Reaching Struggling Learners

Send a text Have you been working on RTI in your classroom, but it all seems so complicated and is taking up way too much time? Let’s see if we can make this process a bit easier for everyone. Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mi...

Send a text Today, I would like to talk about something that has been a struggle for so many teachers I have worked with over the past several years...and that is determining what data should be collected for RTI. While it seems complicated, once you get into working with RTI, I think you'll see it isn't nearly as complicated as it seems. So, let's make it a little more clear today....

Send a text I have all the time in the world to fit in everything I need to!  ….said no teacher ever…  Teachers don't have enough time for all the things they have to do in a day...yet they are masters at somehow making it all work and fitting it all in. It isn't easy, but somehow, they manage it.  Today, I'm going to share one huge way that I fit RTI skill practice into my day and...

Send a text Getting started with RTI can be overwhelming and incredibly intimidating....let me take the overwhelm out of it for you and give you step by small step directions on how to successfully get RTI running in your classroom....with a minimal amount of anxiety and stress for you! Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do...

Send a text We have all had those students in our classes....students who we know do not have the skills they need to be successful in meeting our grade level standards, and certainly will struggle more as they go further on in school....The obvious answer is: HELP THEM! But, with all of the demands on teacher's time and workload....how in the world do we fit in supporting students who are be...

Send a text What is ZPD? And what the heck does it have to do with my classroom, and especially my struggling learners??? Today, we talk about how identifying and using the ZPD can help our struggling learners make long term progress. First, we start by explaining what ZPD is in simple terms, with lots of examples....then we move on into why you should use it in your classroom.  Subscribe & Re...

Send a text Last week we talked about ways to tame the paperwork beast....this week we talk more about this topic, and how you can create systems that work for you to keep it all under control! Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the m...

Send a text Being a special education teacher is a HUGE job, and so many wonderful teachers get buried under the PAPERWORK.  Today I discuss ways that I have found to tame the paperwork beast to save time so that I can get back to doing what I love….teaching! Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you...

Send a text We know that our students learn differently, but how much time do we really spend thinking about these differences, let alone appreciating them?  In this episode, I talk about the importance of appreciating the learning differences in our students, and how we can use these differences to help our students achieve success.  Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podca...

Send a text We know that there is a problem with the education system and that it is failing students. Why then do so many blame the students for the failure?  What can teachers do to get one step closer to solving this problem and helping students learn what they need to, in order to succeed?  Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage yo...

Send a text 2020 has been ridiculous, no one can or will argue that point. But some good has come from all of this….important conversations have been had on the national stage. Hopefully these conversations are the start to major change in the country and world. There is one conversation that has not been widely had, but I think is vital to the advancement of struggling learners. Today, I want to...

Send a text Today, as we wind down the school year….the weirdest year I think any of us could ever have imagined…. I am reminded of how important teachers are in this crazy mixed-up world. Teachers bear the burden of educating, caring for, and protecting students….but the emotional toll it is taking on teachers is causing physical harm, and teachers are leaving the profession in droves. So, today,...

Send a text With all the crazy things going on in the world- COVID-19, quarantine and now killer hornets (is that not a thing of nightmares????) we are all feeling the stress. But as teachers, we are aware that the stress we feel is nothing compared to what many of our students have dealt with or are dealing with right now.  Today, I want to take a short break from progress monitoring and talk abo...

Send a text In Episode 4 of the Reaching Struggling Learners Podcast, we talked about RTI and Tier 1 and 2 interventions. In this episode, we expanded on what we talked about last week and moved into what makes Tier 3 interventions different and how to implement them in school setting. We discuss different ways that Tier 3 could be approached, and how teams arrive at moving a student to Tier 3. Fi...

Send a text Today, on the Reaching Struggling Learners Podcast, we talk about RTI, especially Tiers 1 and 2 and what that could look like in a classroom. We also talk about why data collection and honing in on the root of the problem is so important, and can make a teacher’s life much easier in the end.  For some great links and more information about progress monitoring, and how to get started, c...

Send a text I heard a great analogy several years ago about education and teaching, which has struck a nerve with me. I have come to realize that teaching is a great deal like building a house. Our students need a firm, well-built foundation, on which all later learning can be built.  In previous years, teaching was more tailored to the individual student, and while I value this individualization,...

Send a text Today on the Reaching Struggling Learners Podcast, we discuss some of the pressures put on teachers to show improvement, ways that progress monitoring has been presented to me, and why I think that the process shouldn’t be so stress-inducing for teachers.  Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t...

Send a text I am Jessica Curtis (boy mom, veteran teacher in gen ed and sped, passionate about making sure every student is able to perform the basic skills needed to be successful after graduating high school, especially reading) of Everyday Teaching Adventures. I started ETA because I like making things for my students and realized that many teachers were struggling to find resources which met t...