Seager B Sped854 m6 Coachingconvos
Seager B Sped854 m6 Coachingconvos
Seager B Sped854 m6 Coachingconvos
University of Kansas
Brent Seager
Conversation:
Me (calmly & respectfully): Good afternoon Ms. Amy, how was your day?
Paraeducator Ms. Amy (happy): It was great, the students were on-task and did a great job
Me: I am happy to hear that your day went well, are you ready to begin?
Me (calmly): Ms. Amy, do you know why I asked to speak with you after school this afternoon?
Paraeducator Ms. Amy: I am unsure, as I am on time every day and I have only missed one
Me (respectful tone): Ms. Amy, I know that you are a dedicated employee, and I appreciate that;
Paraeducator Ms. Amy: I did not know that you were there, what time were you there?
Paraeducator Ms. Amy (happily): The lesson when we were discussing the letter d?
Me: Yes Ms. Amy, that was the lesson, and I noticed that Susie was sitting in your lap for the
duration of my observation.
Paraeducator Ms. Amy (worried): Susie was struggling today, as she was late to school and did
Me: Ms. Amy, I appreciate that you were trying to help Susie, but did you know that she was not
engaged or included in the lesson; and this is a violation of her rights as a student?
Paraeducator Ms. Amy (shocked): I had no idea that she was not paying attention, and that my
Me (respectfully): Ms. Amy, I believe that you had Susies best interests, but Susie should be
Paraeducator Ms. Amy: What can I do to ensure that I am not violating the rights of Susie and
Me: During the professional development day next week, there is a training about providing
services and supports to special education students in the general education classroom, and I
Paraeducator Ms. Amy: I want to attend this training, as I know that it will allow me to better
Me: I appreciate your understanding and attention to this matter, as this will benefit all students
Me (calmly): Ms. Amy, you are not in trouble, I observed a situation that you were involved in
that was violating the rights of a student and wanted you to be aware of it. I have also included
Paraeducator Ms. Amy: Thank you for addressing this issue with me in a professional manner, I
Me: I would like to thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with me.
Paraeducator Ms. Amy: I will see you at the professional development training next week.
Conversation:
Me (cheerful): Jon and Cindy, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy
schedule to meet with me today to begin planning for Johnathans transition to the middle school
next year.
Jon & Cindy (encouraged): Thank you Mr. Seager for setting up this meeting, as we both are
Me: What concerns did you have about Johnathan attending the middle school?
Jon & Cindy (concerned): As you know Johnathan has had one-to-one paraeducator support
during his time here at this school, and we hear that he will not have this support next school
year. We are also worried about his interactions with his peers at his new school. Perhaps our
biggest concern is what will happen if he has a meltdown and what plans are in place to ensure
Me (calmly): Jon and Cindy, research has shown that one-to-one support can isolate a student
from the classroom and his peers, which is why more school districts are moving towards using a
collaborative team approach. Johnathan will be enrolled in a social skills class that will allow
him to build, develop, and practice social skills and interactions with peers and adults. In our
middle school, there is an SBS room that Johnathan can utilize when he is struggling or feels that
he is unable to manage in the classroom; once he is calm, he will return to his normal school day.
Jon & Cindy: We would like to learn more about the collaborative team approach that the middle
school will be using next year. We would also like to know more about the social skills class
and the SBS room that he can utilize when he is struggling or has a meltdown.
COACHING CONVERSATION 5
Me: The collaborative team approach involves general and special educators, paraeducators,
parents, and other staff members working together to monitor the placement and progress of the
Jon & Cindy: That sounds like it might suit Johnathans needs, we would like to know more
about this and how it will look like transitioning into the middle school.
Me: I have worked closely with several teachers at the middle school to ensure smooth
transitions, I believe that scheduling a meeting and tour of the middle school with you and
Johnathan would help to answer some questions and address some of your concerns.
Jon & Cindy: Mr. Seager, that sounds like a great idea, do you know when this could happen?
Me: I can call Mr. Davis this afternoon, he is the lead special education teacher in the building.
Jon & Cindy: We are available Tuesdays and Thursdays all day.
Me: That sounds great, I will contact Mr. Davis to request a meeting and tour of the facilities and
services, do you have any additional questions or concerns to discuss with Mr. Davis?
Jon & Cindy: We just want to go over the collaborative team approach, class schedules, the SBS
room, and daily routines, as you know that Johnathan needs to have a routine to follow each day.
Me: I will relay this to Mr. Davis and we will set up a time in which Mr. Davis, you, Johnathan,
and myself will meet at the middle school during the school day and begin developing his
Jon & Cindy (appreciative): Mr. Seager, we want to thank you for starting the transition process
early, it will be a major relief to have everything in place before the end of the school year.
Me: Thank you for meeting with me, and I will be contact you soon to finalize the details about