End of the Year Closing In...Wow

I apologize up front for my inconsistent blogging. It is so relaxing and enjoyable to sit down and actually take a minute to express how I'm feeling through writing. But to actually remember to sit down....that's another story. 

Wow! I can't believe I only have 5 weeks of teaching left until I can honestly say, I have successfully completed my first year of teaching in a 5th grade resource room & with middle school students at the Truancy Academy. 

When I was younger, right before I graduated from high school, an older friend of mine said, "Hey, slow down, once you get out of high school, life speeds by." I laughed this comment off, thinking "YEAH RIGHT!! Schooling takes FOREVER!." 

Looking back now, I am 25 years old, have completed 6 years of college & earned my Special Education Teaching Certificate, traveled to South Africa, completed my first year of teaching and all I have to show for the many memories of my life up to now are certificates and pictures that spark those lost memories that are unfortunately forgotten during the fast paced bustling life I lead.

I'll admit the end of the year is conjuring up a bit of stress within this body of mine, however, I have so many amazing team members and colleagues that I know I am not alone. The assessments, paperwork, collaboration & meetings, etc. are all meant to make us more effective in teaching. 

So let's talk about my students. I am going to be an emotional wreck when my kiddos walk out the door on June 8th. They are the most fabulous group of unique, creative kiddos a first year teacher could only imagine to have. They have grown not only academically but also socially in the past 9 months. These 5th graders will soon be moving on, heading to middle school. I pray for them the ability to laugh off gossip that is not truthful, the opportunity to stick up for others who are being treated in negative ways, and for them to continue to be motivated and passionate about learning & life. I pray for my Truancy kiddos to head back to their home districts with a new found confidence in their academic and social skills.

Teaching is all about igniting that fire within each student. I believe my job is to teach students WHY it is important to build a foundation in elementary and middle school that will carry them through high school and life. 

Although the CCSS and criteria for students to earn their diploma is becoming more intense, with an internal drive, I do believe students can achieve amazing things. Students with severe learning disabilities, students with emotional impairments, students with speech and language impairments, hearing impairments, etc. We do not teach a cookie cutter population. This means though, we as teachers, MUST step it up. We must differentiate their instruction. We must HELP students to understand WHY it is important to really "get" geometry, or algebra. Creativity is key. 

And I pray someday when I have children of my own, the teachers will take the time to ignite that spark with my own little ones instead of putting it out. Education equals success in a "more difficult than ever to get a job" economy. 

I am excited to end this year on a positive note, spend some time learning about myself and my love for teaching through professional development in Belize, and start out next year all the wiser with a kick to my step. 

Thanks to everyone who continuously supports me on my journey to figure out my educational philosophy and ......my life goals =) 

Love,

Miss P

My first few months of teaching....

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Hello my friends,

I sure have not been keeping up on my blog lately. I have been so immersed and over my head with teaching my students, paperwork, scheduling, learning goals and "I can" statements....that I barely have time to breathe! Thanks to all my wonderful colleagues who have helped me on my adventure and my amazing mother.

I would like to write about my first few months in the classroom. The last time I blogged in September, I was definitely aware of the things I will do differently in the next year in regards to taking my time to set up students schedules instead of jumping right into working with students.

I have learned so much since September...and I feel like I understand my students so much better. It definitely takes a good month or so to build relationships with students and gain their trust. Now I feel like I am able to try some more creative teaching techniques with my students since we have our expectations set up. I have seen great gains and growth with some students, however, it is also frustrating to see students who have absolutely no support from their homes progress with a much slower pace due to factors out of their control.

I have been blessed to work with 5th grade students as well as middle school students with special needs. The IEP's are definitely a source of frustration at some points, because the way I see it, these are so very important and the basic "game plan" for the teachers to use to get these kiddos back in the general education classes (always our goal). I think this will get easier with time and experience.

Technology has been amazing in my district! My classroom has a mimeo board, lady bug and a clicker system that I am just trying out. I am finding some other wonderful sources such as bookshare.org (you can get a membership if you are an individual with a disability or if you teach individuals with disabilities...for free) where you download free books! I even downloaded "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" for one of my students, and the books are read aloud! I am trying this out with one of my students who is almost illiterate and it has given him a sense of independence and he is very proud when he writes his reader's response after reading a chapter. Thanks to a wonderful colleague, Wendy, I will be trying voice-thread, so he can record his responses online as well! 

Within the past three months I have really realized the importance for students to feel proud of their work and have just started having them graph their progress with their goals. I also took pictures of them doing "on task" things such as using their multiplication charts to solve story problems, highlighting important information, etc....and I put them on our goal chart with "I can" statements. "I can use a highlighter to solve story problems." They seem proud of this, and I will refer to this throughout our lessons as an "appropriate behavior" example. 

All in all...I've learned the following.....

• Inappropriate behaviors in the general education setting are set at zero tolerance, not at all like my self-contained EI experience....
• When there is an issue, take the student into the hall and sit cross-legged-style on the floor. May sound crazy, but it sure makes the kids calm and you don't feel as threatening them. Works for elementary.
• Experienced teachers are the best source of information. 
• Take what you can from professional development and make it fit into your classroom and educational philosophy.
• My spark and love for those crazy kiddos is what will get me through years and years of teaching.
• Masking tape on the floor DOES keep students in their area, sometimes.
• When you need a breather....let the kids know. They will respond well.....be honest with them.
• SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS!!!
• It is almost impossible to leave school before 5:30pm each night.
• Let the students see you make mistakes. This makes you REAL to them!!
• Get those kiddos up and moving. They need to be involved.
• We all learn differently. Some of us NEED a white board and marker to solve math problems. White paper and lead is not always enough.
• Most behavior problems come from boredom, frustration or the teacher’s lack of classroom management! I see this in my classroom….
• When you don't know, ASK!!
• Social Skills are SO IMPORTANT!!

Resource Room Savers!!

Wow,

What would I have done without amazing mentor teachers, friends and my mother the last few weeks? I realized how many ideas I have stolen from the wonderful teachers in my life (you all know who you are). I was always told...never re-invent anything if it's already been made! 

This is very true. I was able to structure my resource room according to supplemental & reinforcing reading, math, spelling and writing activities I have seen during my past teaching experiences. My resource room is an instructional room where I provide the instruction. Students do not bring outside work from their general education classes. 

The programs I will be using are as follows:

• Everyday Math
• Leveled Literacy Intervention
• Discovery Reading
• Lexia
• Read Naturally
• Spelling & Journal.

I will let you all know the benefits of these programs in more detail as soon as I become more fluent in them. They all have great components, and they are used school-wide.

I really think the main advice I would give to myself a month ago would be "DON'T RUSH TO SCHEDULE STUDENTS THE FIRST WEEK." I rushed! Instead, give yourself some time to view the general education teacher's schedules, review your student's IEP's and hours they need to be serviced for special education services, and write up all their goals and put them on a poster in your room so it is very easy for you to progress monitor constantly. Take time to breathe.

Goals should be evaluated each month and you can make it easier on yourself by having the goals visible throughout the room. The students being aware of their goals also puts responsibility/accountability on them which is a necessary attribute to have, especially if you will need accommodations provided for you in different settings throughout your academic career.

I have also found the importance of structure and teaching a routine in the resource room setting. I am using a token economy, and the students are responding well to this. Students can earn money according to their behavior in class.

I implemented a whole group earning system where students must exhibit positive behaviors to earn a water drop to put inside the pail on the bulletin board. When this pail is full, the students will earn a class pizza party! I want to teach these 5th graders the importance of team-work.

So far, so good. If you have any ideas for me, PLEASE, let me know. I love sharing ideas!!


Miss P

Great website for Math Skills K-8th grade!!

This is a great website that includes free math skills practice for children ages K-8th grade! You can use the "Math Practice" area to practice math skills with your kiddos or students at anytime for FREE. The website provides state standards as well! This comes in very handy...especially since school districts are very vocal about aligning all content taught with state standards, for all teachers, even special education teachers. If you know your child or student needs to work on a specific area in math, it is easy to navigate through the practice section to find the perfect fit.

The practice section allows the children to complete the math problems on the computer which increases motivation and makes learning fun! We know how our kids in the 21st century adore technology!

Parents---You can join the website for $79 per year and receive more benefits and access to more activities and updates on your child's progress. 

Teachers---there is also a membership available for $199 that gives all your students access to the comprehensive math activities, keeps track of student progress and allows you as a teacher to set goals according to the areas that your student needs more remediation in. 

I am going to use this website as a resource during my first year of teaching!
 
I'll keep you updated as to how useful the site proves itself to be. If it is, I may think about signing up for a teacher membership!! 

Check it out....

http://www.ixl.com/math/grades

I can't get enough of......OLIVIA!

From the first moment I caught a glimpse of the cover of the "Olivia" series by Ian Falconer....(a small diva pig with big dreams and personality)... I fell in love instantly! This series not only encompasses humor for children, but also makes us step back as adults to remember the creativity and HUGE dreams of our little ones. 

I totally recommend having these books in your lower elementary classrooms as I believe they are fun for all children and will motivate your students to read, read, read!! These books are very entertaining and great read-aloud stories. You'll never guess what Olivia will get into next....and her confidence is contagious!

Olivia's Website--Click here to check her out!

Relaxation Centers in the Classroom

Our students with special needs, along with students within the general education population, deal with multiple stresses that impact their daily performance in an academic setting. With this said, often when a teacher sees a student who is not working to their potential, the first response is to criticize the student and tell them if they do not perform, there will be a consequence of some sort that follows. 

Instead of denying the stress our students deal with in the 21st century, let's try to incorporate activities into our classroom that decrease this stress. I know I would have benefited from these practices throughout my entire public school career. I was a high anxiety child and often had stomachaches that sent me to the office, and eventually home. If a child is sent home, they are missing out on social and academic learning opportunities that are so critical for a child!

In an attempt to find some easy resources for teachers to turn to for ideas on relaxation centers, I came across a great article:

Reading Rockets

Here are a few ideas that one could incorporate into their relaxation center, which by the way, should not be confused with a sensory area.The relaxation center is meant for the student to come to and be calm.The student will take part in some activities that allow the mind to release the thoughts that are causing anxiety at that particular time.

Relaxation centers

To assure that stress management will not be shelved and simply discussed once a year, a relaxation center can be set up, to which students can be assigned regularly (two to three times per week). A chart indicating the time each student spends at the center may be useful. Designate a small area, relatively free from sound and noise distractions. A study carrel with a comfortable chair should be provided. Decorate the immediate area with calm colors and soothing pictures or wallpaper designs. A cassette player with earphones will be needed. A collection of relaxation audio cassettes should be housed, as should biofeedback equipment if possible.

The special education classroom may be the only place where these children will be equipped with stress management skills which will become increasingly more important as the pressures to achieve academically increase.

(Some information from article "Stress Management for the Learning Disabled" by Ronald L. Rubenzer 1988).

Response to Intervention--Behavioral Model

After attending the MATCEI (Michigan Association of Teachers of Children with Emotional Impairment) conference in April, I was fortunate enough to learn a great detail about RTI from a behavioral model stand point. 

Let's give all students data based intervention for their behaviors and THEN...for the students who don't respond to that school-wide positive behavior support system, we will look at the function of their behaviors and see what we can do as teachers to increase their positive, appropriate behaviors through more data based interventions. 

I am sure I have mentioned the "Safe and Civil Schools" by Randy Sprick, but I wanted to mention that even if the school you teach at does not implement Randy's program, it would benefit your students to take a look at the positive behavior management system from the RTI standpoint! 

Here is the website, please visit for more information:

http://www.safeandcivilschools.com/