After being a long-term substitute teacher, I was hired in June 2020 as a full time ECSE Teacher for Saginaw Township. For the past two years I have been stationed at Sherwood Elementary in Saginaw Township providing students with their first school experience. During this time, I have learned a lot. My duties include lesson planning, IEP case management, transition plans, parent and paraprofessional communication, and working with any and all staff members to ensure our students are receiving all the services they need.
Being an ECSE Teacher has provided me with experience I can take with me to any teaching position. As the IEP case manager, I am in charge of ensuring that all services are being provided to each student while reporting to the state on progress. Working with a team and independently is a critical part of my everyday happenings! ECSE has a particular connection with families as is this their first school experience as they are transitioning from Part C to Part B. Families are truly an essential part of the classroom and IEP team. Additionally, every month teachers had to plan a field trip in the community with caregivers and students. The COVID pandemic has made this an even more prevalent as the home- school connection needed to be strengthened to continue education.
In my first year as an ECSE teacher I had students that were suspected to have ASD. During my day with them, we would practice life skills, communication, appropriate play, and encourage independence. All students followed a schedule for their daily routine. Accommodations and modifications (individual visual schedule, social stories, fidgets, specialized seating, and much more) were supported throughout the classroom to help student achieve their individual goals. Data was taken on students monthly and reported to the state, parents, and the IEP team. A whole child approach was scheduled into the classroom day. Students were provided "adaptive PE" time to work on gross and fine motor skills. The classroom had a speech therapist come in two times a week and the classroom was language based to work on communication skills. Play was a majority of the day with a few small and large group circles to work on colors, numbers, letters, and other cognitive concepts to prepare students for kindergarten.
As a teacher, I played may roles and learned a lot throughout my time at Saginaw Township. Below are some of my daily and monthly duties that were expected of me throughout the year. There are videos and lesson plan examples of my classroom and teaching. Please contact me with any questions.
Video Modeling (Life Skills)
IEP progress monitoring
IEP progress reports
Initial/ annual/ transition IEP's
Battelle Inventory Assessment
Case Load Manager for 24 students
Medbilling
Organizing monthly field trips
Parent information night
Using Michigan Early Learning Expectations to implement lessons
Supporting student accommodation and modifications
Parent-teacher conferences
Multiple Communications with parents (online platform, communication folder, in person)
Daily data collection
Organizing specialized bus transportation
Working with bilingual students and families
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