Crafting Equality in the Classroom

Show Notes

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Discover how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has transformed special education and shaped a more inclusive learning environment for all children. Alongside my co-host and wife, Laura Curtis, we trace IDEA's journey from its early beginnings as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, to its role today in ensuring every child has access to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Together, we unravel the essence of FAPE, emphasizing how it guarantees free, tailored education that meets each child’s unique needs while fostering a collaborative spirit between parents and educators.

In this episode, we shine a light on practical strategies that make classrooms more inclusive, illustrating how tools like visual aids can empower students facing communication or motor skill challenges. We also explore the critical distinction between fairness and equality in education, advocating for tailored approaches that level the playing field for all learners. With input from parents and educators in IEP meetings, we highlight the powerful partnership that can drive remarkable progress for students with disabilities. We encourage our listeners to join the conversation, share their experiences, and help us continue these vital discussions in future episodes.

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What is Life in the IEP Tribe?

Join us as we dive into the world of special education with two educators who have walked the same path as many of you. In addition to teaching in self-contained and collaborative settings, our hosts bring a unique perspective to the challenges and triumphs of raising a special needs child. From classroom strategies to heartfelt family moments, they offer practical advice, empathy, and a community of support. Discover how their personal experiences can shed light on your journey and gain valuable insights into navigating the complexities of special education both in and out of the classroom. Welcome to the tribe!

Speaker 1: Welcome to the second
episode ever in the history of

life in the IEP tribe.

My name is Jared Curtis and I'm
here with my co-worker and wife

, Laura Curtis.

Say hi, Laura.

Speaker 2: Hi Laura.

Speaker 1: No, don't say hi,
okay.

So what we're going to do is
we're going to have some more

conversations about the life in
the world of the IEP.

Now, if you don't know what an
IEP is, that's fine, because you

will eventually find out, but
not, right, this second.

First, we want to say thank you
to everybody who has been so

supportive of this.

We're super excited about the
conversations and the

connections that could possibly
take place through this podcast

and it's been really cool to see
a lot of our friends and

coworkers that we've reached out
to about possibly contributing

to some of these episodes,
seeing them respond in the

affirmative and super happy and
pleased about the idea of being

a part of something like this.

Speaker 2: Absolutely.

Yeah, this is very exciting.

Speaker 1: So I think we are.

Let's try that again.

We are certainly fortunate and
blessed to know some fantastic

people in the world of special
education, not only in education

, but parents of children that
need that have special needs

requirements.

So in our conversation, we have
concluded that a good place to

start when discussing the IEP
life is to look at what is it

that all these ideas and laws
are tethered to?

What is it that all these ideas
and laws are tethered to?

What is the foundation for
special education in,

specifically, the United States
of America?

And that is found in IDEA.

Now, something that we have
found in the bit of time that

we've been in the education
system is that there are

acronyms and abbreviations
everywhere.

Like nobody just calls anything
by its name, things get

shortened.

So IDEA or IDEA stands for
intellectuals with disabilities

education, individuals with
disability education act, that's

it, and so we're going to talk
a little bit about Individuals

with Disability Education Act,
that's it, and so we're going to

talk a little bit about that
and again, that being the

foundation for everything that
directs.

That's what we're tethered to
when it comes to assisting

children in special education.

So let's give a little bit of a
brief history, shall we?

So special education isn't a
new thing, right?

We can jump all the way back to
1975, when President Ford

signed into law the Education
for All Handicapped Children Act

.

Now, what I'm not going to do is
sit here and read you a

textbook or make you listen to
this long, drawn-out explanation

, but know this that since 1975,
there have been restructures

and reform and all kinds of
things taking place to better

serve children that are in
special education, children that

are in special education.

That brings us to IDEA.

Idea came along many years
later and I think, if I'm not

mistaken, was sort of formulated
into what we know now, in the

late 90s and then again in the
early 2000s.

And they're still, even today,
consistently looking at it,

revamping it, trying to position
our students with the best

possible route to their lives.

Right, because what IDEA wants
to do is it wants to allow our

students, allow our children,
the best possible education,

allow our children the best
possible education.

And so, whenever we talk, about
IDEA.

Speaker 2: what's the first
thing that comes to your mind,

Mrs Curtis?

The first thing that comes to
my mind when we talk about IDEA

is, once again, here's another.

This one's an acronym is FAPE,
and that's the Free and

Appropriate Public Education.

That would be the first part of
the idea.

I think that's the foundation
of giving the students with

disabilities a free and
appropriate education.

Speaker 1: Wow, that was good.

Yeah Right, that was good.

Speaker 2: Yeah, so FAPE free,
so the education is supposed to

be free to the parent or
caregiver.

They should come to no cost to
them, and that includes the

school that they're at, that
includes the services they

receive while they're in school,
and so they should be able to

send their child to school and
they should be able to get their

education without cost to them.

And then the next part is the
appropriate, and the appropriate

simply means a place that is
the best fit for the child

doesn't necessarily mean that
it's where the IEP team says

they need to be, it's, or the
parent needs says they need to

be.

That's why you get together and
have the conversations to find

out what's appropriate, and it's
goes by this, by each student.

It's not the same.

Okay, well, this child's this
age and this grade and they need

to go here, and so it's
supposed to fit their needs and

be appropriate for them.

And then it's a public
education.

That's the P and the E of that.

Does that?

Speaker 1: make sense.

Yeah, so, free, appropriate
public education, and this is

kind of the emphasis, right,
this is what IDEA is wanting to

create.

So when you look at the purpose
of IDEA the number one, you can

go to their website.

The number one objective of
IDEA goals and objectives and

objectives.

Right, you hear that all the
time in the iep world, but stay

with me.

So the number one objective of
idea is to make sure that every

single child, and I would even
say without disability right, so

it's not a we're going to make
a specific rule that is for

children with disabilities, and
then we have other rules for

children's, that children's or
children man, you can tell that

we are recording this after a
day of work.

Speaker 2: Definitely.

Speaker 1: So it's not that
there's a set of rules for for

typically developing children
and then a set of rules for

atypically developing children.

No, it's, it's to bring all of
the kids into one area and to

have equal access, right, free,
appropriate public education,

equal access to what is being
taught in the school, and that a

disability will not exclude
anybody from that.

Instead, it is we as the um, as
the educators, take on the

responsibility of saying you
don't have to learn the way we

teach, we're going to learn to
teach the way you learn right.

So we will maneuver and shift
and accommodate and modify

however we have to.

So we will maneuver and shift
and accommodate and modify

however we have to to make sure
that, at the end of the day,

there is a fair and I love that
word fair there is a fair

education for every student.

Because what is one thing we
know Fair and equal don't mean

the same thing, and we'll come
back to that in just a little

bit.

But talking about IDEA even more
is that it's a law that assists

states and local governments,
that assists in leading and

directing, instead of kind of
leaving it up to everybody's

best interpretation, because
what we find often is that just

because there are special ed
students in a building doesn't

mean that everybody in the
building knows the best way to

interact with them.

It doesn't mean that they know
the best way to teach them, or

the best way to even approach
them, or even best tone of voice

, right?

All of these things are very
different when it comes to them.

Or even best tone of voice,
right?

All of these things are very
different when it comes to

students with disabilities.

And so what this law does is it
gives us something as educators

, as parents, administration.

It gives us something to tether
to so that we can walk side by

side.

It's not a law to make one group
of people more important than

the other or to minimize a group
of people in comparison to

others.

So what it is, it's this thing
that we can tie to, and it's

going to ensure that educators
and parents have the tools to

improve educational results for
children with disabilities.

Now, that seems like an awful
lot to try to weigh out, because

it looks to me like there's a
lot of things here that seem

sort of subjective.

What do I mean by appropriate?

What do you mean by appropriate
?

But I do believe that IDEA is
doing its very best to

streamline the whole
conversation so that we can all

tie to this one line of thought
and work together, but

unfortunately it does not always
happen that way.

Speaker 2: Right.

Speaker 1: Because anytime you
have money involved, things get

tough Like it's difficult.

It's difficult to make things
happen when you don't have

endless funds hanging out.

You know you don't have the
Scrooge McDuck huge right when

he goes swimming in the coins,
right, right, when you go

swimming in the coins, right, uh
.

And so it causes us to kind of
sit back and say, okay, so how,

what is the best?

We can do um with what we have.

And so, while IDEA's purpose is
to ensure this and to ensure

this free and appropriate
education, laura, what do you

think our responsibility as
educators, what do you think our

responsibility is in all of
that?

What do we do with that
information?

Speaker 2: As far as the idea in
FAPE.

Of course we have to make sure
that we are when we look at each

child and I know you said we'll
get into the IEP later, but,

like we've, I think we mentioned
last time, iep is an

individualized education plan or
program.

So we, as educators and as part
of the IEP team, need to make

sure that we are discussing all
the options of the students

different things that will
benefit them and decide as a

team what accommodations do they
need?

What setting do they need?

Do they need different
therapies during the school day?

Do they need different modes of
learning?

For instance, if somebody has
reading challenges and can't

necessarily follow along in the
book, well, they may need

different multisensory options
for their learning.

Some of them learn better with
tactile, some of them learn with

listening.

So you have to study the child,
find out their strength, find

out their abilities and their
needs, and then you go from

there and then you develop this
IEP that maps out okay, they,

they struggle with this or
they're not on grade level for

this, and so this is where we'd
like them to be and this is how

we're going to get them to do it
and this is where we're going

to get them to do it?

Speaker 1: so, again, going back
to what you're talking about,

when you're talking about FAPE,
the free and appropriate and I

think appropriate really ties
the A in.

FAPE really ties to the I in the
IEP, right, right.

So if it's going to be
appropriate, it has to be

individualized.

As a matter of fact, we were
just having a conversation

earlier today talking about some
of our students that we are

getting more inclusion time in
gen ed, which, by the way,

that's going to be a fun
conversation in the future too,

because that's that me, you get
all weird about that.

Speaker 2: We're like oh, let's
talk about inclusion.

Speaker 1: It's really, you know
, and, truth be told, we might

be even a little sick, because
if people ever stopped by our

house and came in and sat down,
these are probably the

conversations they're going to
hear, right, or fart jokes, or

something yeah, and then, and
then, whatever I bring to the

table, that's what happens when
you have four boys, right?

so, uh, but but in talking about
this individualized and this

appropriate, it really is.

Oh, let me get back to what I
was saying.

So we have students that would
try to get in some more

inclusion time in gen ed and we
were even talking about one

strategy is that oftentimes the
students that we see in our

setting they kind of struggle
with their fine motor skills.

Right, they struggle with being
able to hold a pencil.

They struggle with being able
to hold a pencil, they struggle

with being able to follow a
dotted line, things of that

nature.

Speaker 2: And different
developmental delays.

Speaker 1: Right, right, and so
what we were even talking about

today is you know, when a child
is in, say, a general education

setting and there comes an
assignment where the kids are

expected to write some things
down on paper, well, we found

one way to to approach that for
some of our students is

something as simple as using a
sticky note that has the answers

, right, right, and they can
place the answers where they're

supposed to go, so we know that
they're getting the content and

they're they are experiencing an
individualized method Based on

what is appropriate for them.

I say it's so much more than
just these big fancy words.

I mean, it really is sitting
down and looking at each child.

Now, I made the comment earlier
about fair and equal not being

the same thing.

Sometimes, the right thing to
do, the fair thing to do, is to

give a student the freedom to
engage with the materials the

way they need to to further
their education, to further

their understanding.

What we're not saying is that,
in this one particular case of

using the sticky notes, in no
way, shape or form would we say

it was right or fair that all
the kids use them.

But it's important to find
where the child needs that extra

step, that extra support to get
them closer to where their

peers are as far as their
educational journey.

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: What are some other
like?

examples that we could use of,
of adjusting or modifying things

to help a child move as swiftly
as they can with their, with

their, peers note when I'm
asking students beginning sounds

and some of them cannot write
the letter of the beginning

sound, and I also have students
who cannot tell me the beginning

sound.

And if I had six pictures that
began with either the sound for

the letter M or the sound for
the letter S, I would give them

six stickers and they'd have
three M's and three S's and they

could then pick which picture
had that letter sound, and so

they don't have to tell me, they
don't have to verbalize that

and also they don't have to
write it, and so what that does

is one.

It helps me know if they know
the content, but it also gives

them some independence and a lot
of times they know the content

they just don't have a way of
showing it through either

through vocalizations or through
writing.

So if I can give them these
stickers to put on their answers

, it gives them that little bit
of independence and allows them

to take pride in their work and
knowing that they did that by

themselves, and then also what
that does for other students, it

also frees up some support that
that child doesn't need at that

time for some of the other
students in the classroom.

Speaker 1: Yeah, going back to
that, what is fair, but

necessarily what you know, equal
.

So, and we could talk about
this side all day long, about

different ways that teachers can
produce or not produce, but

present an appropriate means of
learning to a student.

What is the responsibility for
us as parents of children with

disabilities when it comes to an
appropriate or an

individualized education?

What burden do we carry?

Do we bring to the table?

Speaker 2: that's a good one.

I think that this is probably
one of the hardest is to is to

try to be I say this that be
realistic about their children's

current abilities.

Speaker 1: Right.

Current is a very important
word.

Right.

Speaker 2: Because we don't know
the future.

We don't know where that child
is going to go and what

direction they're going to run
in, and so, being realistic

about their current abilities
and what supports they might

have.

But also, parents need to
advocate for their child, feel.

Or if they know that their
child can do something that

they're not seeing in school,
then they need to advocate for

their child.

Say no.

I know that they can do this and
at least want to try.

So I think, being realistic and
advocating and also ensuring

that and, as parents, that you
are an active part of the team,

that IEP team is what makes the
decisions, and parents are a

vital part of that team Because
they know their child better

than anybody.

Speaker 1: Absolutely.

They know that child inside and
out, yeah, and I agree, I think

you know asking questions is
always at the top of my list.

And let's just think about for
those of you that are in an IEP

meeting now, it was years before
I had any clue what that even

meant.

But what if let's think about
this what that even meant?

But what if let's think about
this?

What if we went in there and we
brought to the table our

strengths, our understandings?

Because again we've been on both
sides of this table.

Teachers have gone through a
tremendous amount of training

Special education teachers have.

As far as special education
goes, there's a lot of things

that they have been taught, that
they know about different

disabilities and things of that
nature.

Right, they know about, they
understand those things.

But, just like you said, when
it comes to knowing a child well

, the parent definitely knows
the child better than anybody

else.

And so what happens if we take
those two mindsets and we don't

come in looking to fight each
other, but we look to pair the

knowledge of the situation with
the knowledge of the parent

concerning their child and we
put that together?

I mean that to me is a pretty
powerful thing.

If we can put together all of
our book knowledge with all of

our experience as a team, I
don't know that there's many

things that can't be tackled.

I think it would be a very
successful meeting, a very

successful team, and we would
see our children progress, I

think, in leaps and bounds.

But again, it all starts with
the individual, it all starts

with that specific child, and so
it's important for us as we I'm

about to wrap this thing up.

Can you believe that we've been
talking for almost like, or

just over, 20 minutes.

This is crazy.

But, as we continue to consider
and I ask that you do this, if

you're a parent of a child that
has special needs, or if you're

a special education teacher, or
maybe you're in administration

or you're a related service
provider, really consider what

you bring to the table, not from
the perspective of you have to

prove yourself to anybody.

That's not the case.

Don't come in thinking you need
to, um, you know, parent, that

you need to convince the teacher
that you know what you're

talking about.

And, teacher, don't put a
parent in a position where they

have to feel that way, or they
or they feel attacked or they

feel and you know and I say all
these things because I've been

in many, many meetings and I've
had some good ones, and I've

been in some meetings where I've
done things or said things that

it was just really stupid
because it didn't help the child

in the long run.

And so if we can come together
and we can sit down and we can

really look to tie those things
together, the what I bring to

the table and be willing to ask
the hard questions, I think we

can see a lot, a lot change for
our students.

Speaker 2: Right, I agree.

Speaker 1: Reminds me of this
conversation I had one time,

back when I first started
teaching.

I had the mentor of mentors,
one of the most funny and super

cool ladies I've ever met.

You had the privilege of
working with her for years over

at Kingsland Oops at a school.

Her name is Miss Wanda Johnson,
who I am Like we are definitely

trying to get her on here to
have some conversations with us.

But my first year in special
education we were working

together and she said something
to me that has just stuck, and

it's this she says Mr Curtis,
the kids that we teach have to

run to get to the places that
typical children walk to, and

what she meant was is there's
got to be a lot of hard work.

Nothing's given to them,
nothing's for free.

Right, there has to be a lot of
work, but the way we pave that

road, the way that we create the
path, the way that we train up

a child in the way that they
should go, as the book of

Proverbs says, is that we come
together and we work to give

them that path to success.

And success can be learning to
use the bathroom right.

Success can be tying their shoe
.

I mean, you want to talk about
something crazy.

You stick your ear in one of
our classrooms when a child

that's learning to toilet is
successful.

Speaker 2: Well, it's like a big
party, that's right.

Speaker 1: It's like a big party
, because these are all

important steps, important steps
for the individual child, not

for this number of children, not
for that number of children,

but for the individual.

And they have the best shot at
reaching the same goals as the

typically developing when we
work together as a team, as the

typically developing when we
work together as a team.

So I think we're going to go
ahead and wrap this up.

Speaker 2: All right.

Speaker 1: Mrs Curtis, is there
anything?

Speaker 2: else that you have to
say.

I don't believe so.

Your husband talks a lot.

I know I'm sorry, it's okay,
I'm used to it.

Speaker 1: So, please, if you
find yourself dillyilly dallying

around the world wide web, uh,
you can check us out on facebook

and youtube and instagram and
I'm still trying to figure out

this x, formerly known as
twitter.

Right, I I am.

Maybe we need to get our
23-year-old to run all of our

what is that stuff called on the
interwebs Social media.

So, anyway, it's all out there.

Be sure to follow, subscribe,
like, whatever all those things

are that all the cool kids are
doing nowadays.

And, please, if you have any
questions, comments, concerns

ideas that you would like us to
tackle, go ahead and shoot us an

email.

You can contact us through any
of those social media uh outlets

, or you can send us an email at
life in the IEP tribe at

gmailcom.

Should I try to spell it?

No, I'll get halfway through it
and then I'll forget what we're

even talking about.

I'll be all talking about hey,
I can count to potato, or my

favorite color is yes.

So anyway, with all that being
said, we hope that there's a

little bit of time that we have
spent discussing IDEA and FAPE

has been beneficial for you, to
you Be communicated right and

until next time, have a good
week.