It’s a very busy time of year for everyone involved in IEP meetings, for sure! In today’s episode, we are discussing IEP meetings and the roles of compassionate educators who want to look beyond strict compliance to genuinely meet the needs of students with disabilities and special needs. Join us for the conversation!

Andrew Goff taught early childhood special education in five different least restrictive environments for 12 years. He took this unique insight into his doctoral program, from which he graduated in 2017. As he moved into the community college system in Colorado, he is currently the lead instructor at Colorado Northwestern Community College, not far from Steamboat Springs. Based on his life as an educator, he has written the memoir, Love Is a Classroom and is a fierce advocate for “inclusion–early, everywhere, and always.”

Show Highlights:

• Andrew’s unique perspective on IEP meetings after teaching across early grade levels and into the college system
• The key to effective IEP services is to start early and not wait until the teenage years.
• Andrew’s book—and the emotions it stirred up in him
• The need for more training for educators in compassion and creativity
• The value of teaching assistants in creating a compassionate community in the classroom
• A focus on compliance puts special education in a restrictive box.
• What Andrew wishes teachers and parents knew before going into IEP meetings

Links/Resources:

Connect with Andrew Goff and his work: Website, Love Is a Classroom book, Love Is a Classroom podcast, podcast on Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org   

Thank you for listening! 

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