Welcome back! I’m so glad you’re here for this think aloud session. We jump back into our conversation with Lynn Mahaffey, a special educator who works with students in grades 6-8 in a RISE classroom - as a quick reminder, RISE stands for Reaching Independence through Structured Education. She shares a secret about what can be the hardest thing about teaching - and it is something that wasn’t taught when she was in school. The second half of our think aloud conversation brings up the importance of continually learning, having a support system of people who understand our experiences, and the importance of cultivating your network. Lynn shares some of the things she’s focusing on as we embark on a new school year after having gone through a pandemic year.

Here are some of the resources Lynn mentioned:

• DanceAbility https://www.danceability.com DanceAbility is a unique dance method founded in 1987 by Alito Alessi and Karen Nelson and has been under Alito’s leadership since 1989. DanceAbility uses improvisational dance to promote artistic expression and exploration between people with and without disabilities.
• Professional reading: resources on Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom
• Fun reading: books by Michael Connelly