Hello, readers, friends, colleagues, and everyone else!

This week's newsletter for Special Education Today has some good news and some sad news...sigh. On the whole it's good. You readers can make your own assessments on the Good-Sad Scale (the GSS—teehee) but let's get to it.

I'll follow the usual structure: (a) an updated status report for the site and the newsletter, (b) a table of contents for the past week, and (c) some personal opinion at the end. I presume that the vast majority of readers will recognize the organization.

1. Status update for Special Education Today: There was a decline in the number of e-mail subscribers this week. We lost four and gained two free subscribers. I don't know whether I did something to drive people away (lots of possibilities?) or subscribers bailed because they had other agendae. Why would folks quit subscriptions to SET?

2. Still, SET has well more than 500 subscribers and who will be able to read any comments you drop on posts. Comment! Let others know what you’re thinking.

I really appreciate the paying subscribers who are helping sustain the operation. To mention just a few: Jean C., Vicki W., and, (especially) Michael G. These generous people help make SET available to others locally and around the world. Thank you.

Share

Flashes of the electrons

Many readers interacted with the site and posts this past week. Thank you!

I am not sure that I am reporting the records accurately. Still, I appreciate contributions over the last week from Clay K., Dan H., Jane B., Karen M., Angelique W., Michael N., and (especially) Michael G. Y'all are really helping make SET be a community by dropping comments. It's great that you are not “lurkers.” Grins!

Thanks, too, to the many folks who dropped "likes" (hearts or whatever your interface calls them). It's great to see growth in the confirmations.

This week’s ToC

I was in camera range of many wonderful speducators the last week of February 2023, so there were many posts this week that featured photos of friends. In ddtion to content-focsed notes, there were pictures of my pals and me at the convention of the Council for Exceptional Children. Maybe those posts are the reason that people unsubscribed?

Well, so be it. It is as it is...Here's the list of recent posts:

• The previous newsletter

• Gary Hornby regarding evidence-based practices:—What does the professor have to say about instructional practices

• Science, research, special education: Part 2: Goals—How do we learn stuff about stuff, the world?

• Photos from CEC ‘23 1: Chow, Talbott, Cumming,

• Photos from CEC ‘23: 2—E. Talbott, W. Therrien, & JT Taylor

• Photos from CEC ‘23: 3—How about a selfie with Renee Bradley & me?

• Photos from CEC ‘23: 4 —M. Yell (r-to-l), M. Friend, D. Bateman, & me

• Photos from CEC ‘23: 5—Where’s it at [“louisville”]?

• Photos from CEC ‘23: 6—Isn’t it great to connect with international guests?

• Judith Huemann, powerful advocate, died 4 March 2023—Why walk when you can fly?

• Photos from CEC ‘23: 8—How about B. Cook and me?

Commentary

To me, the big news this week is pretty simple: Judy Heuman, passed away. I wish comfort and joy to her family and friends.

I regret that she and I never got a chance to talk about our views regarding oportunity, access, and instruction, I appreciate her efforts to promote civil rrights for indivduals with disabilities. I am glad to have lived in the same era as she did, and to have benefitted from her campaigns for opprtunity for people with disabilities.

As always, and in memory of Judy Heumann, please take care. Wear seatbelts. Use masks as needed. Be kind to those who seem to do inconsiderate or stupid things. And, of course, teach you children well.

John

SET Editor

Charlottesville, VA, US

SET should not be confused with a product with the same name that is published by the Council for Exceptional Children. SET predated CEC’s publication by decades. Despite my appreciation for CEC, this product is not designed to promote that organization.