Next Frontier Inclusion

[Cheery Littlebottom]

Thought this would warrant a new thread, so here's my last post repeated as a first post.
Hi Wrldtrvlr123
I would be interested too. I think we can add AIS Johannesburg to the list.
I think the truth of the matter is that most, if not all IS's are already educating mild conditions (ADHD, ADD, Spectrum and other disorders) quite successfully.
Many schools have ESL and "learning support" staff and learning difficulties are addressed. However, I think that it is a question of whether we are being overt or covert about it. In North America/UK/Europe, the educational establishment is open about testing and establishing plans for kids who need learning help, but in many cultures it's a huge no-no.
In my school we have a LOT of kids with the usual run of problems. It has been addressed by having lots of training in differentiation, and (at long last) we are getting smaller class sizes. But even suggest to a parent that their kid has ADHD or Aspergers or Tourettes or whatever and you're in a world of pain.
I am not sure how much effect the Inclusion initiative will have on such entrenched attitudes.
The other thing is that if you overtly address learning issues, then parents from the areas listed above may expect the letter of the law in terms of their home country legal requirements on learning disabled kids. This is naturally of great concern as it opens a substantial can of worms.
I have to say that if you consider what many good IS's have going for them: Great staff, great resources, and smaller class sizes, then if we can't cater to the mild-moderate issues then who can? I'd rather be doing it at an IS, than back home in the US with 35 kids in my class and no resources! LOL
Would love to hear other views.
If anyone is out there and hasn't come across this, check it out at
----://www.nextfrontierinclusion.org/
Naturally, the names Bill and Ochan Powell are all over it!
Best
Cheery XXX

[vettievette]

Thank you for this! As a counselor, it was quite interesting for me to hear that many int'l schools shy away from really great kids just because they may be a little different. Coming from a special ed/therapeutic background in the states working with emotionally disturbed children, my first year at an i.s. was quite interesting - especially when teachers would present something as a big issue and in my eyes, it was quite easy to deal with. LOL.

I've also been in the position where parents have not been forthcoming about any issues and suddenly it's red-flagged when we get the students in the classrooms.

I'm learning that schools are being more open to upping the skills of their faculty and also expecting that people in the support positions have the level of experience that will truly help these kids.

[JMD25]

I am going to check out the link that was posted on the original message but this thread caught my eye and I am hoping you can give me some more advice!

I am a teacher certified in Special Education in Illinois and California and am considering looking for work in an international school.
I am an inclusion specialist and mainly have students with Autism Spectrum disorders. I am quite experienced with multiple populations and have my master's degree in special education as well as 15 years of experience in public high needs school districts.

My concern is that it seems that many IS do not service students with special needs. I am not sure where to begin looking for positions and I am not sure how competitive I am for these schools.

Can you reply or possibly private message me with some info on how to best get started looking for the right school? I am open to the EU in general (have spend a lot of time there, Eastern Europe as well) and that would be my first pick. I have traveled all over Asia and SE Asia and South America as well but have more connections in the EU.

[Cheery Littlebottom]

Hello both
It depends greatly on the school. At some schools, certain populations have by far the strongest claim to attend the school: E.g. Embassy staff, UN staff, US Military, oil companies, NGO's etc. These are the students accepted above and beyond other claims on places. Often, if the learning disability is severe, these families do not apply for, nor are accepted on overseas gigs, harsh though it sounds. I know of a few who were, but mainly because the child in question was homeschooled by whichever parent was the trailing spouse.
(Yes, I know this may be generalisation, but I speak to what I have experienced.)
By default, then, many schools that evolved primarily to service these populations have a fair smattering of mild LD kids: ADHD, ADD, Aspergers, etc. These conditions may or may not be alluded to overtly.
You should look for schools who advertise for Learning Support staff. This job covers a multitude of situations and difficulties: It is highly unlikely to cover profound conditions such as Downs, extreme Tourettes, deafness or blindness, or psychotic conditions. You may see Arlens, disgraphia, ADHD in all its guises, numeracy issues, mild tourettes, and some spectrum disorders and co-morbidities.
You may also target schools which may eventually appear on the Next Frontier site.
If you do get a job as learning support, you must be prepared to work with teachers in the classroom and on the fly, without the usual due process of paperwork, testing and reports. There is unlikely to be any sort of legal framework whatsoever, and a failure of the student to meet academic standards is likely to result in their being exited. The expectation that students receive an education no matter what their problems does not truly exist in IS's. Having said that, most schools work long and hard to do the best for their students, and kids who simply can't access the curriculum don't usually get past the entrance exam, so the more challenging kids rarely get through the doors.
Its a highly variable situation and utterly different from most North American/European systems.

[JMD25]

Cheery,

Thanks for your help! This is somewhat disappointing news as it does not sound like there are good professional jobs abroad for learning support unless you apply to a school specifically for students with special needs. I have only heard good things about the one in Brussels. Do you know of any others that come recommended for this population?

[Cheery Littlebottom]

Why so downhearted?
There are many schools who want learning support/Special Ed.
A quick perusal of my inbox this morning revealed two jobs at the American International School in Bucharest Romania. Darn good school I might add! They want middle school and elementary school wanting "Vast experience with the instruction, documentation and support of the continuum of learning and behavioral needs." They place emphasis on certified and experienced teachers, and also want those who can support the Gifted and Talented end of the spectrum.
Sounds like a pretty good job!
There are plenty out there like this.
As I said in my previous post, most schools DO have their smattering of kids with mild-moderate LDs. The fact that they don't accept the more profound, or may not support US-style paperwork doesn't mean they won't recruit support staff to help those they do!
Pull up your big girls knickers, sign up to Search and get your CV out there! You may be surprised!
Good luck!

[Cheery Littlebottom]

And I have no idea which school you mean in Brussels.
I think you and I may be at cross purposes still.
There ARE great jobs in Learning Support, they are just unlikely to be dealing with PROFOUND disabilities. They are based on inclusion in mainstream classes which sounds like your gig.

[vettievette]

Learning Support and counselors who have experience working with ADHD, autistic spectrum, etc. are highly, highly valued. I would not be discouraged AT ALL. Though you may find that it is special ed lite compared to what we have seen in the US (I know I did), but this only makes our positions so much more dynamic and interesting for most school recruiters who are looking for people who can contribute to the student support teams and use their experience in supporting parents/kids.

I second Cheery's post on AIS - Bucharest. I was there for a conference last year. Great school and nice city. They will have a new head of school next year, but I've worked for him and I'd seriously work for him again.

[JMD25]

I have spent a month in Romania a few summers ago and love the country so it is good to know that they have a good school there with openings. I cannot leave my current job this year so not sure how far ahead of time I need to sign up and apply to jobs. Any ideas on timeline?
I guess from what I was reading I was not sure that "learning support" sounded like "professional credentialed teacher." I would not want to go from working in a professional field to being a glorified assistant in someone else's classroom so I am wondering if that is what the positions would be like. I know that the paperwork would be different and I have traveled extensively so am prepared for different ways of addressing needs so no illusions about that. However, I want to make sure that my skills are utilized fully, I have a tendency to get bored if I am not challenged. Thanks for the info!

[mamava]

There are lots of jobs for special ed/learning support...I worked at an elite school in Beijing and we had a school psych, a speech clinician and 10 teachers for learning support (not including the ESOL teachers). I'm currently in Saudi at a school that says it doesn't cater to learning needs, but there are several us of here as well. It's not special ed. as in the States. IS schools just don't have the manpower to devote to high-needs students. A lot of the students I work with are behind because of moving, managing English and other languages, the curriculum is very rigorous, and very real learning disabilities. There are quite a few jobs out there, I certainly had no problems in applying for a number of great opportunities at good schools.

[PsyGuy]

The largest obstacle is who pays for it. In public and regulated school public/government funding pays for a lot of those needs. In an IS where the school has to pay the bills then it becomes very expensive to set up a LS or SPED program for what amounts to a very small number of students.

Many smaller ISs without LS are serving students of very mild needs or are highly functional, and it assumes they are documented. In many cultures a paper trail of a child being "deficient" would be devastating for them career wise, especially in asian countries where everyone is expected to conform or be the same.

There are a number of primarily top tier american schools that provide SPED and LS and do it well, though even they are very clear to explain that their services do need meet the level required by US law.

[JMD25]

Great! I am going to join SEARCH later this year to do some perusing of Learning Support jobs. Another question I have is about moving costs/housing and if you have a partner that is not a teacher. We are unmarried but he is a musician and we both have friends/ties in Europe. Not sure what kind of housing you can find in certain cities with these types of jobs. I always assume teachers at IS are better paid than those of us in the public school systems here in the US. Especially since I have an MA and 12 years of experience! We would love to end up in Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland or really any of the Western European countries but I am also open to Eastern Europe and we both really loved Poland. Any further info appreciated until I have time to sign up, get on there and look around at job postings. I had heard about the International School of Brussels having a good program for kids with special needs from someone and that is what I had been referring to in the previous posts :)