Circo Bean Bag Chair

Circo Bean Bag Chair (clipped to polyvore.com)

Blog Post 8

The most important thing that I have learning during my Field work experience is...THAT I CAN 100% SAY I WANT TO TEACH! I still question my abilities daily and constantly overwhelm myself with thoughts of how will I handle certain situations. I always have wondered if I have chosen the right career, but I am positive now that this is what I want to do. I may be considered selfish for finding this to be the most important thing I have learned. I think that hands down students deserve a teacher who wants to be there and who wants help them succeed no matter the circumstance over a teacher who really doesn't want to be there, but was too afraid to turn around and search for a whole new career. Am I scared? YES! Will I ever succeed without trying? NO! I don't know all the answers and I probably never will, I look forward to learning from experience, and I pray that my students and parents  the first couple of years are very forgiving and patient to my imperfections. I look forward to the chance to implement my newfound knowledge and to hopefully become a role model for my students. As a new mom I am overjoyed as I watch my little one learn new skills and perfect them and I know that joy will carry on with my students as I watch learn new things and be able to fine tune them.

Blog Entry 7

One of the things that I have noticed during my field work is that there are no posted class rules in my classroom, but I also have to be reminded that it's special ed. and each child in a sense needs their own set of rules based on their learning requirements. Also because they require specific learning, they are placed with Ms. K year after year. Unlike most general ed. students who come in for 9 months and then leave, Ms. K's students come back each year, so she does not have to teach a new set of students the class rules each year. They know what Ms. K requires of them and they know what she will not accept from them.
One of the big things I have noticed in all successful classrooms is consistency. For my field work, I have stuck with Tuesdays and Thursdays....again to keep with consistency. Every Tuesday, when I am there our schedule begins with one on one time. While some kids are with aids working on reading, math, or may be in inclusion, other are watching a video awaiting their turn. Next is time to run, Kay has the student run laps on the play ground to help get their wiggles out, get some fresh air, wake them up and get their blood pumping. We then come in and do class meeting where we go over the days of the week, the day of the month, the weather, the pledge of allegiance, how many days we have been in school etc. After class meeting is recess and then comes Library. After the library the kids then have a very structured plan of getting packed up and ready to go home. Because the kids all have IEP's they all require that specific instruction and organization and consistency is key to helping them learn the most.

Blog Entry 6

When working with Special Needs kids, it is probably obvious that you will be working with all types of personalities and learning modalities. I have learned this semester that a child's personality does affect the way the they learn. When using strategies to actively engage the children, you have to know the ways in which the children learn. In my time spent in my classroom so far I have noticed that different strategies take place every day. The main activity that we do daily is our class meeting where we discuss the days of the week, the weather, how many days we have been in school, any upcoming holidays etc. For each part of class meeting there are usually 3 or more counter parts.

1. Repetition: When discussing the days of the week, we first start with the teacher or class leader telling the day of the week it is, what yesterday was and what tomorrow will be. They then respond with "Please say it with me" and they now repeat it as a group. 2. Song or dance: Once the verbal has been completed we now physically or musically engage them, or sometimes both. We have a song called "jump down, turn around" The kids stand and while physically Jumping and turning around they sing the day of the week it is and date of the month. 3: Visual: Once 1 and 2 are completed we will then do some sort of visual activity like hiding the straws the resemble the number of days we have been in school or hiding the cards that state the days of week. This also teaches the kids mental math because after each item has been found, we respond with "there were 8 straws, 2 have been found, there are 6 left to find".

When we are participating in class meeting, everyone participates. If there is so much as one child that is not talking, singing etc. We stop and start over and we keep doing that until EVERYONE participates. Often times Ms. Kay will offer rewards to those who are participating in hopes to encourage those who are not.

Blog Post #5

Teachers play so many roles in their career. They often have 30 or more students at a time and they each have their own learning styles and personalities that must be accommodated. Looking back at my own Elementary School days, I pondered the characteristics that my favorite teachers had what had the biggest impact on me. I had teachers that when a student felt behind or was struggling with the curriculum, rather than work with them and accommodate them, they would just have them transferred to another class. I had other teachers went above and beyond providing activities and assignments that were both fun and challenging.
Overall though the roll that I think is the most important is the role of a "Friend". Often times I felt intimidated by certain teachers and was afraid to ask for help. I feel that if a teacher makes her main goal being a friend to the students they will respect her, love her and hopefully be more willing to open up to her. When the relationship between a student and teacher is comfortable, I think you are more able to understand the students learning needs and if they are having difficulties, hopefully they will be easier for the teacher to notice and the child will be more comfortable to approach the teacher to ask for help. I also feel that the relationship between the student and teacher helps create a stronger relationship between the teacher and parent and again will help keep communication open and honest.

Blog Entry 4

Tues Oct 1 (10:00-11:30), Thurs Oct 3 (12:30-3:00), Wed Oct 9 (12:30-3:00)

Lately I have been able to work more one on one with the students and have been given more responsibilities in preparing projects and activities for the kids now that I am familiar with the workroom at the School. Because it is Special Ed. each student is on a different learning level. Kay takes advantage of their love of holidays and special occasions. I have been preparing many Halloween packets for the kids to teach them different things such as the lifestyle of a bat. She also put me to work filing all of her lesson plans for late summer and early fall and preparing all of her Halloween/Autumn and Thanksgiving plans and activities. She is also having me assemble IEP packets for some of the kids as well once she has filled them out to have them ready for their IEP meetings.

For my one on one work with the kids I have been able to give spelling tests, work with some of the students on their math and improving their "Number Sense" skills. I have been reading with them and working on specific sight words and keeping track of any mistakes they make so they know what words they need to work on. I have been dealing with money and change as well as motor skills with some of the more physically disabled students. I love that the kids are becoming more comfortable with me and that I am feeling more comfortable with teaching as well as disciplining them. They are beginning to realize that I am not there just to have fun. That I am there to learn and to be respected. I am beginning to think that I can teach and be successful at it.

Blog Entry 3

Tuesday Sept 24, 2013 (12:30- 3:00)

Today was a special day because we celebrated one of the students birthdays. I remembered back in my elementary school days when it was your birthday. Usually you would bring in some sort of treat...store brought because they no longer allowed homemade treats. You would pass them out to the class, you would maybe get sung happy birthday and you just got to feel special for most of the day. That is not the case in Ms. Kay's class. You get a FULL BLOWN birthday party, complete with Balloons at your desk a present from each child, aid and teacher, birthday cake and birthday songs. She makes these kids feel like they are the most important person in the world. They all got so excited to give their gift and watch it be opened. It was the best.

Thursday Sept 26, 2013 (12:30-3:00)

Today I was once again able to spend some one on one time with the kids. In relation to the IDEA law, each child in this class has an IEP. I've noticed each day that I have been there that posted on the cupboard doors behind Ms. Kay's desk is a daily schedule for each child broken down to each half hour that they are at school. Some might spend some time in inclusion, other times the whole class will go to group speech and other times one child will be fed their lunch while another does physical activities. A couple might be watching a video, while some are working on sight words with an aid. Each child has an individual folder with project and activities specific to their learning needs. This is not a class where everyone is taught together, everything is geared to each child's individual needs, right down to the time that they eat lunch. It's amazing how structured everything is. I was able to work on assembling some projects for some of the children's work folders and was able to get a good idea of the curriculum they are working on. I was also able to work on some physical exercises with one of the children who has Cerebral Palsy. I am still amazed at the mental capacity that these kids have. They truly are incredible kids who continue to surprise me everyday with their capabilities.