April 21, 2006

EvergreenTeacher of the Month

Sandrine LeGrand

Evergreen Elementary teacher puts her special education students on the map

By Michelle Hecht
Staff Writer

As a child, Sandrine LeGrand knew she wanted to teach special education.

She remembers growing up in France and witnessing the exclusion of disabled children from mainstream life. She barely saw her own severely disabled cousin – who she recalls as very intelligent – because he was in an institution most of the time.

“It’s so much different from Europe, where they still put them in an institution,” said 29-year-old LeGrand. “They still do that. They really exclude those kids.”

After receiving her baccalaureate in history and English at La Sorbonne in Paris, she continued her education at San Jose State University in 1998. Completing a bachelor’s degree in child development with a credential in special education, she soon decided to stay in the Bay Area.

“I really loved that in California they really try to include those kids,” said LeGrand.

While doing her student teaching in the San Jose Unified School District, she worked with a fourth, fifth and sixth-grade special education teacher who inspired her.

“She was doing this for 20 years and she still loved it. She was so outgoing and working so hard for her kids,” said LeGrand.

LeGrand soon got the chance to work hard for her own students, obtaining her current position at Evergreen Elementary School in December 2003 as a fourth, fifth and sixth-grade special education teacher.

Evergreen Elementary School teacher Sandrine LeGrand works to involve her fourth, fifth and sixth-grade special education students in the school and community. Photo by Michelle Hecht

Striving for full inclusion of her students, she initiated classroom projects to get them involved with mainstream classes.

She approached an Evergreen Elementary fifth-grade teacher about merging her special education class with the fifth-grade to do art projects together. With a supportive principal who LeGrand said also believes in full inclusion, they soon began a combined art class.

Madhuri Jagadeesh, whose son is a fifth-grader in LeGrand’s class, appreciates the work she does mainstreaming her son. She also praises LeGrand for helping her son blossom.

“My son is participating in his homework and very happy to go to school everyday,” said Jagadeesh. “He’s become very responsible. He wants to make Mrs. LeGrand happy. He’s attached to her and at the same time he really respects her as a teacher.”

LeGrand’s students also take field trips with other classes, including a recent visit to the Tech Museum’s IMAX Theater in downtown San Jose with the school’s fourth-grade class.

Wanting to take her students a step beyond the regular classroom routine this year, she initiated a service learning project, enabling them to become even more involved with school and connect with the community, as well.

“I wanted to do something with my kids to teach them about something more than just doing math and reading and writing,” said LeGrand.

She began by listing different ideas on the board, including recycling and donations for children affected by Hurricane Katrina. The class eventually voted on creating school supply kits for children in Iraq through the organization Operation Iraqi Children (OIC).

After contacting OIC, her students began working toward their goal of 30 kits. They first wrote stores asking for donations, but were unable to obtain the help they needed. Fortunately, they drummed up support from the school and parents, who gave supplies.

“I thought it was a good idea for her to think of the kids in Iraq. I thought that was very special,” said Jagadeesh.

The students created boxes to place in front of the school, which they would then check for supplies every day before and after class. They also approached the principal and wrote a letter to put in the newsletter. At the same time, they regularly went around to each classroom asking students for donations, such as pencils, paper, scissors and rulers.

All the while, LeGrand took the opportunity to teach her class about the country and its culture. Most of her students did not know Iraq’s location, said LeGrand, so she covered the basics. She also read an article about the war.

“It’s such a tough topic with anybody and especially my kids, they don’t have that level of understanding,” said LeGrand. “So we talked about how it makes you feel ... I didn’t go into politics at all. I didn’t think it was my place.”

She also helped students put in perspective the differences between Iraq and the United States. Such was the case when they asked what Iraqi children watch on TV and she explained that many didn’t have a television set.

According to LeGrand, an article she read about Iraqi students writing in the sand with their hands especially struck the class. They were amazed the children did not even have paper.

Her students discussed the project itself every Friday, sharing their thoughts and brainstorming any changes to make it better. One week, they realized they didn’t have enough erasers, so LeGrand asked what they could do and they decided to revisit each class.

Once they collected enough supplies, LeGrand formed stations in the classroom to assemble the kits, one for inserting paper, another for pencils and glue and so forth. After completing the kits, she created an additional station to check if all the packages were okay.

“Working in groups is really hard for them, so we work on this,” said LeGrand, explaining that many of her students’ disabilities involve social skills.

After a month and a half, the class completed 56 kits, exceeding their initial goal. They are currently writing letters to the Iraqi children as a final step.

“They really enjoyed it. Everybody was so proud. At the end, the kids were really happy about it,” said LeGrand.

Her students, pleased about the connection they formed with other classes during the project, tell her how everybody says hi to them at school now.

“I really wanted my kids to be put on the map a little bit at my school. I wanted them to just feel that everybody is aware of us and we can do some good stuff,” said LeGrand.

Her students have more to look forward to before the school year is over. In May, they will join a fourth, fifth and sixth-grade special education class from KR Smith Elementary School for a third annual Olympic-style competition. A big event for the children, they train hard to beat the other class, said LeGrand.

Parents are invited to a barbecue as they watch students participate in such activities as an egg race and a jumping jacks contest. The students then play a game of baseball.

At the end of the day, they are awarded prizes, have ice cream and throw water balloons.

“My kids are just wonderful, they’re so bright, they work so hard and they have to face so many challenges so young,” said LeGrand.

It’s this dedication and understanding of her students that Jagadeesh also appreciates, which is why she and her son nominated LeGrand as the Evergreen Times Teach of the Month.

“I really have felt so comfortable knowing that whatever she does for him is right ... it’s a good relief,” she said. “I know my son is in good hands with her.”

LeGrand plans to continue her work in special education. Currently working towards a master’s degree in educational administration at San Jose State, she hopes to get involved with the administration aspect of special education. In order to help the students even more, she would like to look at different regulations and contribute to the decision making.

She would also like to teach special education in other grades.

“Special education has always been my big passion,” said LeGrand. “I love being a special ed teacher. I really enjoy it every day. It’s such a great life.”