"So You're Not Really Teaching..."

"So you're not really teaching..."--That is what someone said to me recently when talking with them about my teaching position as a Special Education Teacher for students with severe cognitive disabilities. I have been an early childhood education teacher for over 12 years and have my Master's Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. Over the past year I worked in a few Elementary Schools as a substitute teacher and Long Term Substitute for Special Education. This past summer I was hired to work as a Special Education Teacher in a somewhat self contained classroom with students with severe cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and other health impairments. The students I work with are truly amazing and make me smile every day. Honestly it's my dream job. However, when I recently was sharing my excitement about my new position with someone I've known for years, this person said to me "So you're not really teaching these students...". Needless to say I was beyond stunned. I was stunned because this is a person I've known for a long period of time, this person has worked with kids for many years, is a mother, and has children that receive special education services for their disabilities. I looked at this person and said "actually I am teaching these students, despite that they have a one to one aide." Then I stopped myself because I didn't want to get into a very heated discussion. However, since that day the comment has really been bothering me.

As a Special Education teacher I wear many hats. My job entails more than writing lesson plans, teaching my class, and correcting papers. Most people don't realize all that encompasses a Special Education Teacher/Case Managers job. I shouldn't feel as though I need to justify myself, but this isn't just for me, it's also for all the other Special Education teachers that are often not understood. For the past 3 days I have been working on putting together schedules for all my assistants and students. I've been making sure that all their needs are going to be met per their IEP's, and that they'll receive the education and services that they need, and that they will see the specialists to receive services. I have been collaborating with specialists and teachers through email. Special education teachers work very hard to make sure that they are not only "educating" their students when they work with them but they are also working tirelessly to make sure that they are receiving the best education they can. My students work very hard every day to learn skills that are more difficult for them to learn than a typically developing student. My students need specialized instruction from me as well as Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Behavior Specialists, General Education Teachers, Vision Specialists, AAC specialists, and the list goes on. As their Special Education Teacher I work with each of my students in small groups multiple times a day. However I need to schedule, collaborate, and coordinate my student's schedules to make sure they're also seeing and being taught by all the aforementioned specialists. This week I've been told by many classroom teachers that they admire what I do because of all that it entails, but they wouldn't want to do it. I don't only teach but collaborate each day with numerous people, make phone calls, and send emails. I don't only have to plan lessons for what I'm teaching my students but I also have to put together lessons for what my assistants are going to continue to work on and teach their students when they are in the general education classrooms with their students if the lessons can't be easily modified for the students understanding level.

As you can see I am quite heated by the comment that this person made and that she I'm sure didn't think twice about. However, to someone that has a passion for what they do, believes in their students, and worked extremely hard to get to this point, it was very thoughtless and heartless. I know many other Special Educators that have a deep passion for what they do. I also know many parents that have children with special needs that would probably have lost their mind hearing a comment like this. I do teach my students. I teach them math, reading, and writing through one on one instruction or in small groups. I teach them skills that help them adapt in their every day life as well as their general education classroom, I teach them functional skills, I teach children that have difficulty socializing how to play and work in groups with their peers. I teach children that are non-verbal how to communicate. I teach adults how to educate children that can't read, communicate, or follow simple directions because they've never taught a student like this before and are unsure how to. But wait...someone said I don't teach...

Children that grow up with a developmental delay, cognitive disability, speech impairment, hearing disability, health problems, intellectual disability, (and the list goes on)...struggle to learn. They need teachers as well as paraprofessionals that can bring the learning to their level to make sure they are understanding what is being taught and can learn in a way that their brain can process. Teachers that work with these students ARE TEACHING. Their teaching them more than math, reading, science, or social studies, but they're also teaching them how to navigate in an unforgiving world. They're teaching them how to socialize with their peers. They're teaching them skills that will help them later survive in the great big world. They're providing them with tools to get through their every day life, that is often a challenge. So please, when you are talking to a parent of a child with a disability, a teacher, or a professional that works with these students, please be mindful of what you say. Be aware of the words that you use, because you may say something that you don't realize is very offensive to a parent or teacher that has a deep passion for what they do, a love for their students/child, and has worked their butt off to get to where they are, or to get their child the services they need to be successful in their learning and throughout life."Teaching" isn't just academics, and even a general education teacher would say that to you. In today's world being a teacher, whether Special Education teacher or classroom teacher, is so much more. Teaching children with severe cognitive or behavioral disabilities encompasses so many facets. All I ask is that you keep an open and understanding mind.

~Mrs. L

Engaging Ways to Make Summer Reading Fun!

Well summer is in full swing! However, for teachers that means we worry about all the hard work that our students put in and that the dreaded "summer slide" will happen and they'll lose what they've worked so hard to gain during the school year. Today I'm going to share some tips with you so that you can help your child maintain their reading skills. This will not only help them with their reading, but it also helps them maintain skills in other academic areas. I know summer gets busy, but there are still ways that you can find time to read and have it be enjoyable! 

One fun way that you can get your child to want to pick up a book this summer is to start a reading challenge. Many schools will provide this for students over the summer months or provide you with information on where to find local reading challenges. If your child's school doesn't provide a summer reading program you could create your own summer reading log where you can track how many books your child reads. You may have an incentive or reward they earn at the end based on how many books they read. Here's two examples for you that I simply pulled from searching google. 

 

Another fabulous resource is your local libraries. Many town libraries will provide summer reading challenges that you can join. Stop in and see if they currently have any summer reading groups or challenges going. Most libraries are free to join and often offer other fun summer time activities and programs as well. 

Another way to engage your child in summer reading is the longest running summer reading program through your local Pizza Hut Restaurant. I remember when I was young doing Pizza Hut's summer reading challenge, which they've been providing for over 30 years to families, and it's still going strong today. Head over to your local Pizza Hut to enroll in their Book It Program. You can find more information here-http://www.bookitprogram.com/

Now I know it's not always easy to make time to sit with your child and read. Believe me I KNOW, with two busy boys of my own, summer camp, sports, and wanting to fit in fun activities during the warm summer months, it's difficult. So I'm also going to give you some tips on how to fit it in and keep your little one reading and finding fun adventures all around. 

As a teacher and lover of reading I have many fabulous books and learning activities at my fingertips, and I'm going to share those with you here today! Your child doesn't only have to read books to learn, yes you heard that right, there are many other fun and engaging ways that your child can stay active in their reading and building their literacy skills and logical thinking skills. Your child can use fun wipe clean activity sets to learn their letters, sight words, and engage in literacy activities. Check out these pictured below that you can find through amazon.com.

Click on picture to find this book and others like it!

One of my favorite activities for little ones on trips are word puzzles and logical thinking games. These are a great way to keep your little ones engaged on trips and when out and about this summer. With wipe clean markers they can complete mazes, puzzles, and draw pictures over and over! There are various options available in my store!  

Click on Picture to take you to amazon.com to find this book and others like it

 Lastly, it's always fun to get your little ones engaged in activities that can incorporate not only reading skills, but math and science skills as well. Cooking is a fun way to do this with your children. "Start To Cook" is a great way to get your child engaged in reading, math, and science while teaching them important life skills.

Click on Picture to find on amazon.com

 Reading is an important skill that doesn't have to be a tedious task, but a way for your child to stay engaged with you. Finding time to sit with your child, engage with them, and share with them in building their imagination is critical. It's proven that children that read with their parents do better in school and achieve more later on in life. Take this time this summer to enjoy fun adventures with them. Talk about the books they read with the. Share your favorite stories as a child. Build on your bond this summer. Much Love
~Mrs. L 

Cross The Finish Line

I recently walked into Books A Million to do some work and have a coffee; one of my favorite things to do that I don't get to enjoy much these days, so when I have the chance I relish in it. Well this time I happened to walk by an end cap to a book shelf and saw this book jump out at me. I often find some of my favorite books this way. This book is called "Love Out Loud: 365 Devotions for Loving God, Loving Yourself, and Loving Others" by Joyce Meyer. I picked it up right away and read the back. As I read the Bible verse I thought "I have to get this book". This is what it said "Jesus said, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your sould and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourelf. (Lucke 10:27)". It continues to go on and say "Many Christians get mixed up about what love really is. they know they shold love God and others, but don't understand that loving yourslf is one-third of God's equation. Instead, they mistakenly think of it as being selfish or egotistical. I often feel guilty when I take time for myself, even though my life is so filled with chaos most of the time. As a mother I feel that I often need to be doing for others, and feel I'm being selfish if I'm taking a few moments for myself. However, even got states in the Bible that we need to love and care for ourselves, then we are able to give more to others. 

Since I purchased this little book I've been taking time just about every day to read a page. Each page focuses on a daily task that you should focus on in the act of loving others and yourself. To focus on what God wants for his children. 

Today's devotion focused on the task of following through with your goals or plan that you start. To not give up in the difficult times, but to persevere through it. The bible verse states "But we do (strongly and earnestly) desire for each of you to show the same diligence and sincerity(all the way through) in realizing and enjoying full assurance and development of (your) hope until the end. -Hebrews 6:11

This hit home to me today, because I recently finished up my Master's Program after 4 years of long, hard, tiring work. I often felt like I wanted to give up. I often felt as though I wasn't going to make it through it. I had nights of exhaustion, frustration, and tears. As a Mother working full time this was a very difficult task to take on. However, it was a dream I knew that if I didn't accomplish I would regret it. I'd have been settling in my life, and that is something God does not want for any of us. He has big plans for us in our lifetime and wants us to do that work for him. I've always felt that being a teacher and working with children with Special Needs is my calling, and I was feeling incomplete not having achieved that yet. So I gave it everything I had. I often prayed to God to get me through those days when I wanted to just curl up and give up, however I persevered with his guidance.

During this time I was also working at getting my youngest son help with his struggles. Going to doctors appointments, IEP meetings, consultations and making phone calls. I often wondered how would I get through it all. But as I was reading this little page this morning and crossed this verse "Beginning something is easy, but finishing takes courage." It hit home...in the beginning of a new adventure there's excitement, our heart races, and we just want to conquer it right away, but nothing worth having is that easy. Those big accomplishments in life take hard work, sweat, tears, and grit. When the excitement wears off it's the real work and challenge comes. In God's mind we aren't successful if we abandon what He's called us to do. He wants us to finish and do it with JOY! You might lose interest in your journey as the excitment wears off, weather it's a new job, your education, or even your marriage and your children. There are many people that don't want to put the work in, that walk away and give up when the work gets hard. However those that achieve great success in these things are the ones that stick it through those difficult times and come out on the other side with the greatest rewards. 

Success doesn't always come in wealth and material things. Success comes in all colors. Success is what gives you Joy in life and the feet of accomplishing your goals however small or big they might be. As you go through today keep in mind these words from Joyce Meyer "God doesn't promise that finishing everything we start will be easy. In fact, most of the time things don't go smoothly because we need to learn the lessons that come from resolving problems. But we cannot let ourselves quit; we must rely on God's grace and keep moving toward the finish line until we cross it in victory. 

Today go with a grateful heart and think of what tasks you haven't finished and resolve to work hard to accomplish those today, not matter how big or small they may be xoxo 

Much Love

Which road are you going to take?

Hello everyone! I'm excited about starting up my blog again and sharing with you my story in hopes that something just might help someone out there. I know as a Mom I always look to other mothers to know that what I'm going through in my life is "normal" and that I'm not alone in my daily struggles with motherhood and life in general. We all face ups and downs throughout our journey here on earth and at times they can be very stressful. I wasn't ever sure if what I was sharing was helping or inspiring others, but since I've stopped writing in my blog and sharing so much on social media I've heard from others that they miss reading my blog posts as well as other daily posts; so here I am! I'm back :) 

So where have I been? Well at the end of August I started student teaching to finish up my Masters program at SNHU and to get my teaching certification. I have to say I was extremely busy and it didn't leave much time for anything else. The 16 weeks that I was student teaching was 16 of the most difficult weeks I've ever faced for many reasons; I'd say because I had to step so far outside of my comfort zone, however I have grown so much from the experience. This is what I want to share with you about today. 

As we go through life we are going to face many choices. We are going to face many crossroads and it can be a very difficult decision on which road to take. Many of us are afraid to step outside of our comfort zone and take the road that is going to challenge us; The road that is going to make us uncomfortable and force us to grow as a person. I will tell you, when I knew that student teaching was upon me I was the most nervous and anxious I've ever been. I was afraid I was going to fail at it. I was afraid I was going to make mistakes or not do well. This is something I've wanted for so long, but I was saying to myself "what if I can't do it?"..."what if I fail?"...With that mindset I was setting myself up for that failure because I wasn't thinking positively. I wasn't saying to myself "I can do this!". As I got more comfortable in my new environment and the people around me I wasn't afraid to take a risk and I started to have more confidence in myself. As my confidence grew so did my performance. As a result my mindset changed. When I finished the 16 weeks I could see how much I had grown, how much I learned, and how stepping so far out of my comfort zone changed me in such a positive way. 

There have been many times in my life that I've been nervous to take on a new adventure, whether it was going off to college for the first time, joining a sorority when I was in college, becoming a mother, speaking out for something I believe in, buying a home with my husband, trying out a new business venture, or going after something I want in life. Each new adventure is scary, however we have to tackle those things head on because when you do, you not only grow as a person but you could be making a difference in your life or even the life of someone else. Recently I've been fighting for my youngest son to help him face some of his own challenges in life. Another very difficult task I've encountered in my life. I've been scared, determined, and challenged through the journey. However, I know throughout it that I'm doing what's best for my son. I'll share more in my next blog post, but what I want to say is you might be afraid as you face new challenges, but follow through with all your heart, no matter what it is, because when you come out on the other side, you will be a new person. We are often afraid to take on a challenge because we don't want to fail and then look foolish in front of others. We are all so afraid of making a mistake, however if you never try you never know what was possible. Through the journey you will have grown. You will have made a difference in not only your life, but along the way you will have touched someone else as well. 

<3 Much Love <3 and *Smiles*