Teachers find much of value in second annual Special Education Conference
A conference attendee poses with keynote speaker Tyrone Obaseki, the president and founder of Impact Youth America. Obaseki overcame challenges such as abandonment, homelessness, and physical abuse to earn advanced degrees after aging out of the foster care system.
HISD’s Office of Special Education Services hosted its second annual conference at Westbury High School July 21–23, and about 250 teachers participated in the three-day event.
The conference offered breakout sessions on topics such as accommodating the variability of learners, strategies to empower teachers, and the impact of childhood trauma, and keynote speakers gave inspiring presentations on the importance of having good role models and other useful subjects.
Larry Bell, an educational consultant and the founder of Multicultural Education, spoke about “The Power of a Special Education Teacher,” and shared a list of a dozen words that regularly trip up students in the classroom, such as “trace,” “analyze,” “compare,” and “infer.”
“Mr. Bell’s keynote was spot-on as far as addressing a huge need in our population — the ability to understand those 12 key words when taking tests,” said Marci Ellsworth, a Special Education teacher at Fondren Middle School. “I thought that strategy was excellent, and I hope to incorporate the 12 words into my lessons. I think the impact will be significant on student achievement.”
Ellsworth also said she was surprised to learn about the effect of trauma on the brain. “I have studied Special Education for more than ten years, and I never heard that particular topic addressed,” she added. “I was fascinated and appalled to learn about yet another piece of baggage our students bring to school.”
