Special Education Leadership

School staff, administration and parents are consistently sitting around the table making decisions for a child. Problems are bound to arise, but nobody seems to have the solutions. That's when leadership is needed.
When I speak of leadership at an IEP table, I'm not talking about the person in charge of the meeting. No matter what your role on the team, parents and staff both can become leaders on the team.

1. Keep the focus on the child and worry about budgets, materials, and other constraints second. Limiting your creativity for solutions at the table is doing the child a disservice.
2. Listen and understand the other team member points of view. You should be able to take their ideas and your ideas to develop an even better idea.
3. Say "NO" to goals, objectives, services, supports, therapies, materials and anything else that is not important to the child's long-term success. Constant evaluation of the IEP is needed.
Remember, leaders are smart and strategic, not a bully with power and anger. Leaders keep the focus while acknowledging others and giving value to their ideas. With a focus of leadership for our children with special needs, the opportunities are endless.

Tips on Your Children to Be The Leaders of Tomorrow

Every parent wants his or her child to be successful in life. What many of us don't realize, is that God has already provided for them to be successful and great. God has created each one of our children for a unique purpose on this earth.
Overwhelmed? Our daily routine sometimes looks so chaotic that we can't imagine how we could ever achieve that.
Make reading the Bible and praying your number one priority, no matter how crazy your day is. God knows better than anyone what is good for your child. Learn to hear His voice. This is a guaranteed success formula for all areas of your life.
-Discover all the promises God has for your children in the Bible. If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, then you are in a Covenant relationship with God Himself. That is like having signed a lifelong contract with Him. And the promises are part of it.
Start with Isaiah 54: 13. "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children"
Phew, what a relief. (Isaiah 61:9)
Read these verses and burn them into your brain.Write them all over your house, or better still, memorize them. All of Gods promises are received by faith, and faith comes by constantly hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Next time you are exasperated about your dear daughter, or son, claim those verses and speak them over their lives. God is faithful, and He has never broken a promise.
Whether you like it or not, your children are watching you. It won't work. Rely on God to give you the grace, His divine and supernatural power, to change the weak spots in your life.
Spending time daily with the kindest person in the Universe will powerfully impact your life. It will automatically change you. You will notice that you will become wiser, more patient and more loving.

- Read biographies of great leaders together. Choose a good book. Cuddle up on your sofa and get inspired by the great achievements of other men and women throughout history.
Discussions about the book will arise very naturally. Let them talk and don't just impose your opinion. As you analyze the victories and failures of the hero, you can teach them how to apply Biblical wisdom to their own lives.
- Give them enough free time to pursue their own interests. This will allow them to develop their God-given talents in a very natural way. Don't clutter their day with unnecessary extracurricular activities. Just give them big blocks of free time to explore their own little world.
Oh yes, and restrict the classical time robbers and brain killers: the TV and computer games.

- Identify their talents and gifts. God is giving you a clue about his plan for your children's lives. Help them to develop their gifts and talents.This way you will inspire your child to love learning, and will ultimately develop their entrepreneurial skills.
Don't push them to achieve something they are not ready for. Children are so different, and you cannot treat all of them alike. Both of them have written a number of books, and they are constantly engaged in their own learning process, each one at his own level.

- Good leaders need good mentors. Be very picky with teachers. Whenever you are led to recur to a teacher other than yourself, provide your children with a good mentor. • An expert in his field.
• Be of high moral character.
• Have good communicating skills.
• Willing to share his secrets.

- A good leader has to be prepared to analyze and solve real life situations well. Share as much of your own life with your child. Don't be afraid to tell them about your mistakes. They will learn that adults make mistakes too, and that you can learn from them. This will help them to analyze and solve real life problems. It is also a great opportunity to teach them Biblical wisdom.
- Good leaders serve, bad leaders control. Teach your children to be generous. Don't bury them in toys, teach them to bless others instead. Probably one of the biggest mistakes well-meaning parents make in our consumer-oriented society is that of allowing their children to wallow in self-indulgence.
Teach them to share and to serve others. You can start at home by assigning them different tasks and chores. This is the best character training method there is. Watch their heart, don't just focus on outer obedience. Changes in attitude won't happen overnight, but they will get it.
-Have fun together and express your love to them. All parents love their children, but not all children feel loved by their parents. Invest your time in them.You will have their heart and they will always be willing to listen to you, even when they are grown ups.