Excerpted from Chapter 3 of The Transition Handbook: Strategies High School Teachers Use that Work!, by Carolyn Hughes, Ph.D., & Erik W. Carter, M.Ed.

Copyright © 2000 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Ms. Lewis was a little nervous as she entered the cafeteria for her first faculty in-service session. She had spent the past week trying to establish rapport with the general education teachers, particularly Mr. Boeing, an experienced teacher who was popular with many of the faculty. Knowing that teachers wouldn't be open to her students if they didn't know who she was, she tried to remain as visible as possible, hanging out in the faculty lounge and by the mailboxes and attending the first school football game and pep rally of the year. Ms. Lewis also spoke with the principal and convinced her not to hold separate in-service sessions for general and special education teachers. In addition, she asked if she could have some of the meeting time to introduce her fellow teachers to her special education program.

By lunchtime, the in-service session had been going on for nearly 3 hours. Looking around at the faces of the faculty, Ms. Lewis knew that one more lecture might not be well received. When the principal called her up, Ms. Lewis began her "pitch." Ms. Lewis, joined by Mr. Boeing, began by inviting the rest of the staff to take part in a disability simulation. Dressed in blindfolds, splints, and earplugs, teachers made their best attempts to navigate the school campus. Ms. Lewis chuckled as she witnessed the teachers gradually begin to understand the challenges presented by the environment. She explained to the teachers that the barriers at King High School weren't only physical but also attitudinal. She then shared with the group the numerous strengths that each of her students possessed and challenged the teachers to find ways of allowing the students to demonstrate those strengths in the general classroom environment.

Next, she talked excitedly about the benefits that general education students might receive: increased academic performance, more positive attitudes, improvements in self-concept, and new friendships. Dispelling the myth that teachers would have to focus much of their instructional time on the few students with diverse abilities, she shared with the teachers the instructional support she would be able to provide to them. Mr. Boeing then discussed some of the possibilities he saw for students in his classroom.

Back in her classroom, Ms. Lewis wondered whether the activity had been effective. She knew that having Mr. Boeing join her in speaking was a good idea as teachers appeared to appreciate hearing from a general educator. She knew that today was just a first step, but she hoped she had planted ideas in the heads of the faculty. Her next step would be to sow the idea in the heads of students.

"Before taking students to a worksite, such as a store, I talk with the employers about them and let the employer talk to the employees. Then I take the students to the worksite to meet the employer. Then I allow the employer to decide if he wants us to work in his store."

Teacher
Warren County High School
McMinnville, Tennessee

3.2.2 Stressing Students' Strengths

It's up to us! We have the responsibility to provide school and community members with information regarding the strengths and skills of students with differing abilities. Otherwise, they may never know because they are not likely to search for this information on their own. This is a great loss because by becoming aware of students' strengths, people are more likely to be accepting of differences and to have more realistic expectations of students who have different abilities.

"Promote your students' abilities to other employees. Display enthusiasm and professionalism toward your students. I have found that when I treat my students with respect and fairness, other employees observe this and will usually follow the same pattern."

Teacher
Whites Creek High School
Nashville, Tennessee

Starting Up:

• Point out to general education teachers, employers, and community members the positive aspects of a student's work and behavior. For example, a student with a physical disability may shake while she works but is a great problem solver and can work independently on tasks that require complex thinking skills.
  
  
• Help potential employers become aware of a student's skill repertoire and individual ways of performing job tasks by showing a video of the student's past job performance. For example, an employer might not know how good a student with a visual disability is at using a computer to type business reports.
  
  
• Give students a chance to demonstrate their competence by participating in a variety of events in the community. For example, as a member of a community theater group, a student could take tickets, pass out programs, or seat members of the audience as they arrive at the theater to watch a play.
  
  

Focusing on students' strengths is consistent with the philosophy and research supporting the IDEA Amendments of 1997. The amendments state that education is more effective when teachers hold high expectations for students. In addition, in developing the IEP, the IEP team is required by IDEA to consider students' strengths and to develop strategies for enhancing their education.

How to Do It:

• At regular meetings with work supervisors, stress the unique strengths of students, such as a positive attitude or taking initiative. When students are experiencing challenges, such as controlling their anger or increasing their accuracy on the job, discuss with the supervisor ways to modify the task or the environment to increase opportunities for success.
  
  
• Allow a student's work to speak for itself. Encourage teachers and work supervisors to observe the student successfully completing various tasks. Provide a video or photos of the student while working if teachers or supervisors cannot be present at the worksite. A picture really is worth a thousand words.
  
  
• By taking extra time to really get to know the students with whom you are working, you will be better prepared to convey their strengths that may not be readily apparent to employers at first glance. For example, an administrative assistant may notice that a student types much more slowly than the other secretaries in her office. You can point out, however, that the student makes considerably fewer errors than her co-workers and that all of the supervisors request that she type their reports whenever possible.
  
  
• Remember, a number of different qualities come together to form an excellent employee. Although a student may initially perform certain job tasks at a slower rate, he may have had perfect attendance at a previous job, worked marvelously with others, and conveyed a warm and positive attitude to customers. Articulate these strengths to potential employers.
  
  

Too often, teachers and professionals who work with students with diverse abilities may fail to stress students' strengths, instead focusing on their weaknesses and needs. This may contribute to students' having low self-esteem and little self-determination to excel inside or outside the classroom. In addition to sharing a student's strengths with school and community members, make certain that the students themselves hear your encouragement.