DREAM JOB PREPARATION – PART 5

Below are the posts leading up to this realization:

I spent a total of over 10 years at Good Will-Hinckley as a Behavior Technician (Coach), Education Technician III and a Special Education Teacher.  During this time I learned many skills and gained a great deal of knowledge about human behavior, case management and teaching.  Below are the main skill areas.

Teaching

• Certified Maine Special Education Teacher – 282
• Created and customized educational programs for students, using strength based approach to meet the student’s Individual Education Plan.
• Trained, supervised and collaborated with assigned Education Technicians as needed
• Integrated Technology into the classroom to prepare students for life beyond school. Examples of this were: teaching basic computer skills, word processing, mind mapping, use of Email, blogging, wikis, collaborating using online software such as Google Docs, preparing slide presentations, and preparing students to use online classes such as Moodle Learning Management System.
• Planned and taught middle school Social studies course – 5 years
• Planned and taught high school U.S. History – 3 years
• Planned and taught high school World History – 1 year
• Planned and taught remedial reading program (FAME) – 4 years
• Collaborated on and co-taught middle school English – 2 years
• Collaborated on and co-taught high school U.S. History – 2 years
• Collaborated on and co-taught high school English – 1 year

Case Management

• Facilitated Individual Education Planning team meetings for students on caseload (15-27) annually. Completed specialeducation paperwork in compliance with state and federal regulations. Submitted all paperwork with a 99% on-time rate, over six years.
• Screened education records of all incoming students to establish documented eligibility for Special Education services or if not previously identified to made the appropriate referrals for services if warranted.
• Consulted with teachers, behavior staff, funding sources and other outside agencies as necessary regarding students needs and progress.
• Collaborated in a professional and positive manner with area Augusta, Fairfield, Messalonskee, Winslow and other school districts, state agency personnel and all persons involved in the student’s Pupil Education Team.

Software Applications Skill Level

• Word Intermediate to Advanced
• Excel Intermediate
• Powerpoint Intermediate
• Outlook Intermediate to Advanced
• Internet Explorer 7 Intermediate
• Inspiration8 Intermediate to Advanced
• Digital Video/Camera Intermediate
• Firefox Intermediate to Advanced
• Thunderbird Intermediate to Advanced
• Moodle Learning Management System: Beginner
• Video Conferencing Beginner

Web 2.0 Applications

• Facebook Beginner
• Twitter Beginner
• Igoogle Intermediate
• Google.docs Intermediate
• Blogs Beginner – Intermediate
• Wiki Beginner – Intermediate
• Ning Beginner
• Zoho Office Suites Intermediate
• Base Camp Intermediate
• Gaggle.net Assistant Administrator
• RSS Feeds Beginner

Committees Served on:
Maine Department of Education:

• Maine Education Assessment Item Bias Review Committee,

Averill High School:

• Personal Learning Plans (Portfolio Development)/Student Led Conference Committee
• Technology Committee
  School-Wide Database System search committee
• Special Education Committee.

Soft Skills:
Working collaboratively with others, being able to work with youth who are in crisis and maintain control of situations to ensure everyone’s safety is maintained, informal counseling or just talking to students openly and honestly.

During the time I was at Good Will-Hinckley one skill that I learned that is not part of a typical position is the ability to stay calm and rational during times when a student is in crisis.  That was simply part of the job in this position, we served students who had not been successful in the public schools and were often very verbally abusive, threatening and at times physically abusive.  So I would add crisis management to my list of skills learned.

Things I liked about this position.  I really enjoyed the “aha” moments when students “got” what I was attempting teach, using the internet to develop Personal Learning Networks, using technology in the classroom, seeing the growth of students over the course of their schooling (I had one student from 7th grad to 12th, it was so satisfying to see her growth and development).  Working as part of a team to help students grow.

Things I didn’t like about this position.  The verbal and physical abuse that was provided by students who were trying to see if you would abandon them too, other teachers who were there only for a pay check or didn’t have patience for the students.  Having to get students to meet grade level standards when they were several grade levels below actual grade level.

I am starting to see some trends just in the last two positions that I have had:  working well in collaboration with people, I like to train/teach, do well in stressful/emergency situations, good with paperwork, like to use technology and problem solving.

I will probably go through the remainder of my work history in the next post as a compilation more for trend analysis than what my duties actually were.

Looking back and writing out what I did in my previous position has been invaluable so far, I have been able to see things that I enjoyed doing and things that I can do, but that I have found that I don’t want to do anymore.
The journey continues towards finding out what my dream job looks like, I know that I have a much clearer picture, now than I did a few weeks ago.  So progress is being made.

This work by Harold L. Shaw, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.