MY
IEP
As I stated earlier in my
book, I often wrote a special education student’s Individualized Education Plan
[IEP] with specific information about that one child. By the end of my career
(2007), these once-useful documents outlining goals for the student to reach
became “cookie cutter” pieces of paper that I despised. They were computerized
and only vaguely personalized.
I never minded writing
them in the early part of my career. But, by the end, they were a hideous chore
that I could no longer understand or do well. I genuinely missed the “old days”
when modern technology didn’t get in my way.
Therefore – I decided for
this book, I’ve turned into being both student and teacher and I’ll write my
own IEP to help me with my behavior and memory. Of course, I’ll do it the
old-fashioned way and write accurate, specific-to-me goals, so I can help myself
improve. This should be fun! Let’s see….
The “student” (meaning
me) will:
1.
Count to 10 when someone does or says
something that upsets her
2.
Repeat the above goal to a higher number
than 10 if necessary
3.
Be rewarded for each day that appropriate
behavior is noticed [i.e., chocolate]
4. Be
given extra time to complete all tasks since she is unable to be rushed
5. Be
allowed interactions in spaces with minimal distractions
6. Be
respectful of another person’s viewpoint/opinion
7. Be
less reactive when something is said that is personal and hurtful
8. Be
a better listener
9. Rest
when necessary to be able to complete tasks later in the day
10. Be able to state, “I’ll get back to you” or “no”
in a calm voice when asked by someone else to complete a task
11. Decrease the amount of worrying
12. Learn how to take better care of self (i.e.,
eat more fruits and vegetables/exercise more)
13. Be able to find more positives than negatives
in each and every situation and relationship
14. Use communication when agitated
15. Be able to state on the telephone, “I have to
go” when becoming upset before saying something that she would regret
16. Be able to be more patient with people who are
employees at offices
17. Be less observational of others’ mistakes
18. Be less impulsive and think things through
thoroughly before taking any sort of action
19. Be less agitated with other drivers who do not
drive carefully
20. Be able to smile more often
21. Be more careful with the way money is spent
22. Develop a long list of coping mechanisms to
deal with all aspects of life
23. Be able to laugh more often
24. Be able to take “snow days” once in a while to
take time off to decompress (as she once did as a teacher)
25. Talk to God whenever she needs to feel better
[or the public school version, “meditate”]
An ironic thing about this IEP list that I wrote about
myself is that I have more behavior goals listed than I used to have to write
for my students. That confirms what I already knew: many of my students were
better behaved then than I am now.
Janet spoke at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, NY, on March 6 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Gardiner Library in Gardiner, NY, on June 11 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Esopus Library in Port Ewen, NY, on July 13 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Pine Plains Library in Pine Plains, NY, on July 20 at 6 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Ulster Library in Kingston, NY, on July 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Adriance Library in Poughkeepsie, NY, on September 15 at 2:30 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Enchanted Cafe in Red Hook, NY, on September 28 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Hyde Park Library in Hyde Park, NY, on October 4 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Tivoli Library in Tivoli, NY, on October 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Janet participated in the Red Hook Middle School's College and Career Cafe in Red Hook, NY, on December 19 at 10:30 a.m.
I (Douglas Winslow Cooper) have been excerpting, weekly, material from this almost-final version of the fine book by Janet Johnson Schliff, M.S. Ed., which she wrote over a three-year period with some coaching and editing help from me, through my business, Write Your Book with Me.
Her memoir is now available in paperback and ebook formats from Outskirts Press and amazon.com:
###
BOOK TALKS AND SIGNINGS
Janet Johnson Schliff spoke at the Oblong Books Bookstore in Rhinebeck, NY, on Tuesday, February 6 at 6 p.m.
Janet was on WKNY Radio 1490 in Kingston, NY, on Thursday, March 1 at 9:10 a.m.
Janet spoke at Barnes & Noble in Kingston, NY, on Saturday, March 3 at 1 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, NY, on March 6 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Golden Notebook Bookstore in Woodstock, NY, on March 17 at 2 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Morton Library in Rhinecliff, NY, on March 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Janet spoke at RCAL in Kingston, NY, on April 3 at 4 p.m. [They gave her an impromptu book-launch party.]
Janet spoke at the Parkinson's Support Group at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, NY, on April 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Stone Ridge Library in Stone Ridge, NY, on April 27 at 5:30 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Hurley Library in Hurley, NY, on May 4 at 6 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Kingston Library in Kingston, NY, on May 9 at 6 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Staatsburg Library in Staatsburg, NY, on May 14 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Clinton Community Library in Rhinebeck, NY, on May 31 at 6:30 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Mountain Top Library in Tannersville, NY, on June 9 at noon.
Janet spoke at the Gardiner Library in Gardiner, NY, on June 11 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Marbletown Community Center in Stone Ridge, NY, on June 20 at 6 p.m.
Janet was interviewed on radio station WTBQ-FM (93.5) on June 29 at 12 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Esopus Library in Port Ewen, NY, on July 13 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Pine Plains Library in Pine Plains, NY, on July 20 at 6 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Ulster Library in Kingston, NY, on July 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Northern Dutchess Bible Church in Red Hook, NY, on August 11 at 1 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Inquiring Minds Bookstore in New Paltz, NY, on September 6 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Adriance Library in Poughkeepsie, NY, on September 15 at 2:30 p.m.
Janet was interviewed on radio station WRIP-FM (97.9) on September 21 at 8 a.m.
Janet again spoke at the Mountain Top Library in Tannersville, NY, on September 22 at noon.
Janet spoke at the Enchanted Cafe in Red Hook, NY, on September 28 at 7 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Hyde Park Library in Hyde Park, NY, on October 4 at 7 p.m.
Janet participated in an Author Weekend at the Barnes & Noble in Poughkeepsie, NY, on October 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Janet spoke at the Tivoli Library in Tivoli, NY, on October 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Janet’s interview for the TV program Wake Up with Marci on the You Too America Channel aired on Monday, November 5, and Friday, November 9. It can now be found on the Internet.
Janet spoke at the Germantown Library in Germantown, NY, on November 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Janet participated in the Red Hook Middle School's College and Career Cafe in Red Hook, NY, on December 19 at 10:30 a.m.
More signings will be coming up. A fine feature about Janet by John DeSantos [845 LIFE] appeared in the Middletown Times Herald-Record on Monday, March 12, as part of Brain Injury Awareness Month. An article about her book was just published in the May 2018 Living Rhinebeck Magazine. An article about her book appeared in the May 14 Daily Freeman of Kingston, NY. and another in the Family Life section of the Poughkeepsie Journal on June 8th. The Millerton News published an article on Thursday, August 2, about her talk at the Pine Plains Library.
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