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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: Inclusive Classrooms and Dr. Paula Kluth's Work

11/27/2018

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If you didn’t already know by now, I am passionate about inclusion for all students. My passion for inclusion began when I accepted a position working for an agency called Maryland Coalition for Including Education or MCIE. It was in my work with MCIE that I first was introduced to Dr. Paula Kluth and learned of her work in inclusive practices. I had the privilege of attending a training specifically focused on her book, From Tutor Scripts to Talking Sticks: 100 Ways to Differentiate Instruction in K-12 Inclusive Classrooms, that changed my perspective and mindset on inclusion. I recently came across a Q & A session with Dr. Kluth that I found useful and thought I’d pass it on. Here’s a little information about Paula Kluth from her website and a copy of the Q & A link below:

“Dr. Paula Kluth is a consultant, author, advocate & independent scholar who works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners. Paula is a former special educator who has served as a classroom teacher and inclusion facilitator. Her professional interests include differentiating instruction and inclusive schooling. She is the author or co-author of ten books. They include: “You’re Going to Love This Kid”: Teaching Students with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms; A Land We Can Share: Teaching Literacy to Students with Autism; The Autism Checklist; Joyful Learning: Active and Collaborative Learning in the Inclusive Classroom; and From Tutor Scripts to Talking Sticks: 100 Ways to Differentiate Instruction in K-12 Inclusive Classrooms. Paula is also a director of a documentary film titled “We Thought You’d Never Ask”: Voices of People with Autism. Dr. Kluth has been awarded numerous honors in her field & community. Most recently she was a recipient of the 20 Under 40 University of Wisconsin Alumni Achievement Award for her work with students with autism. She was named the National Down Syndrome Congress Educator of the Year in 2007 and the Belle Center of Chicago’s Inclusion Advocate of the Year in 2006”

https://www.paulakluth.com/about-paula/
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http://blog.brookespublishing.com/you-learn-by-doing-an-inclusion-qa-with-paula-kluth/
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Blog Post Written By: Meka Tull, Director of School Partnerships
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STAFF GUEST POST: Updates on Clinical Paperwork: Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-35)

11/14/2018

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“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't.”  ― Steve Maraboli

For those of you that don't know me, my name is Shar and my role in the All In Partnership program is as a Health Information Specialist.  My job includes keeping track of all the different types of documentation our clinicians complete in order to meet best practice guidelines and requirements.  Along with Claudia who is featured in our staff highlight, we support clinicians with monitoring the many changing requirements that come from governing bodies like the counties and state.

If I’m being honest, there are moments when I’d rather resist change with every fiber of my being than decide to be curious and open to the opportunity. What can nudge me into a better mindset is taking on the task of communicating that information along to others. Since I’m often relaying information and asking our amazing clinicians to handle yet another change in paperwork or procedures I want to understand for myself why this change happened and what it means in the long run for the incredible work they do.
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    On that note, I’d like to highlight the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (or PSC-35 for short) which rolled out throughout the state of California in 2018. The PSC-35 is a questionnaire that caregivers/parents complete and helps identify and assess changes in emotional and behavioral problems in children. As an agency and a program our clinicians strive to include caregiver voices in as many ways as possible and this new tool shows us the state also shares this value.

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The PSC-35 shows us how the family is viewing the child and is a way of tracking their perspective over time. The fact that caregivers complete this evidence-based form on a regular cycle may also reinforce for them how important their voice is in our work. Despite the fact that I’m often asking our clinicians to take more on, when faced with a change in requirements it does me wonders to take a moment to pause and simply take a deep breath. Breathing a bit more thoughtfully stops me from jumping down the assumption rabbit hole of negativity. I quickly find myself motivated and inspired to understand and actually dive into it a bit deeper and find the value in how it highlights and adds to the amazing work our clinicians already do.  
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If you’d like to know more, please visit: https://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/services/psc_home.aspx
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Blog Post Written By: Sharadha (Shar) Naidu, Lead Health Information Specialist
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STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Claudia Burgos

11/13/2018

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Name: Claudia Burgos
Position: 
I am currently a Lead Health Information Specialist.
 
What led you to your current position? After graduating Cal State East Bay as a psychology major, I soon discovered that direct service was not an area I enjoyed. During my work experience, I worked in 2 different construction companies assisting with operations and admin. Even though, I enjoyed learning about business and accounting, I knew that I wanted to work for an organization that had a more meaningful purpose and held similar values as mine. I feel that being a Health Information Specialist within Seneca, has combined the two worlds that I was searching for. Overall, I’m grateful that I am still able to contribute to the community we serve, as I work behind the scenes.
 
Fun Fact/Quote? Not till we are completely lost or turned around…do we begin to find ourselves.. -Henry David Thoreau  
 
What does your average day look like? My average day begins with getting a cup of coffee. I then take out my big stacks of paperwork and reorganize them into multiple different piles, such as add to chart tracking, need to enter, scanning, follow ups, etc. Every day, I always tell myself that I will complete all my stacks, but I know the truth. I then open up my emails and become an investigator, ensuring that I am able to answer all my emails as correctly as possible. Since, I currently hold 2 different counties, I have to make sure I’m relaying the correct information for their county specifically. The QA managers and specialists from other programs definitely help in my investigation as we work together to come up with the correct response. On certain days, like today, I have to travel to Contra Costa County to drop off documents to be reviewed. The few days of the week I travel, it is nice to get out of the office for a little bit. When I come back, I will finish sending out chart tracking, do some billing and begin on my stacks of paperwork, as I answer emails along the way.
 
Why do you do this work? I do this work because these kids and families have been through so many obstacles and deserve to have a helping hand. It takes a village. I’m glad I can take my skills and experiences and help All In continue to thrive and expand.
 
What hope do you have for the future of our program? I hope that as All In continues to grow and expand, everyone one the team continues to feel supported and heard. The work our team is doing under the Unconditional Education model is amazing and I would like to see it continue for many years to come; I can only imagine how many lives we can make a difference in.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: All-In! Health Information Specialist (HIS) Team

11/13/2018

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My highlight this week is not one of the 40 All In/SOAPS school sites (yes, 40!) or even one of our partner Charter organizations or districts.  This week I want to highlight a truly delightful two-person team working quietly behind the scenes to make our programs run smoothly and efficiently.  I’m talking about our beloved All In Health Information Specialists (HIS), Sharadha Naidu and Claudia Burgos.

In fact if we include all the SOAPS school sites in our tally, our HIS team is 4 people now--Laura Hernandez and Megan Braddock watch over the SOAPS school sites, and are an incredible duo as well. We’ll lift them up in a future blog highlight!
Claudia and Shar have been guiding our All In documentation ship for 3+years. In that time and with their willingness to learn new systems and requirements they have helped us expand into four counties, counties where our All In Clinical Intervention Specialists provide school-based individual therapy for almost 200 students (so far, this year) and additional services for hundreds more.  Each week Robyn Ganeles, Jasmine Casil and I have the pleasure of meeting with this team to hear about their work and to problem-solve/plan together for the next big thing. Their humor, flexibility and curiosity makes them a winning pair and it is one of my favorite meetings of the week.

Did you know that in addition to being a Lead HIS: Shar co-facilitates a development group for other health information specialists, and is studying to be an occupational therapist!

Did you know that in addition to ALSO being a Lead HIS (CONGRATULATIONS!) Claudia has traveled with family to El Salvador and Machu Picchu in Peru over the last year!
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Please read on in this week’s blog to learn a bit more about this fantastic duo.

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Blog Post Written By: Emily Marsh, Director of Clinical Intervention
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GUEST POST: The Value of Laughter in School: Creating Safe and Equalizing Spaces

11/6/2018

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When I think about why and how I do my work, the value I connect with most is curiosity. But there’s also a value I connect with that we don’t normally name – laughter.
 
Last year I was working with a student who repeatedly had conflicts with another student at their table. He would sometimes laugh at her, call her name and make a face. I noticed that the other student started telling him to stop – even at times when he hadn’t done anything. I asked the student. Why were you laughing? And he said "She always laughs with [other student] but gets mad when I laugh." That was the first time I realized – he was doing this because he wanted to get along with her – yet his action was having the opposite effect.
 
I helped the first student explain to the second that he wanted to laugh with her and have fun with her like the rest of the table did. I tried to explain the difference between laughing at someone and laughing with someone in a more positive and pro-social manner. But there are many social nuances of laughter than you probably wouldn’t think of unless you tried to explain them to first graders who are still learning how to engage with peers. You shouldn't laugh when someone falls down, but sometimes you can like if they're laughing. You shouldn't laugh at someone else, but sometimes people do something on purpose so you can laugh. You can tell a good time to laugh if a lot of other people are laughing, but not always, because sometimes people are doing it in a mean way.
 
Then I decided to show them one positive way to laugh with others. I didn’t have much so I just decided to do the first time that popped into my mind which was diving in to some weird dance moves. They looked at me, looked down at their feet, thought “this teacher is weird, I want to go to lunch” until they made eye contact with each other and started giggling. One of them started to dance, then the other once, then we were all laughing. We started laughing even more when the general education teacher walked back into the room.

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I think creating this visceral experience and memory for these children had a greater impact than my verbal explanation. I saw how they changed from feeling vulnerable and uncertain, looking down at their feet – to feeling safe to enjoy and to express themselves and to laugh at something strange and out of place happening. Charlie Todd is part of a group called Improv Everywhere and he has a ted talk called “The Shared Experience of Absurdity” and described an improv that group performed on subway. He described that before the people seeing the improv made eye contact, they appeared uncomfortable. Before it became a shared experience, “it was something that was maybe a little bit scary, or something that was at least confusing. And then, once it became a shared experience, it was funny and something that they could laugh at.”
 
Having that shared experience and creating that environment allows you to positively connect with another and to have an emotional response – one associated with both vulnerability and safety. I think the more moments you have like that with another person, the more automatically you’ll think of them in a positive way – and the more automatically you could assume they have a positive intention in social interactions.
 
This shared laughter can help the students to learn empathy – I noticed the student more often saying “Hi” to the other student at their classroom table or smiling in his direction. Her assumption changed from, this student is trying to bother me, to this student might be looking at me because he wants to talk to me. When you’re in a safe social environment, it’s easier to think and understand that all are there to support you.
 
There is this social value to shared laughter and I also recently read an article that also described laughter as having educational value. This was the first time I thought about laughter in the context of formal schooling, although then I thought back to my most memorable teachers and school experiences. They all had something in common – which was that class was fun and engaging – and the teachers used, in part, laughter to do that.
 
A particular part of the article struck me to the point where I just audibly and loudly exclaimed “wow” in Starbucks. Joris Vlieghe wrote: “Schools and other pedagogical institutions select and rank students on the basis of their own possibilities in order to get the right person in the right place in the adult world. Formal education is structured [to] mirror and support societal order.” It requires students to have a distinct position among each other. But “this ordering of individual and collective lives may be suspended at any time, because there is always the possibility that students and or teachers burst out laughing together and thus undergo a bodily experience that is profoundly equaling.”
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Laughter can have an equalizing experience, something that does not always happen in school. (And something, unfortunately, that the current set up of schools hinders.) In an environment that might feel unfamiliar or discomforting for students, shared laughter can change that. In this equalizing and freeing experience, students can be provided a feeling of both comfort and acceptance.
 
I was working with a student once and he had just received a reward in class and was making things out of clay. He invited me to join so I did. He was quite the expert and made a shark, while I attempted the same. At the end, he asked to see mine and it was extraordinarily clear that his clay skills were much better than mine. He said a slight “oh” when he saw it and I couldn’t help but laugh. He started laughing too and I remember feeling as we were laughing that we were laughing longer than we should. But I decided not to stop it; instead I embraced how contagious it was. It switched from a laugh purely out of humor and one to something even stronger, where I was aware of the physical effect on my body. I felt calmer and less stress on my body. I felt more confident. I think in this work and particularly for me, stress can lead to indecision and questioning of myself and how I am doing my job.
 
This laughing episode came at a time of day when this student had received many directions and was not pleased with the sound of my voice, particularly when it was the one saying he had to miss recess. I kept the laughter going, feeling like not only did this stress release feel good for me, but probably also for my student. And it also gave us the space to enjoy each other. It demonstrates to the student unconditional positive regard – that you are there to support them, regardless of the behavior they are showing. There is unconditional care and support. I think when these positive interactions happen with our students, it can also provide a more positive association in their heads when they think of us. I think it does the same for me. (Although the transition out of laughter took a bit longer, it was possible with some breathing exercises….).
 
Laughing at yourself gives you a certain power when you make a mistake or do something wrong. And students can be taught that as well from a young age - that making a mistake doesn't mean you're a failure. Especially at that age, it means you're growing. When you laugh at a mistake, it creates a positive feeling associated with that mistake, so your automatic reaction when you make a mistake is not to feel shame - but rather feel something more positive. This can help shift students’ internal working model – from “I am a failure” or “I can’t do it” to “I made a mistake and I can fix it” or “I don’t understand but I can learn.”
 
And laughing with others, in a collective social setting, especially one where laughter is not common, creates a safe environment. An environment based off of mutual understanding and respect as well as enjoyment. I think this experience of shared/social laughter and incorporating laughter in school can also be a practice in healing trauma. It brings humanity and interconnectedness with others into the practice of teaching.
 
Ted talk:
https://www.ted.com/talks/charlie_todd_the_shared_experience_of_absurdity?language=en
Article on educational value of laughter:
https://doi-org.proxy.lib.duke.edu/10.1080/00131857.2012.721733
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Blog Post Written By: Maddie Saveliff, Student Support Assistant
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STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Theo Grant-Funck

11/6/2018

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Name: Theo Grant-Funck

Your Position? I am a  Bilingual Student Support Assistant at Cox Academy.

What led you to your current position?
After graduating from college, I was looking for a job that would allow me to work directly in either education or mental health care. This job was perfect because it allowed me to contribute to both at once. I also just love working with kids, especially kids who don’t usually receive the support they need to be happy and successful.

Fun Fact/Quote?
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody”—Jane Jacobs

What does your average day look like?
I spend most of my day with a first grader in his classroom (continually tying shoes, playing tag at recess, and reminding kids how to spell “school”). I support my first grader with sensory modifications, breaks, social stories, and a sticker chart among other interventions.  I also work with a Kindergartener and a fourth grader for about an hour each.

Why do you do this work?
I really believe that All-In’s model can make a lasting difference for kids who are too often left behind. I also find it very gratifying to work in a job that allows me to see concrete and meaningful results.

What hope do you have for the future of our program?
I’d love to see our program expand its presence in traditional public schools to reach even more children and improve schools in other districts. 

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT:  Colorism

11/6/2018

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​“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” –Audre Lorde
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As we settle into the school year, one of the issues facing educators is that of colorism. The definition of colorism as recalled from the Webster dictionary is defined as a “Prejudice or bias against persons on the basis of their skin color or complexion, often among persons of the same racial identification”. Often times when walking the halls of our K-12 schools I hear things like “you’re light-skinned or dark-skinned” and or hearing different praises for lighter skinned compared to darker skin. As I talked to my colleagues about the things I was hearing throughout the halls and playgrounds, I was curious to find out if there was any curriculum around this topic that could carefully explain this very large and complex “ -ism”.  Not only does this colorism intricately weave the European colonization into different cultures that have carried these beliefs over time, it continues to grow in other forms of movies, magazines, schools, hospitals and society as a whole.
As I went looking for answers, I started reading tons of scholarly journals and data on this and came across this article on recognizing and addressing colorism in schools.  This article is from teaching tolerance and also has some great links for educators as well as on our UE Blog to help bring a clearer picture to this topic in the classroom as well as a strategies list that include: ongoing counseling, school discipline, Book readings, mentorships as well as using curriculum that is culturally relevant.
If you know of any other great links on this topic, please feel free to post them in the comments section below!

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Blog Post Written By: Darrell Burns, Assistant Director of Behavior Intervention
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