I am sorry that this is happening to you, I'm getting over this myself. I will say that if you feel that you have been wronged or unfairly targeted please do not be afraid to speak up for yourself and others. Check over your contract, the staff handbook, and all relevant documents to make sure that policies have been followed to the letter. If not, call it out, especially if it is not just you. There is strength in numbers. Accountability is the name of the game. If policies were not followed then you are within your right as a stakeholder in the community to hold the offending . accountable to what's on paper.

The school board reversed the decision, but not without support from parents who spoke out and demanded answers from the board. Unfortunately I had already signed a contract well before the reversal. All of this is to say that not all hope is lost. I know that some like to think that teachers are disposable or a dime a dozen, but sometimes admin has to find out differently. You have a voice, use it. The students are watching/listening and this is a teachable moment especially in this season of activism.

I had my fingerprints done here in Nigeria. I needed a local clearance for my next post then I asked the police officials if they would do ink prints for me. I had previously downloaded the FBI form then had them to print it out. They had no problem doing the ink prints.

I found a FBI Channeler that did not emphasize needing two copies of the fingerprint cards because I only had one. I mailed it off and received an email from the channeler that they had received my prints and then another email when the report was being mailed to my ppl stateside. The process maybe took 3 weeks, if that.

Looking back I should have asked for my digital prints from the police officials here so that I can always have a copy in my possession, I suppose I'll do that before my time is up here. Also ask around for individuals who can do this for you. If someone has the equipment see if they don't mind taking the equipment to the police headquarters and then have someone there to use it and sign off on your form.

Hi I just wanted to say if you can, stay the additional year and use this as an opportunity to fine tune your classroom management skills and to also offer some suggestions on the behavior.

Prior to my first year of teaching I worked as a TA at a school for students with behavioral problems. I pull a lot from that experience to be proactive in my classroom management. The first thing that I do is to set up my classroom to allow for multiple types of interaction. I set up a table in the back for small group interactions and I have one desk that is isolated (bounded on three sides, but bright and attractive). I have a teacher’s desk positioned to the back of students and at this point my students should know that if I’m sitting there it is to collect behavioral data, if warranted.

Next, I make sure that the classroom rules (students create them with guidance) are visible and that students and parents are aware of the classroom expectations and procedures. I include the expectations on my syllabus, send the procedures and rules home with students for parents to sign off on, and I explicitly teach them to the students. I give a quiz and the students have to demonstrate they know the classroom expectations, procedures, and rules and the consequences for not being in alignment with them. This way nothing is personal or reactive, it’s simply the business of classroom management.

I tend to handle my discipline in class. I have a Google form that I keep track of behavioral incidents and I have it set to email parents their copy. If the behavior warrants, I tag the principal and school counselor in the email. At times I just email it to myself for my own records if it does not require notifying the parent. Note: This form also has a section for positive behavior because parents like getting those reports every now and then.

If I were you, I would set up a meeting with the behavioral specialist to get input and arrange for classroom observations. If there is no behaviorist available to the school then speak with the guidance counselor or a special education teacher for suggestions. I would also institute a classwide PBIS program and work on building a classwide relationship, I wouldn’t single out individual students for relationship building but rather come to an understanding with the class as a whole. In all things, make sure that decisions are evidence-based and in alignment with district policy and that you maintain a record of your evidence, just in case.

My background is SPED so I may approach things a little differently. Also African-American female and students may view me a little differently as well.

Anyone who has been around the block a time or two knows that hiring discrimination based upon race is still very relevant. People do pack their prejudices and racist tendencies along with everything else and some do not have the foresight to not accept positions in countries inhabited by people that they despise.

I agree that browsing the perspective school's website to see if they feature staff and looking for POC is a must. Also reach out to the staff and ask for the no-filter report. Administration changes and what was once a welcoming and inclusive environment under one administration could be the opposite at the present and still change again for the better.

I encourage you and all interested POC to apply in your region of choice and see what happens. What one won't do, another one will.

Just a point of clarification. I can't speak for individuals who are Jewish, but as an African-American I can say that the discrimination that we face isn't an artifact of 100 years ago, literally lol. It is very much alive and well today if one is aware of current events. Even as international educators the discrimination is rampant for many peoples of color.

I’m currently in this situation. My school doesn’t have a dedicated teacher for LS at the secondary level. I was faced with some students who transferred in mid-year. It became apparent that the students needed ELL support. In addition, from my background in SPED it was apparent that a student was experiencing some difficulties that were not explained by language needs. After meeting with parents, I decided that I should measure their success based upon growth in the courses that I teach. Administration was on board. Great, so I came up with a system to use and at this point the question is still what will it look like on PowerSchool. In addition, as you mentioned, how do I formally communicate this to the forwarding school as the students will not be returning. I will make a comment on the report card indicating the approach that I have taken for the courses that I teach. I suppose I can also scan the progress monitoring results and see if they can be added to their records. As a teacher, I just did not feel comfortable sending these students off with an “F” because of the barriers that they have faced in this new environment and ultimately I am positive that it would not be an accurate reflection of their knowledge and skill set. I teach middle school.

Currently in Nigeria with a seven year old with special needs (1p36 Deletion Syndrome) and things are going well. Medically he's pretty stable just some GI issues that have subsided since he hasn't been in a school environment here, the school we work at can't accommodate his needs.

I have a few colleagues with younger children as well. It truly depends on your comfort level and outlook on life. After all, people have been raising young children here for quite some time.

We're currently in Abuja, Nigeria and went to look at a couple of hospitals a few days ago since we're finishing up Fall break and have some down time. I've heard good things about the Turkish hospital here. We didn't get the opportunity to tour the facility to see individual departments. However if there is an emergency this is where we will more than likely end up.

http://nizamiyehospital.com/

Senator,

Very good points that we've considered. We'll be teaching in Nigeria and as African Americans I think we'll have a little more edge in navigating socially with the locals versus say in Asia which is what we plan to do. I'll continue to keep my little guy visible in the community.

The school has offered to utilize their pool of TA applicants for potential candidates and to coordinate Skype interviews between us. This will be a great start for us. This week I'm going to inquire through the little guy's insurance to see what assistance they can provide as well. He's enrolled in the ECHO program through TRICARE and I know that they offer some special education services domestically I'll have to see what options are available overseas since we'll be in a region with no adequate public school options.

Update:

We did reconvene with the HOS on that Tuesday and were ultimately offered the positions which we have since accepted. The little guy did not come up in the conversation that Tuesday but he did come up afterwards when the HOS acquired about age and grade level. At that point I responded to the inquiry and informed him that the IS would not be able to accommodate his needs due to his disability and that we were looking for schools in the area.

The HOS wanted to know more about his needs so I emailed him a copy of his IEP and provided him a status of our search for a school. We set a date to talk which was today and so far he has been very supportive. I have switched the focus to home education now and he has offered the assistance of the HR department to help coordinate our search for a candidate to educate our son. I feel so much better and at ease now and this reconfirms why I want to be at this school.

Thanks everyone for the sound advice and suggestions. One of the first things I will do is to remove the tidbits about our little guy from my cover letter and profile. I thought being transparent about the his needs upfront would be the best way to go but apparently it's just an easy way to make an uninformed judgement call.

We had a really great interview Saturday and our references on ISS have been contacted, we're scheduled to reconvene tomorrow however our son didn't come up during the interview. Now I'm nervous about verbally mentioning it although it is currently mentioned on my profile. I've been doing my research and have been in contact with a local school about enrollment should we be offered a position. I may just play it by ear.

Depending on how tomorrow goes, having hubby take the lead may be the best bet short of landing jobs in an area with good special needs programs.

I have been using that pdf from the state department as a guide of schools to inquire about job openings.

His needs are more on the severe side in terms of support needed. He would not be able to be mainstreamed all day and would require an assistant as his adaptive skills are well below his age group. Currently he is in a resource or self-contained classroom. I am aware that any school that we were to get offered a position would not be able to accommodate him unless a specialty school.

My husband and I are embarking on the journey to teach internationally. We are still newbies in teaching with him having 4-5 years at the secondary and college level and I'll be completing my second year at the middle school level. Our current school district is restructuring and as a result both the schools that we work at will be closed so we're using this opportunity to explore all options.

We've been applying to schools directly and joined ISS this month and we plan on attending the fair in Atlanta. The concern is that our son has special needs and would require a curriculum different than what the schools offer as a result of his disability which is characterized as global developmental delay, at the moment.

We've had a few really good hits who've mentioned that we are a great fit for the school but unfortunately they don't believe that the city/country would have the needed provisions for our son. As we've received interviews I have researched the cities to see what provisions are available. I also make mention of my son in my cover letters and on my ISS profile. My husband kind of disagrees with this practice.

Do you all think it is a smart move to mention my son's special needs from the outset? What school or country outside of Europe would provide the best provisions for children with cognitive deficits?

Our areas are Chemistry and Special Education/Middle Grades 4-8 certifications hence my confidence in my ability to offer assistance in educating our little guy even if the city/country does not seem up to par.