The week back from Thanksgiving is a solid run. With concerts, testing, and just trying to get all the students back into routine, that will be interrupted.
Some thoughts about all the holidays, though.
There is an article that Renay recently read about the overuse of calendar time in Special Education classes. While Renay will concur with most that schedules and calendars dictate the life of just about anyone; it cannot be the center of the classroom at a certain point as students age. What happens in a given week and day is important to front-load. Most importantly it is not the entirety of lessons for students with disabilities.
… schedules and calendars dictate the life of just about anyone; it cannot be the center of the classroom at a certain point as students age.
However, the calendar is not always entirely understood as a whole, and for some, a week is not long enough to really see what is happening. It is about learning to balance all the views of understanding time, because not all time is “now”. And that can be hard for young students or students who operate on “now”.
It is about learning to balance all the views of understanding time, because not all time is “now”. And that can be hard for young students or students who operate on “now”.
ParaEducate
Renay’s solution was to send home a calendar and have the student start putting dots on the days that had passed.
Why does this matter?
Students have very little say in their world. Add in a communication difference, and the way that communication happens can challenge the way that people think someone understands their world. It ties in a home-school connection.
One last word– yes, our friend Dr. J. Kurth and her team were the ones who wrote the student, and one part they were looking at the minutes in a given day for students in separate programs on skills like calendar, which were the focus of the day. And we only touched on one tiny part of the research she and the team reported on. We received no compensation for reading this study.
Testing and Technology
Several districts have started removing technology to help focus students and improve general outcomes with students. For students with disabilities, technology is a given, not something we can just ‘remove’. Testing is required for all students, including students with disabilities. Being clear about boundaries and when technology is used is important to students with disabilities, especially why technology is being used.
So, how to support students when they have something their peers do not?
A reminder that technology is one tool in their bag. They have access to these tools to help level the playing field and not to make things just ‘easy’. It is equally challenging to limit what a student can and cannot do for the student who notices the reminder that they need the support that the tool gives them. It is not changing the direction they have.
Traditions
In a given classroom, there are things you know will always happen. The roll will be sent into the office, the announcements that get distributed, and papers will be passed out. However, November and December are also about spending time with family and friends for most students. Not every student celebrates holidays in November and December, and that needs to stay at the forefront of our minds. Some of the major holidays are not during winter for some of the students.
Not every student celebrates holidays in November and December, and that needs to stay at the forefront of our minds. Some of the major holidays are not during winter for some of the students.
Traditions, whether they happen at a student’s home or if they happen at school, are important for any individual with their identity. And yes, some students share traditions. Those little shares are connections.
And yes, some students share traditions. Those little shares are connections.
ParaEducate
And those Assemblies
Having a plan for students with disabilities to participate in assemblies are more than just entering the building where the assembly takes place. Knowing when a student has had enough, or when a student can say ‘no’ to attending, is as important as trying to attend for all students.
And then, even with all the panic and worry about preparing to support the student in the assemblies, they sit and watch the assembly like their peers. And watching that occur is its own kind of holiday joy. Finding that moment and being able to enjoy it is just as important as supporting the students who cannot attend the assembly because they have asked to leave. All of the space for those opportunities helps build a belonging.
One Parting Moment for 2025
ParaEducate is thankful for your continued support throughout the year. ParaEducate will return in January 2026.
Do you have any comments about this month’s blog? Do you have a question for us? Would you like to have an opportunity to pilot some materials at your campus? Find ParaEducate online here, here, here, and on our website. ParaEducate is a company providing materials, information, and strategies for people working in special education inclusion settings for grades K-12. ParaEducate, the blog, is published once a month during the academic school year. ParaEducate shares its findings at conferences, through its books, and through its academic adaptations.
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