Many Faces of Special Educators

Bev Johns has been a special educator for over 35 years, is currently an instructor at MacMurray College, and a learning and behavior consultant. She is the author or co-author of 13 other books.Mary Z. McGrath was a special education teacher for a good share of her 31 years teaching in the Bloomington, MN public schools. Mary is now a professional speaker to teachers, parents and other groups. She is the author/coauthor of 7 other books. Sarup R. Mathur is a Clinical Professor and Cluster Chair of Special Education in the Division of Curriculum and Instruction at Arizona State University. She has 20 years of experience in research and programming for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and has co-authored and co-edited 8 books and has published more than 50 articles and chapters.

• 1 Foreward2 Introduction3 Myths about Special Educators4 Tolerance5 Empathy and Active Listening6 The Ability to Build Relationships with Students7 Recognition of Positive Actions8 Addressing Discipline Challenges9 Ability to Create Individualized Educational Plans10 Ability to See Progress in Small Steps11 Ability to Adapt12 Ability to Focus on the Individual Needs of Others through Ongoing Assessment13 Problem Solving14 Collaboration15 Advocacy and Empowerment16 Family Support17 Conclusion

This book is a great idea! I love the mention of how inclusion is becoming more of a focus than specialized instruction is. Attempting to integrate both together is difficult and at times simply impossible. Response to intervention (RTI) won't ease the situation at all, either. The discussion of the ability to adapt is essential.