{"id":10248,"date":"2021-11-23T12:05:06","date_gmt":"2021-11-23T17:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=10248"},"modified":"2022-01-18T12:06:01","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T17:06:01","slug":"endless-possibilities-pembroke-elementary-team-finds-success-with-virtual-adapted-curriculum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/endless-possibilities-pembroke-elementary-team-finds-success-with-virtual-adapted-curriculum\/","title":{"rendered":"Endless possibilities: Pembroke Elementary team finds success with virtual, adapted curriculum"},"content":{"rendered":"

–by David Schleck<\/em><\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/a>
Teacher Beth Maul created this slide to congratulate her students on an amazing first week of school at Pembroke Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It can take several minutes for Beth Maul\u2019s students to answer a question. Sometimes the response is as subtle as a small shift in their eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to be more patient with myself, not with them,\u201d Maul said about her work with the Exceptional Mustangs at Pembroke Elementary School. \u201cI get going on a roll, and I\u2019ll want to keep going. I\u2019ll have to slow myself down and make sure I\u2019ve acknowledge everyone\u2019s effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her students work hard to solve math problems and remember how each letter of the alphabet sounds. They may not be able to mouth the words of every new word, but their voices are heard. Maul is listening, along with Special Education Assistant Tempall Gregory.<\/p>\n

Like many teachers last year, Maul and Gregory mastered online teaching. They did it so well that their students\u2019 parents asked for virtual learning over in-person classes again this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re absolute rock stars,\u201d said Principal Katherine Ryan Goldburg. About 130 of Pembroke\u2019s 500 students receive special education services.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur school theme for the year is \u2018Endless Possibilities.\u2019 Ms. Maul can take any topic and adapt it to make it virtual and also adapt to meet the needs of people with profound disabilities. She would go to every degree possible to make it amazing for the students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Student involvement<\/strong><\/p>\n

During a recent language arts lesson, Maul asked her students how they would like to learn about the letter L.\"""\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can play a video, or we can read a book, or we can do an activity,\u201d she said. \u201cLet me know how you want to learn more about letters and their sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maul put their choices on a slide on their computer screens, and asked each student individually. Some answered by smiling, others by moving their hands in a certain direction and others by sending signals to a caretaker at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat gives them a voice and a choice,\u201d Maul explained. \u201cThey get an opportunity to tell us how they want to learn. They pick what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the students have health conditions that make them especially susceptible to infections like COVID-19, making at-home learning safer during the pandemic. Maul uses her own computer, carrying it and other equipment from home to school every day to provide the best visual tools for her students. Soon the school system will be providing her with more equipment, not that Maul is complaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m loving this,\u201d she said. \u201cI love technology and visuals. And when the parents are home with the kids, they pick up the progress their children are making. These families are excelling. They blow my mind every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knowing you\u2019re in the right place<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maul started at Pembroke Elementary as a long-term substitute in 2013 before becoming a full-time teacher in January 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to meet the students and felt, this is where I want to be,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing able to help a kid answer a yes-or-no question may seem small. But when you realize what they have to learn to be able to do that, it\u2019s actually quite big.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a recently math lesson, Maul used nickels to count by increments of five. She plopped the coins into a cup, and asked students to add up the nickels\u2019 value. Students responded by gesturing or by having a caregiver hold up a response card. Maul complimented each of them on their answers:
\n\u2022 \u201cOh, Mia has it. Nice job, Mia.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cDe\u2019Zaria, I like you using the money card.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cMya, I saw you make that choice. Good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of her students didn\u2019t respond right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you playing possum with me?\u201d Maul said. \u201cOK, I want you to smile when you see the answer you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

The child yawned.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you checking out the screen?\u201d Maul asked.<\/p>\n

Moments went by, giving the teacher another opportunity to practice patience with herself. When the student smiled at the correct answer on the computer screen, Maul congratulated him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod job!\u201d she said, adding a compliment to the entire class. \u201cI like how you are using your words to share your learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team effort<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/a>Gregory helps Maul track each students\u2019 responses and provides extra encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy the excitement on their faces,\u201d said Gregory, who has been a special education assistant since 2010. \u201cI am learning so much from each student and it provides an exciting learning opportunity for all of us as well as a journey through their own communication strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n

The success of the class has a lot to do with the students and a team of teachers, Maul said. Gregory leads afternoon social studies lessons. Adaptive Music Teacher Cynthia Mosley and Adaptive Art Teacher Clara Somers encourage students to use instruments and materials provided by the school and delivered to their homes. Adaptive PE teacher Hailey Hansen engages with Maul\u2019s students online while simultaneously leading face-to-face activities with students in the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a colossal team effort,\u201d Maul said. \u201cEverybody pulls together and works out so many different ways to support the students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nikki Scott said her daughters Mia and Mya have shown amazing progress in Ms. Maul\u2019s and Ms. Gregory\u2019s class, especially when it comes to answering questions through response cards. Scott has learned new things about her children, such as their favorite songs and activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen them dancing. I\u2019ve seen them laughing. I\u2019ve seen so much for the girls over this time period during COVID-19,\u201d said Scott, adding that the teachers\u2019 dedication moves her to tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t move on to another subject until every child answers,\u201d Scott said. \u201cThey are awesome teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does Maul keep her energy up?<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee. Lots and lots of coffee,\u201d she said. And the students provide more than enough inspiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey give me my energy. I get it from them,\u201d Maul said. \u201cWhen I see the grins on their faces. Any energy I give out, they give it back to me 200% and that just renews me.\u201d<\/p>\n

=
\nGo team!<\/strong>
\n\u201cOur class has a huge team we work with regularly,\u201d said Beth Maul, teacher at Pembroke Elementary School. \u201cEach of these team members is equally invested in our student’s success.\u201d
\nHailey Hansen – adaptive PE teacher
\nClara Somers – adaptive art teacher
\nCynthia Mosley – adaptive music teacher
\nJean Cummings – teacher for the visually impaired
\nSarah Wright – teacher for the hearing impaired
\nNikki Ryan – speech teacher
\nShelby Solhaug – assistive technology teacher
\nKasey Sabo – physical therapist
\nLi Cavanaugh – physical therapist
\nMelanie Anderson – occupational therapist
\nJill Lauber – administration assistant
\nStephanie Lopez – assistant principal
\nRyan Goldburg – principal<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/a>
Students in Beth Maul’s class celebrate Spirit Week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

–by David Schleck It can take several minutes for Beth Maul\u2019s students to answer a question. Sometimes the response is as subtle as a small shift in their eyes. \u201cI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10248"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10298,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10248\/revisions\/10298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}