SERTainly In The Know

Ever heard of a SERT? I hadn't before I arrived at my placement school. SERT stands for special education resource teacher. These are teachers that will work with students with exceptionalities, students on individual education plans (IEPs) and with teachers who need assistance in creating differentiated lesson plans. I spent the day with the intermediate SERT who takes care of students in grades 6, 7 and 8. The woman I was with was absolutely incredible. She was welcoming and immediately made me apart of her day. She took time to answer any and all of my questions (and there were many!), gave me an overview of what SERTs do and took me through a day in the life of her job.

What blew me away was learning about the different resources and assistive technology that students have access to for all kinds of needs. In this school iPads are used for students in grade 5 and below for several reasons. If a student needed assisted reading or a scribe they can use applications on the iPad to assist their learning. In grades 6 and above students have access to chrome books in which students can work with online tools to assist their learning. Some students struggle in writing and putting their thoughts to paper. Sometimes, the ability to type and use corrective spelling tools can help them communicate what they know while removing the barrier of having to manually write it out. 

At one point in our day we did classroom drop ins where we checked on students that may need assistance. Specifically, I met two boys who have severe autism and who are currently in regular grade 8 classes. Often, parents will choose to put their children in a life skills programs but, in the case of these two boys, their parents opted to keep them in regular classes. My mentor SERT explained to me that all students have the right to participate in core education and it is our job to ensure they get what they need to develop through their learning. In the case of these two boys, they had modified curriculum expectations and evaluation methods. This inclusive approach stems from Growing Success which is a policy document we learned about in our assessment course. This document emphasizes that educational programs should be designed to accommodate needs and facilitate a child's growth and development. Using resources like the ones photographed above, a SERT helps to design these accommodations and support both parents and teachers in creating an equal and successful learning environment for all students.

Learning about SERTs and what an incredible resource they can be for teachers and students alike made me thankful for their service. These teachers are extremely busy and care deeply about their students. They do a special job removing barriers and making the classroom a place where all students can get equal opportunity to learn. They advocate on behalf of students and ensure that they get the tools and technology they need to be successful. I left with a deep appreciation for SERTs and I even got to thinking that I might be interested in doing that one day. My first day was enlightening and exciting and I can't wait to see what the next week brings!