Biggest Challenges Faced By A Learning Specialist At California Middle School
Dan, a Learning Specialist, identifies the biggest challenge as discerning which student needs to address personally versus referring to other specialists; the key is knowing "which challenges do I take on," understanding their role is part of a team, not a "superhero" tackling every issue alone.
Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Communication, Overcoming Challenges, Stress Management
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Dan McCauley
Learning Specialist
California Middle School
New York University, 2017
Relay Graduate School of Education, Masters in the Art of Teaching
Education
Education
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Former Foster Youth, Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Prioritizing challenges and knowing your limits as a Learning Specialist is crucial. It's about understanding which issues you can directly address and when to collaborate with other professionals like counselors or administrators.
2. Effective teamwork and collaboration are essential. Learning Specialists are part of a larger support system and should leverage the expertise of others (counselors, administrators, operations team) to best serve students.
3. The role demands a balance between direct student support and systemic problem-solving. Addressing individual student needs while also identifying and addressing school-wide issues is key.
Transcript
What is the biggest challenge that you face in your role as a resource specialist?
The biggest challenge is knowing that the term "superhero" gets thrown around a lot, but we are not superheroes. The biggest challenge for me is understanding which challenges to take on.
I want to do everything for a child. It's knowing what challenges I can take on. So, if a student says he's hungry, I need to make sure I'm not trying to take on that challenge myself.
Instead, I'll talk to our operations team to ensure that even if Johnny is a little late, he's served breakfast. If a student is going through a socio-emotional challenge that I'm not equipped to help with, outside of small conversations or mentorship, I need to understand that our school counselor is professionally developed to support a student's long-term socio-emotional health.
Of course, I'm part of that team, but I'm not the superhero. I'm not here to put everything on my shoulders, and there are a team of people highly qualified to help the student at all times. If it's a school-wide need, I'm not trying to be the superhero of that either, but I will call in our school administrators to ensure this is a team effort.
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