This week was so much better than the first week. I am definitely feeling more comfortable and I feel like I am able to do more. The first couple days of this week I was still doing a lot of observing, because last week was short and this week was short also. On Tuesday of this week, we received a new student. I kind of took over as her aide for the week. Unlike most of our students, she is ambulatory. She is also a heavy drooler. This provides a great challenge when feeding her. Sue and I were talking to the O.T. Sue M. and we were wondering what she was capable of with feeding. When Sue M. came in for O.T. on Friday, she did a chew test and kinda observed her. The student didn't really chew with her teeth, but with her tongue and Sue M. thought that she would be capable of feeding herself. Problem being, I don't think anybody ever made her feed herself, so I was going to have to teach her. The thing that I have learned with this student is that she has the capabilities to do things on her own, but nobody has every made her do things herself or taught her how. This was my challenge for the next few weeks. It makes me sad to see that she is not as dependent as she could be because people did not take the time to teach her how to be independent. Your goal as an educator is to give your students as many tools as possible to learn and grow to be an independent individual. Even though my students might not grow up to be independent like you or I, why not let them be as independent as they possibly can?
I also had the privilege of going swimming on Wednesday. This is great therapy for my students who are very stiff. It's a lot of work getting them ready and into the pool, but it is so worth it! Most of my students love it and it's fun because you get to see them interact in an environment where gravity is not keeping them from doing things like walking or moving their legs/arms. We stretch them out and try to work on moving the muscles that rarely get used. The warm water and warm environment is a good therapeutic thing for them even without the other stuff. As fun as it is, it isn't playtime. You have to constantly be watching your student and making sure that they are safe. With certain students, water can only go up to a specific level on their body or they will throw up. There are a lot of sensory things going on that you need to watch for.
Word for the semester- Flexibility. Wow, is that going to be an important word to embrace. I know that teachers in general have to be flexible, but teachers in the special education field have to be more so. You never know where the day is going to take you. There are so many things that could change the way the rest of the day will flow. Sick students, seizures, aides being missing, related services not showing up, something runs longer than planned, a parent visit, and IEP... The list goes on. I feel as though we encounter something everyday that puts the day a little bit off. I'm learning a lot about being flexible and coming up with things off the top of my head. Sue had me jump in a few times for morning circle this week when a visitor came to the classroom that she needed to talk to. Put me in front of 20 kids and I'm not scared. Put me in front of 8 kids and 5 aides and I'm very intimidated. Adults are scary! But my aides are very kind and supportive, so it's not as scary anymore.
Sue and I have been talking a lot about organizational stuff. I know it's been really hard for her this year. Her room staff is continuously leaving and they get so many subs, people don't know what they're supposed to do, things get done twice, or not done at all. We also feel that certain students would benefit from being with a different aid. We came up with a solution, we hope! Sue made up cards for each student for morning and afternoon. There are instructions specific to each student on the card. We have Velcroed them to the wall and we have also velcroed the names of the aides. We will switch the aides with the students every few days or so. This is also great for having a sub. Then we can swap who gets who and give the sub a student that is a little less involved and there will be specific instructions on the card. We plan on putting this up sometime next week and hopefully give it a try.
I really feel like I am growing here. It's a whole new way of teaching and you can't just stand up there and talk. You really really have to get the students involved and do tactile things with them. For my students who are blind, you have to make it auditory, and for my students who are deaf you have to make sure there is a visual. Sitting through IEP meetings is also teaching me a lot. They're not as scary as I made them out to be in my head. It's a great experience to see how they work and how they're run.
What an interesting week! I’m glad you were part of the process to determine whether this student could feed herself. It is interesting that the OT will need to teach her how to feed herself.
ReplyDeleteYou made an insightful point when you said, “The thing that I have learned with this student is that she has the capabilities to do things on her own, but nobody has ever made her do things herself or taught her how.” I’m glad you are up for this challenge.
I’m glad you are able to go swimming with your students. I found it interesting that “certain students, water can only go up to a specific level on their body or they will throw up.” I’ve never heard of that before.
I’m glad you are learning how important it is to be flexible. You are learning the importance of having reliable staff in the room.
It seems as if you are being stretched in new ways and learning a lot. I’m glad that you are able to sit in on IEP meetings. I’m sure they are valuable experiences. Can you tell some of the things you are learning?
Have a good week.
Prof. Meyer