The Special Educator's Reflective Calendar and Planning Journal

Beverley Holden Johns has 35 years of experience working with students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) within the public schools. She supervised LD and EBD teachers in 22 school districts and was the founder and administrator of the Garrison Alternative School for students with severe EBD in Jacksonville, Illinois, and later the coordinator for staff development for the Four Rivers Special Education District. She is now a learning and behavior consultant and an adjunct instructor for MacMurray College, where she teaches the course on special education law, adaptations for the general education classroom, and EBD. She chaired the 10th Biennial Conference of the International Association of Special Education (IASE) held June 10-14, 2007, in Hong Kong. She serves as President of IASE in a term that extends until January 1, 2010. She presented the Inaugural Marden Lecture at The University of Hong Kong in January 2006. Johns is the lead author of ten books (and co-author of another) including Reduction of School Violence: Alternatives to Suspension, Techniques for Managing Verbally and Physically Aggressive Students, Surviving Internal Politics Within the School, Safe Schools, Teacher's Reflective Calendar and Planning Journal, Effective Curriculum and Instruction for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Students with Disabilities and General Education: A Desktop Reference for School Personnel, Getting Behavioral Interventions Right, Preparing Test-Resistant Students for Assessments: A Staff Training Guide, The Ethical Educator, and Motivating the Unmotivated Student. She has written a workbook to accompany a video for paraprofessionals entitled The Paraprofessional's Guide to Managing Student Behavior and over 40 articles. She is co-author with Janet Lerner of the seminal college LD textbook, the 11th edition of Learning Disabilities and Related Mild Disabilities, and they are currently working on a college textbook on Students with Special Needs in General Education: Practical Adaptations and Teaching Strategies. She is the 2000 recipient of the CEC Outstanding Leadership Award from the International Council for Exceptional Children, Past International President (and current board member) of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, and the 2007 Recipient of the Romaine P. Mackie Leadership Service Award. She is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in American Education and Who's Who Among America's Teachers. She has served as chair of governmental relations for several national and state organizations. She has chaired ISELA, the Illinois Special Education Coalition (whose membership includes 13 statewide organizations), for 27 years. She is a past president of the Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois and has been the national state presidents' representative serving on the Board of LDA of America. She was Jacksonville Woman of the Year in 1988, co-chaired the Business Education Partnership Committee and the Jacksonville Truancy Task Force. She has presented workshops across the United States and Canada; in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Sydney, Australia (keynote); Warsaw, Poland; Hong Kong, China; and Lima, Peru. She is a graduate of Catherine Spalding College in Louisville, Kentucky, and received a fellowship for her graduate work at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where she received an MS in special education. She has done postgraduate work at the University of Illinois, Western Illinois University, SIU, and Eastern Illinois University. Mary Zabolio McGrath taught in the Bloomington, MN, public schools for 31 years, working as a classroom teacher, a demonstration teacher with the Project Read program, and as a special education teacher in the areas of learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and developmental delay. She has served as national secretary for the Council for Behavior Disorders and on the board of the Minnesota Council for Exceptional Children. McGrath has written articles for educators, parents, caregivers, and the general public. In addition, she has authored/coauthored books on educational subjects. Currently McGrath works as a professional speaker, working with schools, parents, and organizations to reflect on and improve the quality of career relationships and life transitions. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and Toastmasters International. McGrath has a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in educational administration, with collateral work in organizational communication. She earned a master's degree in educational psychology.

Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. August: Looking Ahead to a New School Year 2. September: Building Team Rapport With Staff Through Consultation and Collaboration 3. October: Working Effectively With Parents 4. November: Writing and Applying Effective and Meaningful IEPs 5. December: Keeping Focused and Organized 6. January: Utilizing the Principles of Specialized Instruction 7. February: Maintaining Your Ideals Through Reflection and Action 8. March: Finding the Support and Strength You Need to Do Your Job 9. April: Working With Administrators and the Greater Community 10. May: Managing the Stress of Closing Out the School Year 11. June: Looking at the Big Picture: Viewing Your Career Long-term 12. July: Finding Summer Renewal