
Special education can be a jungle. Some days are so chaotic. I am not going to lie, I’ve had a good cry in a storage closet one or two times. Having a good working relationship with your school-based team, won’t make all the days good but it will definitely iron out some of the bad.
School-Based Team
I always preach to my families that the team approach is one of the biggest factors to a student’s success. When we, as professionals, work together and are on the same page, it directly correlates to a child’s success. You might not like everyone on your team. More times than once you have probably vented to your significant other about a teammate. At the end of the day, everyone brings something different and unique to the table.
As an occupational therapist, I work at a few different schools. Therefore, sometimes I find it hard to form connections and solid relationships with my special education team. I am not at the building every day and at most of my schools, I do not have an office space. However, that doesn’t mean establishing a good relationship with my special education team isn’t vital. These are a few things that I have found most helpful to establish a working relationship. As in life, it’s honestly a lot easier to develop a relationship with some people than others.
Mutual Respect with Your School-Based Team
When I was in college I was a Resident Assistant. I think the biggest lesson I learned was realizing and understanding, that everyone is ‘busy’ and everyone’s role is important. Sometimes we get lost in our own to-do list. We forget that everyone, on the team, has multiple things on their plate too.
In the school setting, I try to remember that everyone has the same goal: to help the child/students succeed, thrive, and grow.
Scenario
I worked at a school on the Oregon coast and I remember this memory so vividly. The back-story is I look quite young for my age. I have always found it a bit difficult to:
- Be taken seriously when giving suggestions.
- Having to work a bit harder to build mutual respect with staff that has been working in special education longer than I have been alive.
My goal was to work with one of my 3rd-grade students, to utilize a fork or spoon during meals and lunch versus his fingers. He would only eat instant noodles for lunch. I remember suggesting to the TA that we try a fork (with a preferred image of his favorite character) and see how he does. I tried to use an enthusiastic voice but I think she mistook it as “I know more than you please change what you’re doing”. She became very upset and had a few choice words. Though her reaction wasn’t quite ‘appropriate’’ I realized I hadn’t built that solid foundation of mutual respect. It was uncomfortable for everyone in that room not only at that moment but afterward.
Tips for Building Mutual Respect With Your School-Based Team
- Take a step back and remind yourself that everyone in the room, regardless of title or salary is a VITAL member of the team. As an OT, I need to remember that the staff in the special education room are with the students ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, while they are in school. They’re doing the hard work that goes unnoticed a lot of times.
- Complements and being sincere. You know when people are just stroking your ego
- For the scenario above I could’ve done something like said “Hey, I know lunchtime is a crazy and difficult time but I really appreciate your dedication to our students. You are giving it your all. Is there anything you need me to grab or to help make this an easier time for you?”
- Waving hello or goodbye in the parking lot!
- Popping in the classroom and saying ‘thank you for all you do’
- Sending a random email saying thank you and I appreciate your help
- It doesn’t have to be a long email! I remember a few weeks ago, one of the SLPs I work with sent me a really nice email and it just made my morning a lot brighter. It feels good to be noticed and to know others are thinking about you.
- Sometimes in my planner I will make a little note to send one of my coworkers a short email because let’s be honest, one minute it’s the beginning of the month, and the next, the quarter is almost done.
- Ask for their opinion or ask what they have found works best for the student
- For the lunch scenario “Hey! I am working with student J and I really want to work on his independence with his instant noodles! You know him better than anyone; do you think this idea would be helpful? Do you have any ideas?”
- “I could grab some different things at the office we could try. I really appreciate your time brainstorming with me.”
- For additional tips check out Arielle’s blog!
Set a Consult Time with Your School-Based Team
Setting a consult time can be hard because as we know in special education, there really isn’t a whole lot of free time. When we set a time to consult and problem solve, as a team, it is more successful. I think both parties feel a bit overwhelmed when suggestions are given in the middle of class over multiple people asking questions or needing adult attention. I know personally, I hear what people are saying but I am not always fully taking it in.
Emails are nice but that 1 on 1 in-person time is invaluable. Sometimes I will see if my special educators are available once a month in the morning to go over specific students. We are able to sip a cup of coffee (while it is still warm) and go over a few things.
With COVID, my school is still utilizing a virtual platform, but I have set up ‘morning coffee dates’ via Google meet with colleagues.
Eat Lunch With Your Colleagues When Possible
Sometimes this isn’t always possible but it is so nice to eat with your team and not talk about work, to know your team on a semi-personal level. You don’t have to be best friends but the simple conversation is always nice.
At one of my schools, I will eat lunch with my preschool team. We ordered chipotle one day and had it delivered and ate burritos while hunkered down in tiny chairs. It was just a great memory. Sometimes it’s easier to build that respect for someone and to be more comfortable with suggestions coming from both parties when you understand them more.
Try to Plan an Activity with Someone on Your School-Based Team
I like doing this or asking my special educator if I can jump in during circle time or jump into their fine motor station. This way both parties are bringing their specialties and perspective to an activity. Both people are also able to collect their data and problem-solve together.
The special educator can see the different tools I am trialing. I can see the cues/language they are using with the students and how they are addressing different academic concepts. I find this really helpful! When I am working with the student 1:1, I am able to use the different strategies.
Example
I worked with a wonderful special educator last year. Once a month she would have a cooking class for her 3rd-5th grade students. She included OT and Speech in the activity. Everyone was able to help adapt the stations to work on specific skills towards the common goal! It was a great functional activity that the students loved. It was also great to work with all the members of the team! I got to see how the SLP utilized different visuals and prompt speech. I also got to see my special education team incorporate math and life skills in the activity.
Time and Effort
Working relationships, like any relationships, take time and effort. And it can’t be one-sided. It can sometimes be uncomfortable to form a working relationship. It can feel like you are putting yourself out there. However, to me, having a solid working relationship with my special education team makes my job so much easier. It is a lot easier to give and take suggestions with someone you feel comfortable with. It is definitely hard to consult with a member of the team that you try to avoid in the hall.
So if you take anything away from this blog remember this: everyone on the team, and everyone you meet in life, has something they’re dealing with. Everyone is equal regardless of your level on the pay scale or degree behind your desk. You can learn vital lessons from everyone around you if you’re willing and open to listen. So here’s to being a bit more vulnerable with our team members so we can help our students thrive!