JUNE 12, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Special ed takes on new meaning during pandemic
the phone doesn’t feel the same
as a face-to-face conversation,
so I never know if I have helped
enough or need to offer more
supports,” said Nicole De Blasi,
a special education instructor at
McNary High.
“This has defi nitely opened
my eyes to the art of special
education.
It makes us,
as a staff, re-
think
what
the academ-
ic needs are
and how we
can best serve
our students,”
fi rst-year spe-
cial education
teacher Kelly
Burdick said.
Howev-
er, the staff at
McNary has
been diligent
in making sure that special edu-
cation students are having their
needs met.
“Our number one concern
as we transitioned to distance
learning was to provide care
and connection for all our stu-
dents. Through our care and
connection, we continued to
education students
know their students
so well, that the staff
was able to quickly
adjust teaching and
offer a variety of sup-
ports to make sure
that the individual
needs of the students
were met.
“Our goal has al-
ways been to make
sure that our student
can continue to ac-
cess their general ed-
ucation classes despite
the new methods of
teaching. We want all
students to continue
to feel included, have
access and feel suc-
cessful,” De Blasi said.
However, lack of
personal connection
and internet access
are two of the main
things that con-
tributed to some of
File
the troubles when
Sofi a Boru works with a student in the Celtic emotional growth center in
it came to distance
2018.
teaching.
“So many students
offer academic and emotion- parents,” De Blasi said.
al supports by supporting and
Most of the specialized in- have challenges in their home
collaborating with our students, struction for special education life that make distance learning,
general education teachers and is via small group learning on at times, impossible for them.
Google Meets. Teachers also Despite trying our best, there
have been providing their stu- are students who fi nd this type
dents with individual check-ins of learning challenging,” De
through phone calls, emails or Blasi said. “Some students re-
texts — whatever the student’s ally need that face-to-face in-
preferred method of communi- teraction and not being able to
pop into a classroom for sup-
cation is.
Q. I heard about China’s ban on recycling.
All students that are on an port has been diffi cult. Students
What IS recyclable now?
IEP have a case manager who now have to call, email or wait
A. Be very careful to only recycle the things on your hauler’s approved list.
is there to make sure that all of for offi ce hours to get help, as
the student’s services and sup- opposed to having easy access
PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM, AND WAXY CARTONS WERE NEVER RECYCLABLE!
ports are in place. According to their teacher for immediate
PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING GOOD RECYCLABLES EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY:
to De Blasi, the case managers support.”
• Cardboard and uncoated greyboard boxes (Shipping & cereal type). No frozen food boxes!
“We have a lot less control
that work with McNary special
• Print-quality paper - newspaper, junk & office paper, and magazines;
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
The COVID-19 pandemic
put teachers in the unique posi-
tion of having to virtually teach
for the last two-and-a-half
months. Earlier this week, Sa-
lem-Keizer educators wrapped
up their fi nal distance learn-
ing lessons for
the 2019-20
school year.
While giv-
ing virtual in-
struction has
provided new
challenges for
Salem-Keiz-
er educators,
teachers that
work in spe-
cial education
classrooms
were presented
with a greater
task in trying
to meet the needs of their stu-
dents that are on Individualized
Learning Plans (IEP’s).
“It has been hard not hav-
ing the ability to address needs
with students as they come up,
especially the social/emotional
needs that many of our students
have. For some of us, talking on
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over the environment,” Bur-
dick added. “We didn’t have a
way to bring our kids that per-
sonal connection.”
While distance learning has
been a struggle for some stu-
dents, others are actually fi nd-
ing more success under this
strategy — to the point that
the special education depart-
ment wants to implement dis-
tance-learning strategies in the
future for certain students, even
when in-person class is back in
session.
“Many students struggle
with large classes and this type
of learning is great for them.
Many of my students are thriv-
ing by working independently
and knowing that learning can
done in their own safe space,”
De Blasi said.
Teachers have also seen the
development of social skills in
their students through this pro-
cess.
“We have realized that a lot
of our kids learn better this way.
It’s been amazing to see some
of our kids working on social
skills that we weren’t seeing in
the school building,” Burdick
said.
De Blasi credits, not just the
special education teachers, but
the entire staff at McNary for
some of the positive results that
they saw through virtual learn-
ing.
“It has been absolutely im-
pressive and humbling at the
lengths our staff will go to, to
make sure all students are get-
ting the help and care that they
need,” De Blasi said. “Teachers,
counselors, and staff are reach-
ing out to students at all times
to give them the help they need
and make sure that they know
we are all in this together and
will get through this together.
I feel very fortunate and lucky
to work with such an amazing
team.”