RCS hires new special education teachers

As Rome City Schools educators head back on Monday, they’ll be joined by a cohort of newly hired special education teachers.

The group of 28 recently completed a week of intensive orientation dubbed the Special Education Rookie Retreat.

“We tried to design it so that there are different activities built in throughout the week that are not only fun for them as adults, but that they can use with their kids as well that build relationships, build community and build trust,” Director of Special Education Kriszti Kilpatrick said.

Beth Rushing is one of the school system’s “rookies.” A veteran educator, she said that ever since she shadowed a special education classroom in junior high, she’s felt a deep purpose, not only to work with exceptional students, but to embrace them, include them, and offer them patience and grace.

The RCS Special Education department is growing and Kilpatrick said it’s imperative teachers meet and maintain the department’s high standards. The school system begins serving children with disabilities as early as the age of 3, through grade 12.

“I want them to know what we expect and why we expect it,” she said. “This is all for the kids.”

The retreat week, she said, was all about “lighting that fire for our educators,” and ensuring they feel secure in their support systems.

“Being a first-year teacher is hard and change is hard when they’re coming from other districts,” she said. “This is about building community, but also about building their knowledge of what our expectations are.”

The retreat focused on special education law, policies and procedures, instruction, data collection, building relationships with colleagues, and working with general education teachers and therapists. Educators also got the chance to role-play the process of Individual Education Plan meetings,

“from

Being a first-year teacher is hard and change is hard when they’re coming other districts. This is about building community, but also about building their knowledge of what our expectations are.”

Kriszti Kilpatrick, director of special education for Rome City Schools

addressing what to do and what not to do.

“One thing that really stood out to me in just one day of training is how much of a family the RCS Special Education department is,” Rushing said. “I have never, in 21 years of teaching, felt so valued and important and really included.”

She said she came away from the retreat knowing that if there is a need for materials or programs in her classroom, the Special Education administrators will help.

“The administration doesn’t want only the students to be successful, but they want their

teachers to be successful as well,” Rushing said. “I am so excited for the journey ahead.”

Rome City Schools Rome City Schools held a week-long orientation for new special education teachers covering the district’s policies, procedures and best practices.

Rome City Schools RCS Special Education Rookie Retreat covered special education law, policies and procedures, instruction, data collection, building relationships with colleagues, and working with general education teachers and therapists.

Rome City Schools Kriszti Kilpatrick, director of special education for Rome City Schools, said the recent Special Education Rookie Retreat was all about “lighting that fire for our educators,” and ensuring they feel secure in their support systems.