School Context

I currently teach at a private special education school in Fairfield, NJ.  The school is designed to assist students with language based disabilities.  The various disabilities that are present at this school include mild to severe learning disabilities, dyslexia, Aspergers syndrome, speech and hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and multiple disabilities.  Currently, I am the 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher.  In addition to that, I also teach a few decoding and vocabulary classes.  For the decoding classes, I use the Benchmark and Wilson Reading Systems.  The vocabulary students that I instruct work from the Steck-Vaughn Vocabulary Connections Series.  Next year, in addition to social studies, decoding, and vocabulary classes I will be teaching computer/technology classes one day a week.  There are approximately 50 students enrolled in my school.  Aside from two or three exceptions, all of the students are sent by their districts.  Two students are even from New York State.  The size of the classes are small, averaging three to five students per class, allowing them to receive instruction appropriate to the modifications required by their IEPs.  All students function below their typical grade level and all students receive a high dosage of decoding or vocabulary instruction since none of them can be classified as fluent readers. 

"Banyan School empowers students to believe in themselves and to develop the skills necessary to achieve success" (Banyan School Mission Statement).