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Rebel Teachers Rising
Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance. While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all. But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders.
This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective. These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway.
Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums. Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.
Rebel Teachers Rising
23. The Special Education Mess Part I: A Comprehensive Discussion of Terms, Challenges, and Insights
In this episode, hosts Amanda Werner and Trina English discuss the complexities of special education, exploring its oppressive nature and the civil rights journey that has shaped it. They delve into various terms and acronyms such as IEP (Individualized Education Plans), 504 Plans, and disabilities categories including Intellectual Disability, Emotional Disturbance, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Amanda shares her first-hand experience being an intervention teacher and subbing in special day classes. They underline the systemic issues like teacher shortages, the lack of nuanced care, and the correlation between special education and broader educational problems. The conversation also touches on the importance of relationship building in intervention, and the need for supporting neurodivergent students more effectively.
00:00 Introduction to Special Education
00:24 Unpacking Special Education Terms
01:27 Categories of Disabilities
02:41 Intellectual Disability Explained
05:19 Emotional Disturbance and Special Day Classes
06:02 Personal Experiences with Special Day Classes
14:31 Autism Spectrum Disorder and Misdiagnosis
18:55 Challenges in Identifying and Supporting Neurodivergent Students
20:36 Specific Learning Disabilities and Accommodations
26:58 ADHD and Overlapping Diagnoses
30:45 Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
31:40 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and RTI
32:57 Understanding Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
33:20 Introduction to RTI and Tiered Interventions
33:51 Behavioral Interventions and Tier 3 Supports
34:52 General Education and Special Education Collaboration
36:18 Implementing Tier 2 Interventions
38:30 Challenges in Special Education
42:10 The Role of Intervention Teachers
52:12 Least Restrictive Environment and Full Inclusion
01:00:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
www.rebelteachersrising.com
Petition to Save K-12 Schooling and our Precious Democracy!
