I had the privilege of attending HP’s Hacking Autism hack-a-thon yesterday. It was an incredible group of parents, students and professionals. I was amazed as I walked through the rooms watching teams of designers discuss and build software, and I remembered how amazing this journey has been for all of us at Hope Technology School. ABC highlighted the hack-a-thon and featured an interview by one of Hope Technology School’s own parents. READ MORE »
Hope Technology School enthusiastically welcomed the visit of the Mayor of Palo Alto, Sid Espinosa. Kids asked all sorts of questions when the Mayor stepped into our classroom filled with eager and anticipating 4th and 5th graders. One student asked, “How is it being mayor?” He described it being hard at times but rewarding. One student questioned, “Do you put out fires?” [I'm sure he's put out a few], but the mayor explained that usually the fire dept does that.
The students presented the Mayor with letters they wrote to him about inclusion and what makes HTS so special and unique. As the Mayor was on his way out, one eager student asked the mayor, “Do you speak Spanish? I couldn’t find it on your profile in Wikipedia.” The mayor mentioned that he was impressed by the research the students did on him to prepare for the writing.
From the experience, students learned that the mayor is responsible for the city and helping others in the community and beyond. It was an exciting day here at HTS!
Students ask Mayor Espinosa questions about...everything!
The 2nd and 3rd grade classes had the fortunate opportunity to ask Palo Alto’s Mayor Espinosa some questions during his visit today. Student questions ranged from “Where do you work?” to “Where were you born?”. The 2nd graders presented artwork they had made for Mayor Espinosa, who made a comment about what a great fundraising opportunity the art would make. The 3rd grade class gave the Mayor a book entitled, “What We Love About HTS”. He graciously accepted the gifts and thanked the students for welcoming him.
The students all enjoyed themselves, feeling very proud to have hosted such an important leader in the community.
Mayor Espinosa admires student art work.
Mayor Espinosa addresses middle school and vocational education students at HTS.
Today we had an exciting visit from the Mayor of Palo Alto, Sid Espinosa. He visited our school to see the inclusive program and to meet our students. His background in technology and civic involvement gives him a unique outlook on education.
Students in several of our classes were excited to meet him and ask questions as he toured the school. They had prepared letters, pictures and books to present to him.
We are grateful to the mayor’s office and to the city of Palo Alto for the time spent visiting our school. His Honor, Sid Espinosa, made a great impression today, thank you very much.
In our Vocational Education Class at Hope Technology School we are in the process of reorganizing our classroom kitchen. I found myself baffled at how to inspire my students to clean up and over-haul a kitchen that they claim not to be their responsibility. Oh the wonders of helping students develop work ethic and character!
I used my prior skills in payroll, went to work and found a solution. I strategically set up a system of “jobs” for each student to successfully complete according to their strengths. Students learned to follow directions and complete their job, and most importantly feel a sense of accomplishment. I introduced the terms “Payroll,” Timesheets,” and “Direct Deposit.” The students also learned how to fill out their timesheets, in order to get paid for their work. They were big fans of their direct deposit bank accounts entitled “PAY DAY!”
I learned that most of them where scared of failing at new tasks. The key to helping them is thinking through all the different options in order to set them up for success. It pays to do the extra work! Doing the extra work to inspire and empower them and reminding them of their capabilities not only helped them build character, but also help them complete their jobs.
Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/slemmon/
“Mr. Mariscal and Mr. Bob — FOOTBALL!” These are the words exclaimed by 10-12 kids every day at lunchtime. Mr. Bob’s team and Mr. Mariscal’s team are pitted against each other for another battle. I’ve been working at HTS for about two years now, and one thing I look forward to every day is playing football with the kids during lunchtime. It’s a great way to unwind and bond with the students. Like my coaches before me exemplified, it’s through hard work and sweat that relationships are formed, and our lunchtime games are no exception. We have kids make highlight reel catches and the occasional tumble to the ground. But after every game, Mr. Bob and I walk away laughing as the kids line up for class. “That was the greatest game ever!” one of the kids shouts as he darts across the field. “Did you see that catch today? That was amazing!” yells another.
Out on that blacktop, kids don’t see each other as they do when they are in the classroom. It’s hard to explain, but the kids walk onto the blacktop and they start coming together to become a team. They don’t care if their teammates struggle with math or reading, or make the occasional emotional outburst in class. They just want the team to succeed. Students who usually struggle with letting down soon look as if they are in their natural element. On that blacktop, Mr. Bob and I are able to orchestrate magic. Today, for example, a ball passed through two kids’ hands, only to fall into the hands of a student who rarely catches a pass. His eyes lit up like light bulbs and he raised the football in the air as if it were a trophy. All his teammates surrounded him, congratulating him on a great catch, and the defense walked away smiling, knowing they had just seen something great.
Just another day in the life of lunchtime football.
Have you ever bought an app for the iPhone or the iPad and it wasn’t what you thought it would be? I have done that too many times. So now before I buy an app I want to make sure it’s worth my money and most importantly make sure it’s useful.
I work in the Vocational Education Program at Hope Technology School and one of my jobs is to find apps for the iPad that our students can use. In the process of looking for apps that our students can use, I have found these 3 websites to be very helpful:
It has been said that if one were to travel from 1911 to 2011 the only thing that would remain consistent are our classrooms. Our educational tradition includes students silently sitting at desks reading and writing and promptly eliminates those with various learning styles. For example, according to Education Week, a report by the National Center for Learning Disabilities found that 46% of students with learning disabilities fail to graduate from high school.
Inclusive education involves a new way of thinking that inspires fresh teaching strategies and provides a solution for those many students who aren’t motivated by ancient educational traditions. At Hope Technology School our motto is “Innovation in Education,” and our students with and without special needs thrive in an inclusive setting because their teachers teach use out-of-the-box strategies, believing every child can learn.
I found some great quotes by teachers about inclusion in a video by Brookes Publishing advertizing a professional development package. They explain the role of an inclusive teacher as finding solutions to the following questions:
“How do we make our schools responsive to every learner? How do we really appreciate, identify and honor the individuality and the uniqueness that all our learners bring? And how do we provide an appropriately challenging education to all. And that’s all new, that’s different.”
“What do we believe the student will accomplish? Who do we think this person is? Do we see his or her possibilities or are we looking for failure, are we looking for students to disappoint us? And so I learned to dwell in that area of possibility and I am surprised still today how often when I engage in that practice I am rewarded.”
As more and more teachers adopt an inclusive approach, we will see more students with a variety of learning styles and abilities succeed.
Inclusion means C.A.R.E.
Today was my first day has a para-educator in an inclusion classroom at the Hope Technology School. I don’t have much experience working with students with special needs. What do I say? How do I respond if I can’t understand my students?
Growing up I was taught to glance away whenever there were individuals with disabilities. I reflected on my educational experiences and remembered going to school and seeing students with special needs grouped together in one classroom, a mainstreaming approach. They had different schedules compared to typical students and they were often picked up and dropped off at their home by a squared-shaped school bus—an approach that starkly pronounced exclusion.
Today I learned that embracing inclusion is about learning to care and teaching others to care. I learned that any parent, with a typical or special needs child, wants their child to feel safe and happy at school. As an educator I have the opportunity to interact with students, promote safety and facilitate friendships.
During recess time today, I played with a typical and special needs child by throwing a football. It was a simple game, but, a microcosm representation of what inclusion looks like.
Today I learned that inclusion is all about being Compassionate, Attentive, Respectful and Empathetic.
Physical education has been helping kids for quite some time, but just recently I’ve started to realize its ability to greatly influence their ability to focus and build relationships. As part of our morning routine, the students in our class at Hope Technology School participate in Running Club, where the kids get to run for 5-10 minutes. What I started to realize is how much this helps our kids to connect with each other. I don’t know many 4th graders who can run for 5-6 straight minutes, so naturally they walk with their peers and start talking about games, movies, or whatever 4th graders like to talk about. The amazing thing is that everyone eventually finds someone to talk to.
I of course encourage them to jog or run some more, and they do, but like magnets many of the students naturally find one another. At the end of the run, I call all the kids in and ask them, “Who wants to give an appreciation?” They all stare at me blankly, so I go ahead and share how I appreciated one of the students giving his full effort. Then, like a stack of dominoes, they all start sharing about how different students did a good job running. Even kids who never complete more than a few laps get compliments because the students understand that everyone is different and everyone should be applauded for his or her effort.The students come back to class with more confidence and focused. It’s only been a few days, but from how things look, the future seems promising.
As I was on twitter, I stumbled upon an article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/09/01/f-sparking-life-niagara-region-schools.html. It further cemented what I have been seeing and offers some useful insight on how a physical program can impact students and how they perform better in the classroom when they return from physical activity. I’m excited to see how our Running Club shapes up our kids and helps them bond while showing them how a physical routine can enrich their lives.
