Monday, August 24, 2009

Another face!


Just because he makes me happy!

anxiety

I go back to school on Wednesday. Which means I won't sleep for the next two nights, heck, I didn't sleep much last night :( I never sleep before school starts. Too many things to think about, too many new plans. I already have two meetings scheduled before the kids get back. I am sure they will be good meetings, but they always make me feel anxious. I have big plans to be better organized this year. I was better last year, so hopefully I can continue the trend. We have a new student, which means we have to stretch ourselves a little more thinly. Speaking of "thin", don't you think with the amount of running around I have to do in my class, I would lose weight? I never do though, sigh.

I have done lots of reading about other people's classrooms. I have applied for a grant for some new equipment, first time I have ever tried that.

I hope we have a good year.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Who wouldn't love this face?


Here is a picture of adorable grandson, Jackson. He just turned 9 months old last week and he is already walking! Mommy is in for a lot of work, lol. Nana gets to sit back and enjoy. Grandchildren are wonderful!

It's coming...

The new school year, I mean. A week from today I start making that long trek (one hour and 20 minutes, one way) to school. The kids don't start until after Labor Day and because of budget cut backs I don't have to take all those pre- school sessions which means I get to spend more time in my classroom (Yay!) I am very happy, though, that they (the county) have scheduled teaching sessions for para professionals, something really needed. My aides had a good time last year selecting which sessions they would be attending.

This year, just like every other year, I want to have a great year. I want my students to learn a lot and I want them to be healthy and happy. This year it looks like I will have the same two paras I had last year! That makes life so much easier when you don't have to train new personnel. Working in my classroom necessitates a very steep learning curve. First you have to learn how to deal with all of the physical/medical issues; g tubes, seizures, feeding, diaper changing, toilet training. Then you have to learn about behavioral issues particular to each child. We have one new student this year and I am looking forward to learning about him/her (not going to specify because of privacy issues) and he/she fits into the rest of the class. And then if you have never taught children with intellectual disabilities before, you need to learn effective practices for teaching children who learn in diffferent ways.

I have great plans for well, great plans, lol and organization, organization, organization :) We'll see how it goes this year, but I do have good intentions (yeah, I know "the road to *%$ # is paved with..)

Regardless, I love my job.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Continuing education....

Well, as I have said before (I think), I am taking an online class this summer on using technology in the classroom. Unfortunately, the class is going on right in the middle of my vacation (2 weeks in Florida, including the ASF conference). It's never fun to do "homework" while you are supposed to be on vacation, but this is the beauty of online learning, you can do the work when it's convenient for you.

This week we learned about streaming video and podcasts. As usual I am having to think outside the box in order to figure out how I am going to use these tools with my students. Since at this point, anyway, they are all non verbal, I don't think we are going to be able to do podcasts. And with streaming video most of the available video is not on a level appropriate for my students. I am thinking though, that making videos of my students for my students may be a valuable way for them to learn and relearn new skills. I am specifically thinking of when they are in the community, choosing food from a menu, picking groceries off of shelves and paying for items. This could also be a great way to learn social skills. Maybe I can use some of their peers to "act out"some of the social skills I would like my students to learn.

Thank goodness that like my students, teachers never stop learning!