Ms. K is a Positive discipline certified teacher, and many of her classroom practices are influenced this way. During Observation 1, a student was talking rather loudly, and Ms. K quickly reminded the student of expectations by asking them if the student was actively practicing self-control. The student reflected on their actions and responded that they thought they controlled their bodily movements but were talking too loud because they were excited to share their information with their partner.

Another strategy Ms. K has implemented in her classroom is to talk about the science of the brain using the book Our Brain Book, written by Christian Covius. He talks about the neuroscience of the brain so that people can practice self-regulation. He talks about a hand model that students can relate to when they are feeling calm and when they are feeling strong emotions. In this model, a calm brain is referred to as a "forward," and a brain experiencing strong emotions is "flipped." While observing the first day of the lab experiment, the classroom was starting to grow chaotic. Ms. K drew the class's attention with a rhythmic clap. Once the class gave attention to the teacher, she began talking to her students about the exuberant energy in the classroom. She related to the hand model and explained the situation with a reference to "mirror neurons" in the brain. She stated that it is incredible that the students are excited to do science but that everyone's mirror neurons are affecting the noise and behavior in the classroom. She instructed them to practice a few minutes of mindfulness to help turn their "flipped" brain into a "forward" one. The students took a few minutes to reflect and regulate themselves. When the student returned to the experiment, they were more mindful of their learning practices.

To learn more about how this teacher supports Diverse Learners, I asked her about other support systems she uses for her students. Ms. K stated that science is a very visual subject in her classroom, so she regularly provides videos, picture examples, and the option for some students to demonstrate their knowledge through graphical methods. These close systematic details allow students to access and demonstrate an understanding of the material differently. Ms. K stated that illustrating and orally communicating the main ideas of a given topic "keeps the same workload but allows a different mode to give information."

Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Management, this teacher makes it a point to discuss diversity in multiple ways. When she introduced herself to the five new students in the week, she talked to them about accepting others. She spoke about her disability, Cerebral Palsy, and the difficulties she has faced and talked about how our differences make everyone stronger. She made it a point to briefly ask the students to state where they are from by raising their hands when she called out a country. She explained that some similarities and differences help build a strong community. Likewise, Ms. K's principles are driven by a strong sense of community for the classroom environment, as mentioned heavily in question 5.

I enjoyed the second day of the experiment because the students could focus on the key learning objectives for the day and discuss the findings of what they learned. They connected the information that was talked about on the first day regarding the dyes in food to food that they wanted to try to test for specific chemicals. The students also worked collaboratively in a community-like setting where they actively helped each other to understand the process. One of the quotes that Ms. K shared was, "As a class team, we are not succeeding if the person next to us is struggling. If you know how to help your neighbor, please make our class team stronger by aiding them." Students sitting next to one of their five new classmates showed them where the materials were. Others helped them write post-experiment notes on the experiment. Furthermore, all students were able to have access to the learned outcomes of the project through the video, looking at the results of their peers and discussing the implications of chromatography.

1. Academic content: Special education teachers must keep their students' expectations high. Many special education teachers over-modify and do not teach students grade-level material to their students. This mindset leads to some students becoming complacent with current levels without positive outlooks toward achieving more. Ms. W stated, "I get frustrated when other special education teachers teach down to their students because they don't believe their students can succeed. They can succeed, and they will if they are given the proper support, accommodations, and modifications. These students are capable of achieving grade-level material.

2. Celebrating small successes: As a special education teacher, celebrating successes reminds everyone that all the hard work is paying off. "Sometimes special education teachers need to reframe what it means to be a success - for yourself and your students," Said Ms. W. "Sometimes you must celebrate successes at a rate appropriate for individual students." This means a celebration could include a student holding a pencil properly after years of struggle or reading a short passage with decodable closed-syllable words.

3. Be okay with the fact that your work will never be done: Special education teachers frequently have many responsibilities, and the job demands are always in a consistent flow of "priority" tasks. Their work is hardly ever finished, and that is okay. Ms. W states, "Just because a specific task is not completed doesn't mean you are drowning. Do what you can and focus on the more important tasks first."

4. Ask for help when needed: Ms. W says, "Sometimes when things feel overwhelming, it is okay to ask for help. Don't silently wonder what to do. There are likely many different people who can and are willing to help you. Don't be scared to ask for help on how to do something. Please do if you need to reschedule or ask for an extension. Administrators and case managers can sometimes be the biggest help."

5. Relationship with parents: The ties that special education teachers build with the parents are a key to Diverse Learner education. Often, parents know their children in a higher capacity than anyone else. They can be your biggest ally in helping their student succeed. Likewise, Ms. K states, "Showing that you are invested shows that you will advocate for their children and can bridge the 'gaps' that can be created by the school systems."

• Having your own lesson plans prepared: In a co-taught classroom, many times, the special education teacher should be thinking about how each lesson supports the needs of the Diverse Learning students in the classroom and to be prepared to understand the material so that they have multiple ways to help explain the assignments and topics covered in class. Preparing lesson plans can also benefit the special education teacher because if the general education teacher is sick, the special education teacher has already planned how to teach the class for the day.

• Being willing to adapt: In the classroom, many different factors can play a part in changing plans; therefore, special education teachers should welcome change and be flexible in how their day can run. Sometimes, the special education teacher may receive plans or tests late from other teachers, so they may need to utilize different avenues to ensure they can get all their required work done effectively. They may also be required to work on various tasks during lunch so that they may accomplish different modifications to work.

The dynamics of a special education teacher include:

• The ability to understand the dynamics of other adults: Special education teachers work with many different adults, including other teachers in the classroom. Understanding how to navigate the dynamics of interacting with additional general education teachers, paraprofessionals, and teacher's aids. Special education teachers need to build a trusting relationship and discuss intricate procedures such as which teachers take responsibility for different tasks and parts each teacher will "take on."

• The ability to understand the dynamics of their students: Special education teachers often may be "in and out" of the classroom frequently and only see some students for a small portion of the day. Alternatively, the special education teacher could be the teacher that some students see the most throughout the day. A special education teacher needs to build strong relationships with their students so that the students want to learn with them. This is important because if students do not want to work with their special education teacher for multiple reasons, they may not receive the necessary information to succeed in the class.

The pitfalls of a special education teacher include:

• Working with so many different adults: Many times, the workload for a special education teacher can include many other factors for the success of their students. Sometimes in a given week, there is not enough time to complete everything. Specifically, Ms. W stated, "Sometimes, if I focus on all of the work I need to complete with other adults on the Special Education Team, then I am not able to focus on all of the work I need to complete with the teachers on the General Education Team and vice versa." This means that there is a challenging balancing act that all special education teachers must do when working with so many different adults and teachers.

• Making a lasting impact: Special education teachers can make a huge difference in a student's education, which can impact their life. This positive relationship can change how students view education and their role in succeeding. Additionally, they can be a student's favorite teacher and build a strong relationship of trust. This trust can sometimes be shown in how some students interact. Sometimes, students will "open up" to their special education teacher to tell them about different situations in their lives that are affecting them, or the students will describe the special education teachers' uniquely interesting details or jokes. Ms. W joyfully expressed, "Some students consistently make me handmade gifts.

The "not so great" parts:

• Time: Sometimes, as a special education teacher, the time available to work on projects is insufficient because many essential tasks must be completed in a week. One of the biggest struggles is the balance given the time. Ms. W expresses, "Sometimes I wish I had six more hours in the day and two of me to finish all of my work." She also notes that the limited time in a school day can negatively impact the amount of planning time available to collaborate with other adults and teachers.

• Paperwork: Special education teachers have many different types of paperwork that they must fill out daily, weekly, and monthly. The paperwork can be very time-consuming to fill out and could easily be forgotten if someone does not keep track of everything effectively.