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[yaichenbaum]

I run  a resource room.  I am researching how the regular staff feels about the support services they receive in kriah or Chumash from resource rooms or special ed. teachers.  Do you feel you benefit from these services? What could be done to better serve your students? 

If you work in a resource room or provide special help in kriah, how could the regular teacher make your job easier?
  Rabbi Yaakov Aichenbaum
Educational consultant, Scranton Hebrew Day School

[hillelana]

It's so annoying when students are pulled out during regular class time. The remaining students always imagine that the ones leaving are headed to Disneyland or something and get distracted and jealous.

[yaichenbaum]

Thank you for your reply.  It is important for a student who is leaving class for remediation to feel the support of the teacher and class.  Jealousy among classmates is common especially when the student returns to class with different incentive prizes that they earned in the resource room.  Does anybody have any suggestions about how to minimize classroom jealousy of the student who goes to the resource room?

[batrot]

where i came from there was no such thing as children being taken out during lesson for one to one. i just dont' know how everyone kept up, i guess through private lesson after school hours. now here in england it's accepted practice. i find it difficult as teacher bc. the pupils taken out miss other things in that time and then need catching up on that..........it;s really frustrating. on the other hand as a mother i see my daughter being taken out and she loves it.

[yaichenbaum]

It is helpful for a teacher to view the student as their own child.  Ask yourself where do you want your child to be ten years from now.  Then ask yourself if my child will achieve this goal without special help.  If he will not reach that goal, is the work that he will miss more important than the set goal.  If it is not, then you should sacrifice the short-term goal of what is being taught in class and accomodate the long-term goal.  If you would want it for your own child, you shoul want it for your student.
I often tell parents and teachers not to expect any noticeable progress from the children I work with in my resource room for several months.  In fact, I tell them that they might see some regression.  I insist that my students be exempt from the work that they miss.  In the long-term, these students often excel and succeed.
It is often difficult for a teacher to have long-term vision and to consider the option that their curriculum might not b ethe most important thing for this child.  I implore my fellow mechanchim to keep an open mind and work with the RR staff.  They can then turn into your biggest allies.

[Shields]

I find it to be an excellent addition to my class.  As long as the help is consistent and not random when the resource teacher has time or is not working with another student or being used elsewhere in the school for other things.  It is imperative the the classroom teacher be mashgiach over her student's progress whether heshe is in resource or in the regular class.  Resource can be an excellent advantage as long as it is done properly and not used to remove difficult children from the class or for babysitting.

[ReenaS]

I coordinate a resource room.  The vast majority of teachers feel very positively about the resource room.  They are anxious to see their students get the support they need.  We work with the teachers and try to accommodate them in terms of scheduling or other concerns that they may have.

Baruch Hashem, our students are generally comfortable going to the resource room.  I do not, however, see much jealousy from other children.  The other kids do not think the resource room is Disneyland.  Those children may need to be empowered by correct information.  There are ways of explaining what the resource room is all about without compromising the self esteem of the students who are pulled out.