Tag: 21st century

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IEP Team Players

My youngest three kids are currently receiving speech services at their school, and subsequently all have Individualized Education Plans. Part of having an IEP means there are annual meetings with the IEP team to determine if the child is still eligible for services. As luck would have it, all three of my kiddos’ IEPs were up for their annual meeting today, which meant that I got to start my morning at the school, talking with the group of teachers, administrators, and speech therapists who make up the IEP team. 

As we reviewed each of my kids’ progress and struggles, I felt so incredibly thankful for an IEP team that is supportive, kind, and has my kids’ best interests in mind. What a difference it makes to have everyone on the same page with the same goals! Throughout the years I was teaching, I had the chance to attend many IEP meetings for my students. I knew the why behind the meetings, and I always did my part to contribute, but it wasn’t until I became a parent with children who have IEPs that I truly understood just how valuable these meetings can be. 

Being a part of the IEP team for each of my children is more than being a warm body in the room to sign the paperwork. It gives me a chance to get a report of their progress, show support for the teachers and therapists that help my children, and, most importantly, it gives me a chance to advocate for my children. It is such an honor and privilege to be able to do that. As a parent, I am the one who knows my children best. Because I know my children and am with them more than the speech therapist and technician are, I am able to see what is and isn’t working and can get a good idea of their progress in “real life” rather than from assessments or 15 minute speech sessions each week. I can then take those observations to the other members of the IEP team and can let them know if there is anything we need to change. 

On the other hand, since I am not a trained speech therapist or technician, I only know so much. They are crucial members of the IEP team because they have the proper tools and knowledge to measure speech progress. They have been taught and trained how to best help kids learn to properly form their speech sounds. They can offer solutions and suggestions to help my children in ways that I cannot. 

Sure, my children don’t have to receive speech services. I could probably find some resources online and could try to help them at home. Their progress wouldn’t be as productive, but I’m sure I could make some leeway. I also don’t have to be an active participant of the IEP team. I’m sure the speech therapists would continue helping my kids with minimal input from me. 

BUT… when I do my part in conjunction with the speech therapists, so much more progress happens. My children feel much more supported and encouraged. They know that they have a safe group of adults who are on their side, trying to give them all the help they can to be able to make the progress they need to. 

If you have a child receiving special education services, I’m sure you know just how important every member of the IEP team is. If you aren’t yet an active participant in your child’s IEP team, I encourage you to become one! It will make a world of a difference to your child, to you, and to the people at the school who are working with your child. And as we all know, any effort expended on behalf of our children helping them improve is effort well worth it! 

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Kwanzaa Find & Count Printable

The winter holidays are upon us, and we want to make sure everyone has a fun activity to do as they celebrate. For those who celebrate Kwanzaa, I’ve created a fun find and count activity page, both in color and in black and white.

Print it off and share with your students, your family, or your friends. It would also be a great resource to use if you learn about the different winter holidays with your class. Have fun, and happy finding!

*This printable is free to download, but is not to be resold, reposted, or claimed as your own.*

Kwanzaa Find & CountDownload
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Staff Unity

As teachers, we often focus on creating a cohesive classroom, with students who can work well together, help each other, and respect one another. For some classes, this happens naturally, with minimal effort on our part. For other classes, however, it takes a lot of work and effort. The end result is always worth the effort it takes, as a cohesive class makes teaching go so much smoother, and the overall feel of the classroom is positive. 

Even as adults, we gravitate toward environments, people, and situations that make us feel welcome and included. It just makes sense— no one wants to be part of something where they feel unwanted. Everyone wants to feel like they belong in all aspects of their life, and this includes in the workplace. 

Have you ever been an employee at a place where none of the employees get along and there is just an overall negative feeling among the staff? Did you find yourself wanting to go to work or dreading it? It’s not a fun situation to be in. Working in an environment that is negative and unwelcoming can really take a toll on the employees, creating low morale, lack of motivation, and toxicity— none of which I care to be around! 

So if a positive, unified staff and work experience is what we gravitate toward, how do we make that happen? Is it by socializing with coworkers outside of school? Perhaps. Is it by communicating with one another to discuss the needs of students? That definitely helps! Maybe it happens through team building games and activities at staff meetings and trainings (does anyone even like those anyway?!). Or, perhaps, unity comes through taking the time to get to know those you work with, supporting them, and learning to understand who they are beyond the role of teacher.  Rather than it coming through just one single method, unity comes through continued effort, time, and dedication to the cause.

Having a unified staff creates more than just a positive feeling at the workplace. Unity fosters relationships. When teachers and employees get along and respect each other, the students notice. The positivity can be felt and can be contagious. There are a lot of things we don’t want to spread through the school— like sickness, rumors, and negativity—but positivity and unity are two things that every school could use a bit more of. 

The next time you find yourself in a staff meeting or training, and find yourself pushing through team building exercises, do your best to make it a positive situation. It’s true that not everyone loves doing team building, but if we can do our best to participate with a positive attitude, we are much more likely to get something out of the exercise and do our part to contribute to an overall feeling of positivity at the school.

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Hanukkah Find & Count Printable

And just like that, we are already to December! The winter holidays are fast approaching— are you ready?! 

Last year, I created and shared a Christmas I Spy page for you to download and use in your classroom or home. You can find that here.

I realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas, so I’ve created a Hanukkah Find & Count page for you to use in your classroom or home. If you want to use the Christmas download with your class, and have a few students who celebrate Hanukkah, now they can join in on the fun without feeling out of place. Including everyone is so important! 

*Hopefully coming soon: a search and find for Kwanzaa and a black & white Christmas I Spy page!

This printable is free to download, and is only for classroom and personal use. Do not resell it or claim it as your own.

Hanukkah Find & CountDownload
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Seniors– This One is for You!

If you are a graduating senior, work with seniors, or know a senior who will be graduating in 2026, this information is for you! 

Every year in May, Honors Graduation awards five $10,000 scholarships to deserving graduating seniors. Though May is still six months away, now is the time for students to be working on their projects for the scholarship application. Our scholarship is awarded based on community improvement projects, and these kinds of projects typically take several months or more to plan and carry out. We encourage all kinds of projects and look forward to seeing the amazing things that are happening in our communities. 

Below are the links and information you will need to apply for our scholarship. We’d love if you could spread the word and share our scholarship information with any graduating seniors you may know!

This link will take you to our information page, where you can read about our Build A Better Scholarship, including rules, eligibility requirements, and deadline dates.

If you would like to read over some frequently asked questions, you can click here.

Having a hard time coming up with a project idea? Browse through the work of our previous winners here to get a feel for what kinds of projects have been successful.

We welcome any questions you may have about our scholarship program! Please contact us at scholarship@honorsgraduation.com and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can. 

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Virtual Field Trips: Bringing the World to Your Classroom

As a student, field trip days were highly anticipated days— a break from the “normal” school routine and schedule, eating lunch somewhere other than the cafeteria, and a chance to ride the bus with your friends! What more could a student ask for?! 

For teachers, though, it’s a bit more involved than just hopping on the bus and going somewhere fun. You’ve got to coordinate and pay for the bus. You also have to arrange with the lunchroom staff so they can plan accordingly and have sack lunches made for the students who need them. There’s also a need for chaperones, so you’ve got to plan in advance and get volunteers worked out. It’s definitely more work than staying in the classroom teaching a lesson. Even though field trips are a lot of work for teachers, there are good educational benefits that come from the experiences students have while on them. Field trips give students hands on learning experiences and let them learn in ways that are sometimes hard to do in the classroom. 

While unlimited field trips would be an amazing thing for schools, that just isn’t the case— there are budgets that must be adhered to and it just isn’t feasible in so many ways. Today, however, technology has made it possible for teachers to “take” their classes on field trips all over the world, allowing students to experience places they likely wouldn’t have had the chance to otherwise. 

Zoos and other wildlife facilities across the planet have set up cameras to livestream various animals for people to watch. Museums around the world have filmed tours of their sites. Historic places have filmed and set up interactive tours to allow students to get an up close look at things of the past. It’s really quite incredible! 

When learning about our nation’s symbols, important government buildings, and so on, my son’s kindergarten class took a virtual tour of Washington DC. My son came home so excited to tell us all about the things he had learned and seen on his field trip. As a parent, I was so grateful he had that opportunity, because taking him to actually see those places in person wasn’t an option at the time. 

Many of the places that provide virtual field trips also provide lesson plans and activities that teachers can use to teach about the places, people, and things at their location. Not only do students get to experience somewhere new and exciting, but teachers get to enjoy preplanned lessons! 

There are so many places that offer these virtual field trips, and a simple Google search will provide you with a list of possibilities to choose from. That being said, below you will find a list of links to various places that offer these virtual experiences for your students. Feel free to explore and share any that you find interesting! Happy field tripping!

The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers livestreams to many of its animal enclosures.

Great Lakes Now provides videos, lesson plans, and other educational information about the Great Lakes.

The Nature Conservancy allows students to visit and learn about various aspects of nature all around the world. 

Not everyone will have the chance to visit Amsterdam to see the Anne Frank house in person, but you can watch a virtual tour of it here.

If you’ve ever wanted to experience what life in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia was like, you can explore the town here.

The Natural History Museum provides an expansive look at many aspects of the people, places, and animals of past years. If you want an up close look at some of their exhibits, past and present, you can experience that here.

If you’ve ever wanted to visit the White House, here’s your chance!

Visiting the Louvre might be a little out of reach for many, but this virtual tour makes it more accessible for people all over the world!

If you’re doing a unit on space and planets, you can virtually visit Mars!

For your students who are interested in the way Amazon fulfills orders, this virtual tour might be an exciting opportunity for them to see how it all works!

Students can learn all about what happens to our garbage and recycling through this virtual tour shared by Republic Services.

Visit Dublin Ireland’s zoo through this virtual tour.

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Financial Aid: Making College Dreams Come True

Ahh, college: for many, it’s the starting place of living out the American dream. A place where “adulting” truly begins, goals are achieved, and degrees are earned. A place where many young adults go to to really figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Unfortunately, it’s also, for many, a place where debt is incurred. College dreams can quickly come crashing down as students face the reality of ramen noodles, mac & cheese, and plasma donations. The cost of attending college is no joke. 

It’s no secret that the cost of tuition has increased over the years, sometimes inflating faster and steeper than the cost of living. This means that student debt is rising, and it’s hard to keep up. The average yearly tuition for college in the 1960s hovered around $250 for a public college. Today, yearly tuition for a public college averages over $10,000. Yikes! Talk about an increase!

Even though the price is steep, colleges are still attracting students who are eager to learn and prepare for their future. Of the thousands of students enrolled in colleges across the country, there is a very small percentage that can pay for their tuition, books, fees, and living expenses from their own bank accounts. Because of this, students must rely on outside sources for funding. 

The world of financial aid can be a bit overwhelming to navigate. Today I’ll break it down and explain the different kinds of aid that are available to students who need help paying for college expenses. We’ll group them into two categories: those that require repayment and those that don’t. 

Financial Aid- Repayment Required

Loans: A student loan is money borrowed for the purpose of paying for the costs of attending college. Loans must be repaid, and typically include interest. Most student loans do not require payback to begin until after the student has graduated or otherwise stopped attending the college. Many loans meant for students have an option to do income-based repayment plans, where the monthly payment amount is determined by how much money the student is bringing in each month. 

Some loans will offer loan forgiveness if the student obtains a job in a specific career and maintains employment for a set period of time, while also making payments toward their loan balance during the duration of the years of work set by their loan terms. 

Financial Aid- No Repayment Required

Grants: Grants are most often based on financial need. The most common type of grant is a PELL Grant, offered by the government. Students qualify for this kind of grant if they fill out the necessary forms and are found to have the greatest financial need. There are usually stipulations attached to the grant, such as maintaining a certain GPA, attendance requirements, and so on. Students can apply for federal grants by filling out the FAFSA form that can be found here.

Grants can also come through other government agencies such as Department of Workforce Services, State Offices of Rehabilitation, and Veteran’s Affairs Office of Education and Employment. Funds that come from these agencies are typically reserved for persons with disabilities or some other hardship that would otherwise prevent them from attending school and finding meaningful employment. Funding for tuition through these avenues would need to be obtained via working with a vocational counselor at each specific agency. 

Scholarships: This type of financial aid does not have to be repaid, and is awarded to students based on various things. Scholarships can be given for just about anything, as long as there is a supporting person, group, or company that is awarding the funds. For example, our scholarship, the Honors Graduation Build A Better Future Scholarship is awarded to five outstanding high school seniors who design, plan, and execute a project that betters their community. Other scholarships are awarded for athletic prowess, while others are given for academic achievement. Others are awarded for writing an essay about why the number “5” is the best number, having red hair, writing an essay telling which superhero you’d want to change places with for a day and why, creating an award-winning greeting card design, or even writing an essay that makes the judges laugh. Simply put, there are scholarships for every kind of person out there— you just have to be willing to put in the work to find it!

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If college seems out of reach for you because of your financial situation, you may be pleasantly surprised to discover that you qualify for PELL grants, loans, or obscure scholarships. If you are truly committed to making college your reality, don’t be afraid to put in some work and make it happen! You won’t regret it, and the experiences you have and the things you learn will shape you into an amazing person who will do amazing things!