Best Day in Education

 I have been teaching for 36 years, 31 of those at my current position. I teach students with Intellectual Disabilities and Multiple Disabilities at the high school level. With all the changes in education over the years, particularly changes in the amount of inclusive settings my students are in throughout the day, one thing has remained constant; the need for and my love of teaching FUNCTIONAL skills. No matter what I teach, I want to make sure that it is something that the students will be able to use when they are adults; practical life skills and employability skills that they will be able to carry with them throughout their adulthood. I teach skills such as reading recipes and food labels, listening skills, how to operate the buttons and dials on an oven, setting timers, reading a thermometer, manners, hygiene, food safety, etc. Throughout the school year, the students work on individual food prep but our big event of the year and everyone's BEST DAY in EDUCATION is without a doubt the Thanksgiving Feast. What leads up to this day is taking an inventory of what we already have, each student contributing one food item such as a packet of gravy, a trip to the grocery store to buy whatever items we still need, making a schedule for food prep, gathering recipes, etc. The few days before the event are dedicated to baking desserts and other food prep. This large event is shared with another special education classroom; dividing up the duties. We then invite administrators, some of our favorite staff, and of course peer buddies. We have cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner with multiple sides and desserts. It turns out to be a great time of the students feeling a sense of accomplishment and well as being thrilled to share their knowledge with so many other staff and students.