Change
is an inevitable reality in the professional world. As educators, we get familiarized with a
routine and essentially become unified with the components of that routine. This routine includes: schedules, and the
development of relationships with colleagues as well as students. The shock of
change shakes up that routine and provides a bit of uncertainty for us as
educators. How do they run the school? Will my students learn from me? Will my Colleagues welcome me to the family? The world of Special Education and
collaborative teaching is no different. Special
Educators are asked to “wear many hats” as collaborative teachers. Such responsibility in a new environment can
be unsettling for a newcomer. Having supportive collaborative partners and
faculty makes the transition happen at a smoother pace.
It can be just as challenging to
develop a rapport with a collaborative partner, as it can be to develop a
rapport with students. Adding two
different teachers with completely different philosophies can create a barrier
in the collaborative classroom environment. My new collaborative teaching partners have
been an “open book” from the first day we began working together. We have been able to share ideas with each other,
and trade off pieces of each other’s techniques in order to provide instruction
to our students. Having such collaborative
partners has given me big boost in tailoring lessons to meet the needs of my
students. I learn something new every day
during 6th and 8th grade Language Arts, as well as in Civics.
It is refreshing being new to a
teaching environment and having an umbrella of support, in my respective
teaching content area, or department. As, Special Educators, It would be easy
to consume ourselves with our multiple roles of teacher, case manager, and
collaborator. The Special Education team at Walton has made my transition into
this family awesome. We all work together in many ways to meet the needs of our
students. Just the other day, I found myself scratching my head, trying to
figure out a way to complete a special education document correctly. Before I
could finish my sentence, I had two other special education teachers sitting
with me. We all worked to solve the problem together as a group.
I am excited about the opportunity
to be a part of what we have going on here at Walton. The staff here have been
very open and supportive. I hope that I am as helpful to my fellow
collaborators as they have been to me. I am hopeful that we can continue to
work together in order to impact our students here at Walton. 
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