or throw it out?

manhattanmom

Thu, Jan 02 2014, 1:47 pm

We (at least in my school) love getting cookies and snacks from parents. Unfortunately, most aren't kosher... Regarding the bus: I'm not sure if the policy is really true. Schools/center based programs run independently of the bus company (at least in NYC) so unfortunately we--the schools--have as much of a nightmare in dealing with the bus companies as parents do.

amother

Thu, Jan 02 2014, 5:35 pm

zigi wrote:

if a child used to say words or phrases then stopped but now says other things. will the original words come back? example. pesach time he would say go out yes? then months later nothing but other words like up now he says his name and on, he has less than 20 words.

amother

Thu, Jan 02 2014, 5:38 pm

zigi wrote:

there are a few factors. how old is he? is he developing and progressing otherwise? its hard to say if its something to worry abt or just a couple of words he lost for some reason. again if you have any concern about his development otherwise, it can be a warning sign and I would speak to someone in real life and try to get him evaluated.