Shawn:
Has been having difficulty off and on. One day he was just off all morning. I even emailed the parents early in the day. Turns out it was the first time they have forgotten to give him his medicine. They quickly came and the day went better.
He missed his second assembly. Him and 6 other students. After numerous warnings the kids just wouldn't stop their inappropriate behavior. Needless to say, Shawn had a major meltdown over the incident. Michelle and Toby were also part of the seven. Michelle put soap, along with another girl, all over the bathroom walls. Shawn seems to enjoy getting in trouble and he often smiles when I am talking to him about his behavior. He is always trying to push the boundaries. I need to think about how to help him.
Michelle:
She had about a 2 week window of constant misbehavior. She was always behind in her work and constantly off-task. Her parents asked for a meeting and we discussed lots of options. The parents are working on her diet. I put a basket under her feet because they don't reach the ground. This has helped her be more stable. I also set up picture cards for her to following when she gets to school in the morning. This has helped. I also moved her desk to its own location at the front of the room. She gets a lot more done now and it usually doesn't take her as long to get read for the day in the morning.
She also has been using a weighted lap cushion.
Toby:
He has really been struggling lately. It is so much better than before, but it still seems to be constant moving from him. He also hasn't been getting his work done. Toby has a classmate that he can't stay away from. They are constantly being mischievous and together. It is driving me crazy.
I wish I could figure out how to help these kids. I just get frustrated. Making a plan with Michelle's parents sure helped. We use recess as a carrot so often, but these kids need their recess more than anyone. I have used it a couple of times, but I don't want to do it all the time.
I have been playing music more in class and that has helped.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Yes, I have started a countdown!
Only 70 days left in the school year. This has been a hard year and honestly, after 15 years of teaching, I am questioning my choice of profession. It is not just the extremely hard class I have this year. It is the new teacher evaluation system coming, 3 new components of literacy curriculums in 2 years after just 4 years with new math curriculum. Then there are those few parents who like to make your life miserable, new common core standards, new principal of 2 years, & an intern. That doesn't include all the technology responsibilities I have as the Technology Resource Teacher. We also lost our computer lab teacher so we hired a new one at the beginning of the year. Then he quit right before deployment. We finally hired a new person, but that was 3 days this year away from my class to conduct interviews. It's a contract year, so the bargaining surveys have already begun. This all knowing that because of the reduced number of students in the area, a school has to be closed when they reconfigure the district from a jr. high system to a middle school system. My school is one with low numbers. I suppose that doesn't include the fact that I am suppose to teach.
Thankfully I love my staff, the parent support is amazing, my principal is a great person, and I have some lovely kids in my class.
On to SPD:
I met with Michelle's parents this week to get some new ideas. She has been talking ALL the time. They are actually quite thankful because before she couldn't process information in a way that could get anything out. Now that she has learned to put her thoughts into communication, she won't stop. She also hasn't been sleeping because she has a terrible cough and with the sensory issues, that cough is too much stimulation. Mom was also out of town for about a week. I found that a weighted lap pad helps, even though sometimes she likes to wear it on her head. I put 2 thick therapy rubber bands I got from "SchoolMoves" on her chair and she liked kicking those, but sometimes she would do it and make too much noise. Her parents suggested a block of wood under her feet. Brilliant, I was trying to figure out how to get a shorter chair for her. Seriously? We also said I counted for transition with her because she is TERRIBLE at transitions. I pulled her color card the first time she didn't make it because she just stared at me. The next time she was laying under her chair and wouldn't get up. I counted very quickly and she was in her seat immediately.
Thankfully I love my staff, the parent support is amazing, my principal is a great person, and I have some lovely kids in my class.
On to SPD:
I met with Michelle's parents this week to get some new ideas. She has been talking ALL the time. They are actually quite thankful because before she couldn't process information in a way that could get anything out. Now that she has learned to put her thoughts into communication, she won't stop. She also hasn't been sleeping because she has a terrible cough and with the sensory issues, that cough is too much stimulation. Mom was also out of town for about a week. I found that a weighted lap pad helps, even though sometimes she likes to wear it on her head. I put 2 thick therapy rubber bands I got from "SchoolMoves" on her chair and she liked kicking those, but sometimes she would do it and make too much noise. Her parents suggested a block of wood under her feet. Brilliant, I was trying to figure out how to get a shorter chair for her. Seriously? We also said I counted for transition with her because she is TERRIBLE at transitions. I pulled her color card the first time she didn't make it because she just stared at me. The next time she was laying under her chair and wouldn't get up. I counted very quickly and she was in her seat immediately.
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