Another thing they don;t tell you about in teacher’s college is the meetings. I’m in the thick of it right now. Aside from the regularly scheduled staff, team, learning team and committee meetings, there are the IEP and parent meetings.
To misquote T. S. Eliot, “April is the cruelest month” breeding meetings out of a wet land. In March and April all the end of the year IEP meetings occur.I have 4 students on IEPs and a student in a self-contained class that pushes into my class for more than 50% of her day. Three of my students have three-year reviews this year. That means that there is a meeting before the re-evaluation and another after. Six meetings. The student who pushes in is doing so well that she will be fully integrated into the regular class next year. I attended the meeting where we shared that good news with Dad. Seven.
A few months ago, the 4th grade did the COGAT screener. The parents got the results last week. One of my really bright students is a poor tester and we are meeting next week to talk about how we can help her perform better. Eight.
Another of my students has anxiety issues. He seemed fine when we started the SBAC last week, but mom got in touch with me and she says he’s really stressed at home, so I touched base with colleagues after school. We have a plan for the performance and Math tests and today I need to call mom to see what she thinks about it. Nine.
I’m sure this sounds like a complaint, and it isn’t meant to be. It is just the way things work. I bet you could ask any teacher and they will tell a similar story. We are all just doing what we can to be better teachers and to help our kids.
booksandbassets 
We had a professional day yesterday and it was packed full of meetings and information about new projects and upcoming changes–I felt excited and enriched, but information overload, for sure! Sometimes we just need a break to process it all.
Adrienne,
The good news is that it sounds like you have some positive things to share about your learners at your upcoming meetings. The ick – just the time for the meetings!
The world outside education has no clue about how there are no days that are 8-4 just teaching. The other “stuff” that packs on impacts our lives and increases the number of daily challenges!
Having sat in a few IEP meetings as a classroom teacher I am always amazed at the time and work put in by the child’s special Education teacher in mapping out a plan that is in the child’s best interest and then presenting this plan to the parents. My hat off to all who do this. I know I couldn’t.
The number of meetings the Special Ed team have this year are astronomical.
Meetings are the bane of a teacher’s existence! It’s too bad they all seem to come at the same time and during testing. I feel your pain.
Here’s a short slice I wrote about meetings…http://goo.gl/wLGZN1
I feel your pain.
Seeeeriously!
I’ve been on both sides of the IEP meeting: mostly as a teacher, but now as a parent. Now that I’m a parent, I’m even more grateful to the teachers who give up time to prep for the meeting (when they have so much else going on!), be at the meeting, and then carry through.