Why, hello there!
I am seriously honored (well, and maybe a little surprised) that you are reading this - my FIRST entry! I am really excited to dive into the world of teacher blogging (also, your computer is working fine - my links are not currently working, but I thought I'd post anyways :) Stay tuned for the official reveal of the blog SOON!). Honestly, I need it. The life of a teacher in general is exhausting, and in my role as a special educator of children with severe disabilities, I often feel like I am on an island. I am confident that blogging will not only be a GREAT outlet for me, but will allow me to share my knowledge with people who might actually use it, and to learn from and collaborate with so many other educators!
What about me as a teacher? Well, I am in my 5th year of teaching children with severe disabilities, and I LOVE IT. My kids are absolutely exhausting little people with complex minds, lives, and needs, but despite the chaos, I love what I am able to get paid for each day. This summer I completed my master's degree in Special Education and gained my LBS II certificate, where I specialized in teaching children with severe and multiple disabilities. I currently teach kiddos in K-2 grade and have 9 students across a huge spectrum. I have students working at grade level in some subjects, while some of my students are working at below a preschool level. My students have disability labels of Autism, Down Syndrome, Fragile X, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Delay, Epilepsy, Small Gut Syndrome, aaaaand more. I am not your typical type-A, uber-organized, overly prepared teacher. Do I wish I was? YES. Have I attempted to be? More than I'd like to admit. But, though I'd like this to be true of me, it's not - and I'm realizing that it's okay. My students learn, they make progress, I can (usually) find everything my assistants and I need, and my classroom definitely has that "lived in" feel to it ;) I am by no means the perfect teacher, and I have also learned that it's healthy to admit that. I sometimes lose my cool and need to take a "break time" for MYSELF so that I don't end up arguing with a six year old. I pack chocolates in my lunch so that I have something sweet to look forward to - EVERY. DAY. I occasionally create a lesson and realize that the iPad we were going to use has 2% battery. I work in an inner-city school where resources and materials are scarce, so none of my rugs match and some of our furniture has GOT to be at least 40 years old. So needless to say, my blog is not going to be a highlight reel of my career and my classroom, but I hope that my transparency will make my adventures relateable, real, and overall, helpful in some regard. Through my experiences that I literally could not make up if I tried (you all know what I mean), I have created some really fun tasks, learned some on-the-fly adaptations that have changed my teaching, and have tried just about every intervention in the book. I can't wait to share it all with you.
And, if you made it this far, I linked up with Farley for my November Currently :)
I am seriously honored (well, and maybe a little surprised) that you are reading this - my FIRST entry! I am really excited to dive into the world of teacher blogging (also, your computer is working fine - my links are not currently working, but I thought I'd post anyways :) Stay tuned for the official reveal of the blog SOON!). Honestly, I need it. The life of a teacher in general is exhausting, and in my role as a special educator of children with severe disabilities, I often feel like I am on an island. I am confident that blogging will not only be a GREAT outlet for me, but will allow me to share my knowledge with people who might actually use it, and to learn from and collaborate with so many other educators!
What about me as a teacher? Well, I am in my 5th year of teaching children with severe disabilities, and I LOVE IT. My kids are absolutely exhausting little people with complex minds, lives, and needs, but despite the chaos, I love what I am able to get paid for each day. This summer I completed my master's degree in Special Education and gained my LBS II certificate, where I specialized in teaching children with severe and multiple disabilities. I currently teach kiddos in K-2 grade and have 9 students across a huge spectrum. I have students working at grade level in some subjects, while some of my students are working at below a preschool level. My students have disability labels of Autism, Down Syndrome, Fragile X, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Delay, Epilepsy, Small Gut Syndrome, aaaaand more. I am not your typical type-A, uber-organized, overly prepared teacher. Do I wish I was? YES. Have I attempted to be? More than I'd like to admit. But, though I'd like this to be true of me, it's not - and I'm realizing that it's okay. My students learn, they make progress, I can (usually) find everything my assistants and I need, and my classroom definitely has that "lived in" feel to it ;) I am by no means the perfect teacher, and I have also learned that it's healthy to admit that. I sometimes lose my cool and need to take a "break time" for MYSELF so that I don't end up arguing with a six year old. I pack chocolates in my lunch so that I have something sweet to look forward to - EVERY. DAY. I occasionally create a lesson and realize that the iPad we were going to use has 2% battery. I work in an inner-city school where resources and materials are scarce, so none of my rugs match and some of our furniture has GOT to be at least 40 years old. So needless to say, my blog is not going to be a highlight reel of my career and my classroom, but I hope that my transparency will make my adventures relateable, real, and overall, helpful in some regard. Through my experiences that I literally could not make up if I tried (you all know what I mean), I have created some really fun tasks, learned some on-the-fly adaptations that have changed my teaching, and have tried just about every intervention in the book. I can't wait to share it all with you.
And, if you made it this far, I linked up with Farley for my November Currently :)
Listening... My boyfriend is watching Nik Wallenda walk a tight rope across the Chicago River on the Discovery Channel. This is giving me more anxiety than I need on a Sunday night!
Loving... I have 2 prep periods on Mondays and it seriously makes the week so much smoother. More time to set up everything for the week? Yes, please!
Thinking... An epic wedding weekend is upon us! I am headed to Kansas City this weekend to celebrate the wedding of one of my oldest friends. I can't wait!
Needing... Nik Wallenda to make it - I can't handle it!
Reading... The book of James - an amazing book of the Bible that eases my mind.
I just found your blog through the workbasket Wednesday linky. I teach students with emotional disorders in a self contained classroom. I can totally relate to your equipment being old and not reliable! My student tables wobble, the computers are from the 90's and depending where we sit in the room, we may or may not have internet! I am very interested in workbasket tasks, I'm following you on Tpt and pinterest, too!
ReplyDeleteTeaching Special Kids
Aw thanks so much! It's weirdly comforting to know I'm
Deletenot alone! I look forward to reading your blog - thanks for following me!