Life in the IEP Tribe
Join us as we dive into the world of special education with two educators who have walked the same path as many of you. In addition to teaching in self-contained and collaborative settings, our hosts bring a unique perspective to the challenges and triumphs of raising a special needs child. From classroom strategies to heartfelt family moments, they offer practical advice, empathy, and a community of support. Discover how their personal experiences can shed light on your journey and gain valuable insights into navigating the complexities of special education both in and out of the classroom. Welcome to the tribe!
Life in the IEP Tribe
Not a Pusher, But a Partner: One Para's Journey in Special Education
Enter the world of special education through the eyes of Jenny Jacks. Her twelve years at a small private preschool, followed by six years as a para in various public school settings, have given her unique insights into supporting diverse learners. With warmth and practical wisdom, Jenny reveals how the strategies that work best are rarely one-size-fits-all but must instead be tailored to each child's specific needs.
From simple modifications like providing lined paper for students with spatial challenges to understanding when a child just needs space to process emotions, Jenny shares the approaches that have helped her students thrive. Her practical wisdom resonates whether you're working with identified students with IEPs or children who simply need extra support to succeed.
What stands out most is Jenny's philosophy on building trust through consistency and approaching challenges with a servant's heart. "If it's not disruptive or destructive, does it need to be addressed in the moment?" she asks, challenging listeners to consider whether immediate intervention is always necessary. This question alone transforms how we might respond to students experiencing emotional dysregulation.
Jenny's collaborative approach with classroom teachers demonstrates how paraprofessionals can be most effective by maintaining open communication, asking for feedback, and putting the student's needs at the center of every decision. Her willingness to reach out to occupational therapists, former teachers, and specialists shows her commitment to finding solutions that work.
The conversation culminates with a powerful message about purpose in education: "If you're not there to help students succeed, why are you there?" It reminds us that behind every effective intervention is genuine care for students' well-being and future success.
Whether you're a teacher, paraprofessional, parent, or administrator, this episode offers valuable insights into supporting students with diverse needs through patience, individualized strategies, and what Jenny beautifully describes as teaching with a servant's heart. Listen and discover how "regulation before expectation" can transform your approach to supporting all learners.
so here we go, right. We just finished, not too terribly long ago, number 20 in our in our podcast, life journey. Yeah, I'll call it a journey. So what we're gonna do is we're going to continue with the having great guests and talking about different things, and so we have yet another guest with us this evening who has spent some time, has spent actually a considerable amount of time in the education field, and we have had the opportunity to work with her side by side one year right, it was one year to one, I think it was one year and we've had a great time getting to know our guest for this episode. So, laura, yes, would you like to go ahead and introduce her?
Speaker 2:Sure, so we're going to start sounding like, oh, everybody's their friend, but I still feel we are fortunate to have all these people that we work with and that we forge these relationships with, and especially having a common bond with the drawing towards the children with disabilities that need a little bit of extra help. And so our guest this episode is Miss Jenny. Jax and Jenny, like Jared said, you've had multiple different settings, that you've worked with students, but you've worked with students, and I'm sure you've worked with students that have been also unidentified, not just identified.
Speaker 1:They didn't have names.
Speaker 2:No, sorry Okay.
Speaker 3:In the process kids.
Speaker 3:Right but will you just give us a little bit of your background. As far as working with children of all abilities, yeah, so I worked at Bright Beginnings Morning School for about 12 years, so at a little private preschool. But you know, even then, like there were some kids that came through that you just kind of you know, you know you could, you just knew they're like there's something that they're going to need a little extra help, or they need you to sit with them a little more than the others, or they need a lot of redirecting, or, you know, maybe they get a lot upset more than others. So, even though you know it wasn't like in the public school setting, it's still you're able to sometimes, kind of you know, identify the kids that maybe need a little extra, you know, a little extra one-on-one help, even young, you know. I mean you can see things moving forward.
Speaker 3:And then I've been blessed to work at Matilda Harris for six years, started out as a kindergarten para for two years and then they moved me to being an instructional para, then to a pre-K special education para, back to an instructional para. So I've got to go and work with all ages Because even then, like with the instructional paras, it was like this year it's second, third, fourth, fifth, fourth, fifth so I've kind of and then the first year I did instructional para. I worked for second, third, so I've kind of really got to work all ages, all grade levels, um throughout the school, so so I've loved it so did you choose to do go into the special education um settings that they are, were you approached to do?
Speaker 3:it, or initially they the kindergarten class I was in. They got rid of a class so they no longer needed a kindergarten para, so they kind of I think they made a spot as an instructional para, helping out with small group things with a couple of the teachers, and which I actually loved Like I love doing the small groups with them and doing things like that. And then the next year they asked if I would be a special education pre-K para, and so it wasn't something that, like I was ever not happy to do but I didn't. That was not initially what I was ever hired to do, gotcha.
Speaker 2:And so I know that, like you said, that you'd had some experience with the at the pre-K level, and I can't remember how this went. Was Miss Robin one of your paras, or did you work?
Speaker 3:with her. She was Miss Robin was because I was with Shawna Lewis. She was pregnant and she was going to come back. As most moms say, I'm going to come back after the baby's born and then you have your sweet babies and you're like I can't do it. So Miss Robin was so wonderful to kind of step in and come and help me and she's just amazing. She's such an amazing person and I love being able to work with her and get to know her. So she did. She stepped in.
Speaker 1:Try having her as your mom.
Speaker 3:It's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1:It is, it's incredibly awesome.
Speaker 3:I'm not seeing any downside.
Speaker 2:Nope, nope, not in there a bit, because I know that she talked about, you know, the bright beginnings and about seeing, being able to see the some of the kids that need a little bit extra help. And as we, as most people, know that a private school tends to have smaller numbers of students, did you find that more beneficial, say, for helping to identify some of these children in that setting than in a public general kindergarten class?
Speaker 3:uh, public general, um, kindergarten class I don't know if it, I don't know if I noticed that it was easier. I feel like sometimes some things jump out as, oh, this doesn't seem like a typical way a five-year-old is is doing things, or this doesn't seem typical for, you know, a kindergartner or most kindergartners can do this at this stage, you know. So I feel like some things jump out quickly, but then there are some things that when you're in a small setting you can notice things that maybe just could get lost in the mix If it was one of those things that's not kind of an in your face obvious thing, Like I know for a lot of people, just like even things like inattentive things. With ADHD, some things are written off as oh, they're young or oh, they're this, or, you know, I mean some things or sometimes the quiet, really submissive kids that are calm and mellow. They're easy to kind of overlook because they're not the ones, you know, I don't want to say causing problems, because that's not. They're not causing problems, but they're not.
Speaker 3:They're not the ones that are challenging you or that you're constantly having to like call their names out, and sometimes those quiet, calm kids that are struggling fall through the cracks because they're not drawing the attention. So I do feel like in a small setting like that, even the small one's got the exact amount of attention that the maybe more energetic ones did, because you had eight of them. It's a lot easier to give eight children at least some amount of undivided attention throughout the day than it is 28 children, you know I mean so.
Speaker 3:I do think, depending on what you're looking for, yes, it is easier in a small setting for maybe some of those not so obvious things to kind of show up.
Speaker 1:Right, the students that, like you said, they're not drawing the most attention to themselves, kind of inadvertently, kind of slip off to the side and then fast forward a handful of months. You're like, oh, my goodness, like, oh, we should have been working on this, you know, months ago, and but because they're not, yeah, Lighting the room on fire or anything.
Speaker 2:Hey, hey, look at me, yeah, lighting the room on fire or anything. Hey, hey, look at me, well, as um, within these experiences with the larger um groups and I know you say you work with a small group, setting um or small groups now, but in, you know, working with the students, you have been in larger groups, so what are? And in these larger groups you have, you know, an array of needs and so what are some of the strategies that you have seen beneficial to help those students that have these diverse learning needs?
Speaker 3:Um, I think you know it's.
Speaker 3:It's so like not not weird but, it's so strange because you really have to have like such a wide array of things. You do because what one student needs the other student could care less about. You know, because we have some students like something as small as, like I read, you read, because the students have no motivation to read or they don't feel confident. So it's like, well, I'll read a page, you read a page, and that then they're happy to do it. You know, some students it's the first, then type motivations because they really want to do something fun, and it's kind of like well, first you have to do your assignment, then we can do this, and you kind of motivate them that way. Or I know some students it's hard for them to copy from the board, just because that it doesn't seem like a big deal. But having to look up and down, especially if they can't spell well, you know, I mean looking up and down takes so much time and even motor skills to be like up down right. And it's like when the students are writing. You know, because I am in a you know, a gen ed class at the moment with these students, so they're having to keep up with the, you know, so they're having to keep up the students I'm working with, with everyone else. So it's like some students I'll get a whiteboard and I write what's on the board and I just put it in front of them and then they don't have to look up and down, they can just look side to side or you know, wherever I put the whiteboard and some students it goes faster, honestly, if I spell it out like while they're writing. I'll be like if we're spelling like, honestly, today I think one of the words was like molecule and I was like M O, l and it was just filling the blanks, but but even like having to stop and look to write every letter, it just means me saying it. They knew their alphabet, they know their letters, so they were able, they were able to write at a a more even pace with the class if I was there telling them what to do. So and then even as small as some notes don't have lines, and I think a lot of teachers like I don't know if it, like I don't think it occurs to them I think a lot of the kids have spatial issues. Writing is really large or they write sideways or whatnot, and buying ledger liners and drawing lines for the students on their papers so that where there's not lines, I have one I carry in my bag and I'll make lines on the paper, so then it's easier for them to be able to write and not use up more space than needed or, you know, kind of drift off. So it's really just. You know, it's very.
Speaker 3:It really just varies almost student by student what works with them and what different things I try to entail. I mean we even have one student that he cannot not tap, roll a pencil, uh, picket something snaps. I mean he is constantly moving his hand. So if it's in a moment where the teacher's talking or reading or we have to sit quietly, he plays with, with Plato and like and he is content as long as and he is quiet and still and not distracting, and he just sits at his table and quietly does that. And I mean that's. You know the teacher was cool with him doing that and I. But that was I mean a quick fix, as soon as we gave him that no more disruptions, no more noises, no more distractions. And you know so, as soon as we gave him that no more disruptions, no more noises, no more distractions. And you know so it really just depends on the student.
Speaker 2:But there's a huge, I feel like, array of things that I do depending on the classroom and the kid I'm with. I'm sure that having, like you said, the teacher was OK with that. So you know when you're doing these things and thinking of these strategies and working with the student and you have to collaborate with the teachers, and if there's other paras or there's other support personnel in the classroom, how do you, how do you manage that Like working with the student and collaborating with the teacher and other people?
Speaker 3:I always feel like, you know, I don't know everything and I think sometimes, going into a classroom, I normally it's like at the beginning of the year.
Speaker 3:If I go into a classroom, if it's a teacher I don't know, I normally introduce myself. You know I ask them what it is that they need me to do, how I'm going to be most helpful. You know, like some teachers want me to pull kids at the back table and work more one-on-one. Some teachers want me to just redirect. You know I'm obviously depending on the needs of the students, but I feel like we're a team and when I'm in there it's my job to make their job easier by meeting the students', needs. And you know if there's something I'm not doing and I tell them I'm like I go into each teacher's classroom like you are not going to offend me, like I'm it is so you will have to work to bother me. Like if I'm doing something and it's not helpful, please tell me, cause otherwise I'm just wasting our time. And if there's something I need to do differently, please tell me, because my whole point of my job is to help. It is to help the student, which therefore helps the teacher. So if, if I'm not doing that I need her to tell me. And so I kind of tell teachers from the get go. Like please tell me, like I won't be upset, this is my job, like.
Speaker 3:So I think you know I lean on the teachers and not just the teacher in the classroom. Like you said, I've come to y'all and asked you questions about students if I wasn't sure. I've gone to other teachers in the school if I know they taught them the year before or have worked with them in the past. Or I've even messaged Taylor, the OT, and asked her questions. If she she had suggestions on if I had a student that seemed to be doing something, would she have a suggestion on how to help with this? And so I feel like you know it really is, we need each other.
Speaker 3:So, and I've never had a teacher not help me, like I've never asked and had a teacher not give me ideas or suggestions or blow me off and honestly, if I did, I would just go to another teacher. So but yeah, I mean I think you know we're, we're a team. So I feel like I feel like you know you have to talk to your teachers and you have to ask questions, like I'm. I know my personality might just help along with this role, but I'm not afraid to speak to people or ask questions, or you know, if I feel like I ask and I don't get the answer, I will be the first one to say I'm sorry. I need you to like explain that a little bit more in depth, because I don't understand and you know, I'm going to make sure that I know what I'm supposed to be doing.
Speaker 2:And that's fantastic, because I know that a lot of times it's hard to communicate throughout our day, and so I think making that time to talk with the teachers and to make sure that you understand what they want I'm sure is appreciated, Because I know that sometimes you know that we'll have conversations and if somebody doesn't quite understand but they don't want to say they don't understand, then it doesn't help anybody.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as long as they're not Go ahead.
Speaker 1:I say. One of the things that we say pretty often is you don't have to worry about stepping on our toes, we leave them at home. We are toeless in the building. Leave them at home, we are toeless in the building. Say whatever it is you need to say, because at the end of the day, like you said, the whole purpose of us being there us, the entire team is to help these students be as successful as they possibly can be, and so we have to be able to have conversations that aren't necessarily fun, and we have to be honest, and we have to be able to have conversations that aren't necessarily fun. And we have to be honest and we have to be willing to answer those questions, because if we don't, then there is no progress.
Speaker 1:Right, I think that then if we're not doing what the teacher wants, and then they're getting frustrated with us, and then they're getting frustrated with the student and it just ends up being a big, I think, failure for all of them. Well, I know too. Going back to you, know what strategies do you use? And I know, oftentimes, when people ask me, if they say, well, you know, I have this student or I have this child or whatever, and this is what they do, what can we do to help them? I do the same thing. I'm like well, I don't.
Speaker 1:If I don't know the kid, it's hard for me to give you any direction, because there is no one size fits all. There is no. You know, if I use this strategy, then all of a sudden everything gets easy and the kid's behavior is great and they're making straight A's, and it doesn't work that way. So we really do have to be patient and calm and learn the kid, and it's not going to be the same for every kid. It may not be the same for any of the kids in the classroom, but we have to stay flexible well, what works for one or what not even that works for one, doesn't work for the other.
Speaker 2:Some sometimes is what works one day doesn't work the next day. Yes, you think you're like, okay, I got it figured out, and then you come back the next day. They're like no, I don't want that.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, that's all they like to keep us on our toes, that is for sure absolutely.
Speaker 2:Uh. So when you're in the classroom with the students and the general education teacher and challenging behaviors arise, if what is the? I guess not picking order, but kind of the, the order of that. Like, if there are students that you're working with, do you try to deescalate that or does the teacher try it first?
Speaker 3:Normally, if it's like a minor type of behavior, I definitely am, I would say, the first to intercede. Only because normally the teacher is, I mean, is teaching, you know they're worrying about all the other students in the classroom and if I'm working in a small group or one-on-one then it's not that like that's. You know my responsibility, necessarily, but it would just makes more sense that she would not stop what she's doing to come intervene when I'm right there and I'm already with that student, especially because more than likely she may not even know why the student's upset because she's not over there with him. So so I usually am the first like to try to handle it if it's something that I cannot handle. Or because there are some days I go in classrooms and the student is already mad, already frustrated, came in the class that way that day, came back from resource that way, came back from recess that way, and I have no idea what's going on.
Speaker 3:And I'm a big supporter of just. Life has taught me a lot of times. When kids are upset, that's not a moment you can rationalize with them. They're not in a mindset to listen, they're not probably going to be receptive to anything you say, so it kind of depends on just the timing of it. But if I'm working with a student and they're getting frustrated, I try to intervene before it becomes an issue that the teacher has to. So sometimes the teacher has to step in and but but I try to, I try to head it off before it even gets to that point, if I can.
Speaker 2:Are there any specific strategies that you find and as I know they all are? I know they're all different. I'm asking the question, but people ask. But are there strategies that you find and as I know they all are? I know they're all different. I'm asking the question, but Jared just said well, people ask, but you know, are there strategies that seem to work, more often than not, with your students?
Speaker 3:You know, I think you know basically kind of piggybacking on what Jared said a minute ago, was it really? Just depends on the student that I'm working with, because some students, you know, when they're frustrated they need a distraction, they need something to take them from whatever's making them mad and refocus on something different. So sometimes I'll try to, you know, give them a different option. If we're struggling with a math page, I might be like, hey, why don't we go finish this and we can come back and do this later. And sometimes it's something as small as that. Other times, you know, it might be something just sitting with them till they're calm, and I know that's such like I feel like there's time is just not your friend when you're in school, because there's always something to do or somewhere to be or somewhere to go, and but sometimes some of those kids they just need some moments to decompress.
Speaker 3:I have one student that you know you could not talk to him when he was upset. And if you tried, even if it was saying things like it's okay, you're not in trouble, I'm not upset, even if it was saying things like it's okay, you're not in trouble, I'm not upset, even if you were saying positive things. The more you spoke, the more escalated they became, because they were just so already in their feels. I guess that they just couldn't get away from that. But if you gave them a minute or two, you know, and you didn't say anything or bring any attention, they were cool. And then you could do like a. Can you tell me why you were upset? Can you tell me what we could have done different next time? How could we handle that differently? And then you can have all the discussions. You know the teaching moments, but not when they're mad, you know, but not when they're, but not when they're mad, you know.
Speaker 3:So I think the main de-escalating for me is just staying calm, not feeding into it, you know, not adding fuel to the fire, or you know, I guess, just aside from distractions, maybe trying to talk to them and then just giving them time to process and then be, maybe even some things. Also, some kids, you know they like to go for walks, they need to leave the classroom, they're frustrated and they need to get out, even if it's just go get a drink of water and walk right back, or you know, whatever the case may be. But so those are probably really the main things that I would do. You know, and I always kind of have this thought in my head of if it's not disruptive or destructive, does it need really to be addressed in the moment? You know, if a kid's upset and they're back they're mumbling underneath their breath but they're not yelling at the teacher. To me I'm kind of like no, it's not.
Speaker 2:I mean, you can mumble.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and when you're done mumbling and you seem like you're over it, I'm going to. We'll talk about why you're upset, you know, but in the moment some things don't need to be addressed. Right, then you know some things. Like I said, if it's not disruptive or destructive, I can let it go.
Speaker 2:Well then, you're taking the chance of it becoming more if you bring that attention to it.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, I think a popular perspective that we have to fight on the regular and I just I mean, I think it's one of those perspectives that just kind of come along naturally is when we see a student or a child and they're exhibiting behavior that we don't necessarily like. I mean, it may not even be appropriate at the time, but we're so quick to try to punish a child for that behavior without taking the time to figure out why and the why, can be something as simple as they don't want to do it, but they're trying to figure out how to express that.
Speaker 1:And so if we spend all of our time just trying to suppress their expression, versus work with them through it to find better ways to deal with it, well, all we're doing is we're adding to the anxiety, we're adding to the frustration and, like you said, you and Laura both said, the chance of you spinning them up even worse is a high probability, and then we want to punish that. So it's like, if we can learn to listen, if we can learn to really and I love what you said if we can just be there and let them work through it to make sure they stay safe, make sure nobody's getting hurt.
Speaker 1:I think that that's just. That's huge in the life of a student who, like I said, hasn't quite learned how to process and express what's going on inside of them.
Speaker 3:And a lot of times, depending on who the student is. And, like you said, I do think there's such a huge advantage to having a relationship with the students, so you know them, so you can because there are some students, when they're upset, I will say do you want to talk about what's wrong? And some of them be like no, and I'm like, OK, well, if you do, I'll be right here and I even just kind of walk away and go sit at a different table and I give them a few minutes, and I even just kind of walk away and go sit at a different table and I give them a few minutes, and you can kind of see, like when the switch flips a little bit and they're not so frustrated and they don't look so irritated, and I'll go back. And sometimes then I'm like are you ready to talk now? And they're like yes, and then they tell me and you know, and then we can work through it. But I'm definitely not a pusher. Not a pusher.
Speaker 2:I I definitely am more like okay, we can go at your, at your pace, you know, at least until we can't, you know, and then, and then we'll, we'll choose a different path, but but yeah, in the grand scheme of things, like you were saying, that they're so busy and that time is not our friends at school, because there's so much that they have to get done and there's places to be and they have to go, go, go. But really, in the grand scheme of things, if they take an extra five minutes to getting down the hallway and they get there successfully and safely, that's more important than them getting there five minutes early, earlier, and so I think what you're saying is great, you know, give them that time.
Speaker 2:And so I think what you're saying is great, you know, give them that time. And one of our favorite sayings and, in fact, one of our favorite t-shirts and I believe Mr Curtis is actually wearing it is regulation before expectation. You know when you're upset and this goes for us as well as the students when you're upset and your mind's racing and you're crying and you're and you're being irrational, you can't focus on somebody asking you to do something.
Speaker 1:I had a teacher today point out my shirt and she said she said, mr Curtis, I'm really feeling that shirt deep, I see. You know, what's funny is that I think that people think we wear these shirts for the kids Absolutely not Like. We wear ones that say be kind right. We wear ones that say regulation before expectation, because as adults, if we're being honest with ourselves, we know, we know these things and so why would we expect these kids to operate differently?
Speaker 3:It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I know I've said before in different settings, you know like can you go up and demand that this student do this? Absolutely Should? You Probably not. Like what is your, what is the whole end goal? And that's kind of it's like if the end goal is, you know, to get from A to B, well, if anything you're doing in between is going to hinder that, does it have to be done Like? I know you know just from personal experience with my own kids. You know people would say, like, can you go up and say that to them? Absolutely yes, you can, because you're the teacher. However, are you going to get the result you want when you do it? Probably not Like, and I get that it is.
Speaker 3:It's hard as the grown up and the adult you know like that you have this mindset and I get that it is. It's hard as the grown up and the adult. You know like that you have this mindset and I do it too Sometimes, at least I have it in my head. Well, I should be able to do this. And it's like yes, and I can do it, but it doesn't mean that it's going to benefit anyone once I've done it.
Speaker 3:So I try to you know much more at home, but at school, you know I'm really mindful of how, of how the kids are and what they need from me and being very patient and calm and I'm very consistent, like I might be. You know you don't have to do this right now, but we're going to do this later, when you're calm, like, and then I think most of my kids know, like Ms Jax is going to make me do this, because I'm very consistent. If I tell you I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it Like, and if I say it it's going to happen Like. And I think kids are super smart, you know they can figure out real quick what they can get away with with, who they can get those things away with, who they can kind of a little bit more pushover or, you know, give a lot more. And kids are smart, like they know. They know. So it's very important that I think we're very consistent and calm and when we're dealing with you know behaviors.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree that. It's that consistency and, like you said, saying what you mean and mean what you say. And because they they will figure it out though Well, you know I'm really not going to sit five minutes recess They'll forget about it by the time recess comes. So if they know that you're going to hold them to that, then I think they're more likely to do what they're supposed to do.
Speaker 1:And it does go way past the idea of just do what I'm telling you to do.
Speaker 1:There's a growing relationship that helps them to realize that they can trust you, that they can believe you when you say I am here to help you be the best student that you can be. Help you learn how to be the best person you can be. That allows them that consistency, allows them to build trust right. They learn to trust you through those consistencies. You can bark orders all day long, you can scream, you can yell, but if they don't, if those students don't believe that you care about what it is that they need to accomplish, if your goal doesn't align with what their goal needs to be, they're going to know. Like you said, they're smart, they're going to know and they're not going to put a whole lot of stock in and what it is that you have to say, and so it really is important to go into it with a like, with a servant's heart, a how can I help this child, how can I support this child, and not how do I make this child do what I want them to do?
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And so, hey, we're coming to the end of our time. How quick has that been. Isn't that fantastic? Yes, but I do have one more question. If this was the last time anybody in the world could ever hear you talk about supporting students in school, what would you want your message to be?
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness. So just if you're not there to help them, why are you there? Like I mean, if your whole goal is not to meet the needs, serve those students, make sure that they are getting what they need to be successful. Like, why, what are you showing up for? It sure can't be the paycheck, like I mean I'm like. I mean I genuinely, genuinely care about the students I'm with. I will look for things to help them. I will talk to teachers. I will ask questions, I will get support. I want them to be successful. I will talk to teachers, I will ask questions, I will get support. I want them to be successful. I want them to get what they need. I want them to grow to be the best versions of themselves. I want their teachers to have me there to support them to be able to implement all the things that they're supposed to be getting.
Speaker 3:You know, and I just feel like you know, if you're not there, because you love those students and you genuinely want them to get what they need to be successful, like, what are you doing? Like, why even show up? I mean, and it's hard, and I know it's easy to say that because it's a hard job and mean, and it's hard on days, you know, and I'm in a gen ed classroom so I'm sure it's even harder. I remember in pre-k special ed it was very hard some days, you know. But that's what my job is. I am there for the students. I am there to support them and to make sure that they are getting what they need to be successful and to leave Matilda Harris in a few years so much better off than when they came in because of not because of me, but because of what we as a school set out to do for them and really refuse to accept anything less.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that is a great way to wrap this up. And you know we can say this, we know that that you genuinely do care about those kids, because we've seen you with them and we've tried to recruit you to our team numerous times. So, and if we're trying to recruit you, that means we see, we see everything that you've talked about you, and if we're trying to recruit you, that means we see, we see everything that you've talked about you. You walk it out, it's not just words, and so we appreciate you Well, I'm honored to be invited.
Speaker 3:Thank you for the opportunity.
Speaker 1:Yes, ma'am, so we're going to go ahead and wrap up this episode. Hey, if anybody listened to this, you have some ideas. As far as maybe you know somebody who you think could provide some really great conversation on one of our episodes, or maybe you're one of those people that believe you could provide a great conversation concerning all those that may sit at the table of an IEP meeting, please, yeah, reach out to us and let us know. And, ms Jax, we'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 3:Yep, I'll be there, Bye-bye.
Speaker 1:Bye.