The Princess Teacher

Birthday in Preschool Land

2012-02-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday. I've always loved birthdays. I firmly believe everyone should have a big deal made of them on their birthday. I have never expected this to occur at school though! Yes people always wished me a happy birthday, the occasional person would give me a card, but today was completely different.

My fabulous EAs in my morning class took it upon themselves to throw me a mini-party during class! They brought in cupcakes (with pink icing of course), had the kids all sign a card for me, they bought me a present & everyone sang "Happy Birthday". It was so sweet! I almost choked up. I have never felt so loved & appreciated at school before, it was downright touching. What a fabulous day!

And I think I might still be on a sugar buzz from those cupcakes! ;)

Turning a Woops into an A-Ha!

2012-01-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

This baby brain is causing some uncommon crinkles in my typical school day. ;) Normally I'm super organized & prepared, but in the last few months I forget things often & feel a little confused at times. Today was no exception. I arrived at my afternoon class with only half of what I needed for the planned craft. We're learning about animals & were going to paint stripes on zebras by rolling marbles in paint in trays. I had the zebras, I had the paint, I had no marbles, I had no trays. Last minute rethink! I was really beating myself up for foolishly forgetting yet another simple thing & decided to just pull out thin paint brushes & have the kids paint the stripes by hand. I sat down with the first 5 kids, demonstrated what we were doing & watched them happily paint their zebras with perfect stripes. The next batch of kids came & my mistake turned into a very happy accident. I discovered that three of my students could not successfully motor plan how to make controlled lines. No matter how many times I demonstrated or hand-over-hand helped them, they could not do it. If I had not forgotten those materials I would still be assuming this was a basic skill all my kids had, now I know what I need to work on & am making plans for focusing on this skill for those 3 kids. Who knew such a silly mistake could result in something so important?

Come to Your Senses

2012-01-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

Anyone who works with young children will (or at least should) know, that when you want them to really remember something you have to engage as many of their senses as possible. This is even more important for students with sensory processing disorders and/or various special needs.

So every day I make sure we have at least

2 activities that are purposely designed to

be multi

-sensory. I thought I would take a moment to share a few of my "greatest sensory hits" with you.

Freeze your paint before you fingerpaint

. That's right. Freeze it. Try putting it into popsicle makers so kids have the option of holding onto the stick. Or just freeze into ice cube trays and pop them out on the paper. I often add glitter for a little texture. This works really well during a winter theme if you freeze white paint & call it "snow".

Bring the weather indoors. Is it fall? Then

fill an under-the-bed plastic bin with leave

s & pinecones & bring it indoors to dig through.

Winter? Fill it with snow & sand toys for winter fu

n inside where it's warm. My kids are always totally blown away when I bring snow inside to play with. So cute!

Move past sand & water. They aren't your parents se

nsory bins anymore! Be creative. Sand & water tables are great, but jazz it up sometimes. Try dry rice & beans (you can easily dye them with vinegar & food colouring), shaving foam is always a hit (but very messy), fill a tub with pom poms or marbles. Doing a construction/transportation theme? Fill a bin with small rocks & put diggers & bulldozers in. What a giant bin of buttons? Use your imagination, the kids will love it!

Use those scraps. We all have them. Bits & pieces, odds

& ends from other crafts & activities that we refuse to throw out, cuz, well we're teachers & we don't through anything out! So put them to use! Make mult-sensory collages out of scrap ribbon, fabric, foam stickers & pom poms. Create a masterpiece where each piece is made from a different texture (see my Sense-ational Snowmen below) like sand paper, felt, foam and cl

oth. Lay out several objects & let kids use crayons & paper to do rubbings & explore what each texture looks like on paper. You've held onto it for years, now put it to good use.

Get cooking. I cannot say enough about how important it is to cook & bake with young children. It teaches them all those things you're worried about them learning. Following directions. Waiting. Pre-math (counting, measuring). Vocabulary. Hygiene & healthy eating. Safety in the kitchen. Plus, it engages all the senses. Kids love to cook & bake. So let them! A few tips. Start off with no-heat recipes that simply require kids to assemble ingredients in a certain order. Snack mixes are good for this, as are various sandwiches. When adding ingredients slow down & let them explore. Have them guess what the ingredient is. Let them smell it & talk about it. Let them taste a small amount (yes, a fingerfull of flour won't hurt them) & discusswhat it tastes like. This will also help with not eating out of the bowl while you are mixing. Have anti-bacterial handwipes ready for the inevitable times they will pick their nose, etc while cooking. Enforcing handwashing every time they do something unsanitary while preparing food is important. Try having colour coded measuring utensils so kids can be more independent. "We need 2 blue scoops." is an easier direction to follow than "We need 2 tablespoons." Have a visual timer for when food is baking, this makes the waiting much easier to bear.

A Welcome Update!

2012-01-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

It's been quite the week. Winter hit with a vengeance and so did a cold I'm trying valiantly to fight off. On Wednesday it actually hit -48 Celcius with the wind chill. Buses were cancelled, almost no kids came to school. My nephew's grade two class across the hall from me had 6 kids in it. It. Was. Brutal.

So on Thursday it was a welcome surprise to get an update on a former student. My little J from last year (a boy with Autism I had in my class for 2 years) moved on to a separate school division so I hadn't heard a single thing about how he was adjusting. So imagine my delight when I ran into his mom in the hallway Thursday morning!

She told me he was doing well, he recently worked his way up to attending full day, full week school which is wonderful. He did get away from his class early in the year (he's a runner and QUICK) but he never made it out of the school, so that's pretty good!

He did however cause some excitement the day before (the coldest day all winter). He pulled the fire alarm and evacuated the school. In -48.

Now that's the J I know and love. ;)

Ring Around the Rosie.

2012-01-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

A little girl in my afternoon class who has Autism was having a rough day on Monday. We were playing in the gym & she was extremely upset so one of my EAs distracted her by playing Ring Around the Rosie. Over & over again. As she began enjoying it & calming down she started verbalizing things like, "Whee, fun! Fall down, crash!" etc.

Until, I guess the fun got too much & she exclaimed, "Holy crap, this is fun!"

A Few Windows into Our World.

2012-01-13T18:41:00.001-08:00

One of my amazing EAs blowing bubbles with two of my cuties. It's always amazing how bubbles make them SO happy!

Our little one with Cerebral Palsy (who is quadriplegic) was having "tummy time" today. With no prompting at all another little boy plopped down beside her & began to play with her. Eventually the two of the them were side by side on their tummies while he pressed buttons on her musical toy & then showed it to her so she could see the lights flashing. :)

Yet More Snippets...

2012-01-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

Before I share another snippet from sweet little C, I need to explain that one of my EAs is very petite. I mean, very petite. We have Jr. High students in our school & she regularly gets mistaken for one. :)

So we're in the Sky Lounge (our indoor playspace) & one little guy with Autism crawls into this caterpillar tunnel we have (from Toys R Us). My EA crawls in to play a game of peek-a-boo with him, cuz, well, she can fit in there! Even before I got pregnant there was no way my 5ft 9in self would squeeze in there.

C peeks into the tunnel to see one of her teachers in there & starts giggling. She looks over at me & says, "*giggle* My teacher is so little! I told my sister Hailey one of my teachers is real little but she didn't believe me. *giggle"

In my afternoon class is one of my favs, A. He's a sweet little guy, but man is that kid hairy! It sounds mean, but seriously, he's full blooded Italian and hairy! His back, arms, legs, etc. which is kinda surprising on a 4 yr old.

So yesterday we were in the gym & I was doing a quick count to see if everyone had arrived yet, "Oh, A isn't here yet." I commented.

One sweet little guy looks around, "Oh yeah. A isn't here. Where is that furry little dude?"

Not ashamed to say I almost fell on the floor laughing. Wait, my EA did fall on the floor laughing. Yes, same EA so I guess she didn't have that far to fall.

Back to Reality.

2012-01-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Well today was the first day back after Christmas Holidays. I always dread this week. The kids have spent the last two weeks eating sweets, going to bed late, being over-excited & just generally having little to no routine or structure during Holiday craziness. This translates into absolute mayhem & meltdowns the first week back at school. They "forget" the routines & rules. They "forget" how to share, how to put toys back on the shelf, even how to take off their own boots. The week back after Christmas is always worse than September. Kids who haven't been aggressive since the beginning of the school year relapse. Kids who never have full blown meltdowns are on the floor of the hallway screaming.

I still remember this week 2 years ago, I thought it was going to kill me & my aides. I shudder every time I think about making it through that week.

So needless to say I went to bed apprehensive & in all honesty, kinda dreading today.

Well surprise, surprise, it went well!

The kids seemed genuinely happy to be back. They were excited about the "same old" toys again. They were very happy to see their friends. It was a busy but good day. A couple of my tougher students even did exceptionally well. I was shocked but I refuse to question it to much. I choose instead to be immensely grateful & hope against hope it sets the tone for the rest of the week. It was the pleasant surprise I needed to energize me for the second half of the school year.

Well, provided the other shoe doesn't drop tomorrow. ;)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T15:07:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from Preschool Land! :)

It's All About Context...

2011-12-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

In my morning class is a sweet little guy with Autism, I. He is just the happiest, funniest kid with Autism I've ever met. Despite being mostly non-verbal (he has distinctive noises he makes & occasionally will parrot a word we use) he definitely communicates what he wants through eye contact & body language. Plus he's a snuggler, which I love!

Today was PJ Day at school as it was the last day before Christmas Holidays. We were having popcorn for snack before sitting down to watch a short Mickey Mouse movie and I was requesting away, as usual, using his PECS (small pictures he gives us to tell us what he wants).

He decided he was thirsty & reached for his Juice pec. The velcro was really sticky & he was having a tough time pulling it off his book when, clear as a bell, he muttered,

"Aww, sh*t!"

My EA & I immediately locked eyes. "Did he just say...?"

We almost fell off our chairs laughing. Yes, it was inappropriate. No, a three year old shouldn't know that word. But know what, we were so proud! He used it in the right context!

The rest of the day I bragged to other staff about what I said. Yeah, it was also a funny story, but he used a two word phrase, spontaneously & in the appropriate context!

I've never been so happy to hear someone swear before.

More Snippets...

2011-12-09T06:13:00.000-08:00

There's a particularly sweet little girl in my morning class, C, whose family is going through a very rough time right now. As a result she's often emotional and displaying classic physical symptoms of anxiety. Yesterday, however, she seemed much more relaxed and happy than usual, so great to see! So we had a chance for some fun little convos:

C: You're so funny, Mrs. R.

Me: I'm funny? What do I do that is funny?

C: You say funny things.

Me: What funny things?

C: "Be careful on the stairs so you don't trip!"

*Apparently safety tips are now "funny"!*

We were sitting at the table colouring together when out of the blue she announced with a sigh, "I just don't understand Chinese boys."

I was completely baffled what she might mean as we do not have anyone of Chinese descent in our classroom (other ethnicities, yes).

I asked her to repeat what she said to make sure I heard it right. I did. So I probed further.

Me: What do you mean, honey? What don't you understand?

C: Well they just talk in funny other words. I just don't understand.

*lightbulb*

Me: Oh! It IS hard to understand other languages, isn't it?

c: *big sigh again* Yeah.

Have I mentioned I love this kid? ;)

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

So we set up our trees in my classes this week. There was a few days of panic where I thought one of my classes wouldn't get a tree this year (I've never had to have TWO Christmas trees for school before). Thankfully one of the secretaries at one school stepped up & lent us a tree for the month! :)

Then it was just a mad scramble to find enough unbreakable ornaments for two trees! ;)

But it all worked out and the trees look great. The kids had SO much fun decorating them (as they do every year). It always makes me giggle to see the trees 3/4 decorated since they can't reach the top. So sweet!

I always love seeing how (particularly) the students with Autism love the tree. Every year my Autistic students will lay under it, looking up at the lights, walk around the tree for ages, rearrange the ornaments, etc. I remember being little and spending hours just staring at the tree daydreaming.

P.S. I apologize that part of this post appears to be underlined. I can't seem to fix it! I'm not exactly a techie!

Tony Stark?

2011-11-28T19:47:00.000-08:00

So this post isn't about my classroom kids, but one of my nephews instead. Still so cute I had to share it!

My hubby & I were babysitting our two nephews, 6 & 7 years old, on Saturday night. It was lots of fun. Besides the epic Nerf battle that broke out between the three of them, one hilarious thing happened.

I literally just walked through the door when the 6 year old comes running towards me,

"Auntie Manda! Auntie Manda! I want you to name your baby Tony Stark! Will you? Will you really name your baby Tony Stark in real life, Auntie Manda?"

*I should explain here my husband & I are expecting our miracle baby in May*

This went on all night. And I mean ALL night.

Every five minutes.

"But will you for real name your baby Tony Stark? Wouldn't that be cool, Auntie Manda if your baby grew up to be Iron Man? Are you going to name your baby Tony Stark? If I had a boy I would name him Tony Stark. Your baby could be Iron Man, Auntie Manda."

After about an hour & a half of this I sought to get him on a different track with, what if it's a girl baby?

No problem, he had the solution for that too, Padme (from Star Wars).

Well I guess that's settled then! ;)

More Snippets...

2011-11-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

I was in the bathroom with the girls washing my hands.

D looked over at me & gave me an unusual compliment,

"You're a good hand washer."

Walking down the hallway to the classroom with a few little ones when N excitedly started pointing at the classroom door,

"I found it! I found it! I found Missa Awr! Dere it is!"

This one's not about me, but D insists on calling my one EA, Kirsten, Mister Kirsten! Makes me giggle every time.

Every little girl in my afternoon class is in love with one little boy, M. I don't blame them, he's super cute & SOO sweet. We did a scooter board relay race in gym today & we encourage them to cheer for their friends. Well when it was M's turn they ALL cheered, "Go M! Go M!" over & over again, regardless of what team they were on.

The best part though, is even when M's turn was over & two completely different students were racing they all continued to cheer for M!

Last Post Addition

2011-11-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

I attempted to post these pics on my last post but it didn't work. So here they are now!

We played a game where we measured ocean animals with Goldfish crackers, them counted them & ate them! Yum!

And yes, we had a pool in the classroom. With water. On the carpet.

Trust me, it's better on carpet than lino! Wet lino = broken limbs!

The kids had a blast!

Beach Day!

2011-11-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

It was ironic that our Beach Day in my afternoon class fell on the day after our first big blizzard of the year. But that just meant we all needed it that much more!

Where do I live?

2011-11-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

I was chatting with one little girl while waiting for her foster mom to pick her up this morning. We were talking about how we both were tired & I wanted a nap.
L: Where's your bed? (looking around the room like she's expecting it to be behind my desk)
Me: At my house.
*pause*
L: Then....why, why, why (she has a stutter) are you a teacher?
Me: Because I come to school in the daytime & go home to my house at nighttime.
*blank stare*

It always makes me giggle how shocked they are to find out I don't live at school. :)

Fall Fun!

2011-10-31T20:43:00.001-07:00

I love this activity! Take a screwdriver & punch some holes in a pumpkin. Then let kids makes silly faces with Mr. Potato Head pieces! Always a hit!

Another great pumpkin activity. Have kids guess what is inside a pumpkin. When each has guessed, open it up & let them feel/scoop around inside. So fun!

Yes, I was a fairy on Costume Day.

Fingerprint pumpkin painting. Great sensory & fine motor!

Why, You Ask?

2011-10-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

Many people don't see the point of putting severely disabled children in a 'regular' classroom. I have one such student. She is a quadriplegic, has a seizure disorder and Cerebral Palsy. She can't speak in any way, she is just starting to eat baby food for the first time, she can can't control her head or arm movements or move her legs at all. She requires complete support & help for everything. So why put her in a classroom where she can do nothing?

Because she can do something amazing.

She can teach my kids that people who are different are people too. She can teach them compassion & empathy. She can teach them to be kind, accepting & loving of others, regardless of what they can or can't do.

Still not convinced she's a valuable addition to a classroom?

One of my kids asked her mom if she could bring treats to school for her friends for our party on Friday. Her mom said sure & they went shopping to buy some candy for her classmates. At this point my student (remember, she's not even 4 yet) remembered her friend M can't eat candy because she drinks from a bottle at snacktime. So she asked her mom if they could buy her a toy because she knew she could hold a toy. So they bought her a stuffed pumpkin.

Not ashamed to say I cried on Friday.

That is the value of inclusion.

Technologically Savvy!

2011-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

So our visual timer broke the other day (well, actually it was broken BY someone, but that's another story). So this afternoon we were desperate for a visual timer so I grabbed my iphone because, there's an app for that!

It worked great and I was about to put my phone away when A (the little guy with the Buzz Lightyear obsession) spotted it.

He put his hand on my arm, looked me in the face and said (clear as day)

"Missa Awr, I pay Angy Birds?"

It was awesome.

A Few Pics

2011-10-20T17:46:00.001-07:00

I know you're not supposed to have favourites,

but A stole my heart when he was in my class

last year & I was so excited to be his teacher

again this year! He's showing me his favourite

book here. Every day he tells me the same story,

"Missa Awr! Buzz...Woody...Buzz fall...crash!"

I love these blocks, they have coloured plastic in

the centre of them. It's so fun to watch the kids

discover what happens when you hold them

up to your eyes & look around! A few of them built

this beautiful wall.

Amatuer Paleontologists

2011-10-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Playing at the playground with my class yesterday and one of the little girls tripped over a tree root.

All three little girls from my class crowded around the root together and were staring at it quite intently. I wandered over to see what they were doing.

Girl 1: We found a dinosaur bone!

Me: Cool! I wonder what kind of dinosaur it was.

Girl 2: It was a black dinosaur.

Me: Oh.

Girl 2: Yeah. It killed itself.

Me: *pause* How do you know that?

Girl 2: It fell and dropped its bone and died here! That's why we found the bone.

Seems logical to me.

Sick as a Dog

2011-10-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

So once again I'm sick. This is a pretty regular occurrence when you work in Early Ed.

By the afternoon today I sounded & felt totally awful. I could barely talk my nose was so stuffed up & my throat was so sore.

So I'm sitting at the craft table with 4 of my little ones and H looks at me with a funny expression on her face.

H: You sound all snuffawy (snuffly).

Me: I know I do. I have a cold.

H: A cold?! You shouldn't be here!

Amen, sister. Amen.

Don' Cha Wish Your Girlfriend...

2011-09-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

I overheard two moms of my students chatting yesterday about how their boys were liking school so far, etc.

L's mom asked A's mom if he had any favourite friends yet that he talked about at home.

A's mom, paused for a moment and slowly answered, "No...but yesterday his grandma did ask him jokingly if he had a girlfriend at school yet. He got all red faced and shy and stared at his feet for a few seconds, then quietly said, 'Missa Awr'."

*Melt!*

More Convos with Preschoolers!

2011-09-22T18:53:00.001-07:00

Overheard my EA & a little guy, D, talking while playing Lego today:

EA: You're great at building airplanes, D. Are you going to be an airplane builder when you grow up?

D (looks at her as if she were the dumbest person on the planet):

Uh, NO! I'm gonna be Spiderman!

I was playing a game with my kids at circle where I hold up photos of kids with different facial expressions & they guess how that kid is feeling, what made them feel that way, what makes them feel that way sometimes, etc.

Every card I held up I asked a little girl, J, "Do you ever feel ________ (sad, happy, tired, angry) sometimes?"

Every single time she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head no. Finally I guess she got tired of me asking cuz the next time I asked she said,

"I just don't get lots of feelings."

My Rules of Adulthood.

2011-09-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Fight Right

Do it now

First things first

Don't expect a gold star

Everyone is fighting their own battle

Identify the problem

Lighten up

Assume the best

If you can't say something nice...

Be still & know that I am God

You can only be you

Act the way you want to feel

Reach out

New Snippets from a New Year.

2011-09-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

Little girl looking in the mirror while washing her hands:

"I sure look pretty today."

Little boy picks up a Spiderman toy from the floor:

"Dis is not apprwopwiate for kids. I'm putting dis away."

Me quickly trying to fix my hair in the mirror while helping the girls wash their hand. Little girl looks at me:

"Don't worry Teacher. Your hair looks pretty!"

Little girl had been screaming for about 20 mins at this point. Starts pulling at her throat & looks at me:

"Fix it! Fix it!"

My OT ran to get her a glass of water from the staff room (we were in the hallways at this point) & came back with a mug she offered to her. She pushes it away & announces:

"No coffee!"

Don't Smile Til Christmas.

2011-09-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

If you are a teacher then at some point, someone has told you to do this. Don't smile til Christmas. The idea being that you need to show the kids "who's boss" from Sept through December, then you can lighten up a little cuz by then, they'll respect you.

I was told to do this in my APT by my mentor teacher, a man I respected and admired (at the time anyways. He later ruined that, but that's another story.)

Don't smile til Christmas. Pretty much every "old school" teacher adheres to this adage and they pass it on to fresh faced teaching graduates hoping to help them.

Don't smile til Christmas.

FORGET THAT!!

I hate this saying. I hate it with everything in me. The first time I heard it I hated it, but then I was too insecure in my profession to question it.

My passion for children tells me its wrong. My love for children tells me its wrong. My love for learning tells me its wrong. My knowledge of healthy attachment tells me its wrong. My knowledge of how kids learn best tells me its wrong.

Just to clarify, I 100% believe in firm discipline, consequences and taking responsibility for one's actions. My students have always and will always know what to expect when they misbehave. Quick, firm correction, often followed by a consequence (natural if safe, reasonable if natural consequences are not safe). Then an immediate wiping of the slate and back to a happy equilibrium with myself and the classroom community.

Don't smile til Christmas?? You need to smile the most you ever will in the first day of school. How else will these kids know that school is a great place to be?

Although, if you're a teacher who doesn't believe in smiling, then school probably isn't a great place to be, so never mind then.

Love. Play. Learn

2011-08-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

All summer long I've been grappling with the whole Mission Statement assignment I was given months ago. I've tried wordy ones, I've tried getting it to fit into one sentence, I've tried making a mind map, a list of meaningful words, etc. I've tried to boil down my passionate (& sometimes opinionated) beliefs related to my job into one comprehensive statement & found it frustratingly impossible. I was starting to feel like a failure.
Yesterday my hubby & I made a mini-road trip which involved getting stuck on the highway at a near standstill for over 1/2 hr due to a minor accident. Sitting in the car, alternating chatting, reading & staring out the window at the prairie scenery, I thought a lot about my work, my job, my attitude and many other deep & philosophical things. ;)
Finally three words rang in my brain & I couldn't shake them. I argued & struggled with how simple they sounded. Not very profound, not impressive or groundbreaking. Not earth shattering, & yet at the same time, I couldn't shake that it was everything to me.
Love.
Play.
Learn.
Whenever I asked myself what the MOST IMPORTANT thing I wanted to accomplish in each of my students' lives was, I only came up with one answer. Love.
I want them to know they are loved unconditionally by someone (me & other staff), I want them to know they are worthy of love, I want them to love themselves & learn by example how to love others.
The next thing was I want them to play. I read a quote the other day I loved so much: "It's called Preschool; not bootcamp for Kindergarten." Children learn best through play. Play IS their work. Play is the best (& only if you ask me) option for teaching children under 6. Let them PLAY!
Since play is the way a child learns, learn comes "last" in my mission statement. Let me explain the order of those three words in another way.
A child cannot learn well if their basic needs are not met, those needs are: safety (emotional & physical) & physical necessities (food, heat, water, etc.). They also cannot learn well if the "teaching" is done in a way that is not developmentally appropriate.
Therefore, a child cannot learn without love & play.
So there you (& I) have it: LOVE. PLAY. LEARN.

Do you have a child that won't respect you?

2011-08-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Let me explain how this works to you since it seems to elude a vast majority of the general populace.

A child will not respect you unless you have a healthy, affectionate, trusting relationship.

Healthy attachment = respect & love.

*Blind obedience can sometimes come from fear but that's a whole different topic I'm not attacking here.*

Does your child regularly ignore/disrespect you? Then I'm willing to bet forming a healthy loving relationship with them is not #1 on your priority list. How much one-on-one time do you spend with your child just having fun each day? If the answer is less than 5-10 mins I'm sensing a problem here...

So let me reiterate this in case you missed it the first time:

HEALTHY ATTACHMENT = RESPECT & LOVE

That's it. Simple, yes, but the most important thing you can do for your child.

The end. Now go play with your kid already!

Is the church destroying the family?

2011-07-29T11:49:00.001-07:00

Provocative statement I know, but an important one to discuss.

I just watched a documentary online called "Divided" about the overwhelming failure of age-segregated ministry in North American churches. I encourage you to take an hour of your time and watch it as well: http://www.dividedthemovie.com

What struck me the most, as an educator, was that the church has the same ultimate complaint/frustration that the secular education system has:

Why are we (school, church, teachers, pastors) expected to raise kids instead of their parents? How can we get parents to take responsibility for their family again?

Every teacher I have spoken to (myself included) will have one immediate answer to the question, What's the hardest part of your job?

The parents.

Hands down, the worst, hardest, most frustrating and challenging part of a teacher's job is the parents of their students.

How do I get them involved? How can I support them? How can I help them? How can I get them to see their child for the precious gift they are? On, and on.

Any and every teacher will tell you, a child will not improve substantially until the family gets on board. The family is the key.

Yes, this is a massive responsibility but it cannot be gotten away from. It is undeniably true that the family is the building block of society. The "health" of our communities, societies and the world as a whole is a direct mirror of the "health" of our families.

So why do we keep putting institutions in the place of the family?

I have many questions I plan to investigate further after watching this film:

What does the Bible say about age-segregated ministry and education?

What does the Bible say about educators/ministry workers role in supporting the family?

How can I do a better job of training, supporting and discipling the families I am in contact with?

Teaching & Learning

2011-07-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

One of my students gave me a Chapters gift card as an end of the year gift. (I'm not embarrassed to say each year I hope I get a Chapters gift card!) I automatically went to the office supply section, they really have the funnest office supplies there. As I was wandering through the notebooks (a blank notebook gives me immeasurable joy for some reason) a book caught my eye. "The Happiness Project" it was called, "Or how I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle and generally have more fun".

I picked it up for a closer look.

The author, Gretchen Rubin, spent a year of her life actively trying to play more, sleep more, eat better, have more fun and in general appreciate her life more. Sound familiar? Is there a single one of us that doesn't want those things?

But this post isn't a book review (it is pretty great so far though). This post is about a quote I read in it, "People teach what they need to learn."

Now, as a teacher this statement grabbed me instantly and hasn't let go. I teach not just as my profession, but as anyone who knows me will tell you, a teacher is WHO I AM, it defines me in so many ways. So this was a statement definitely worth mulling over closely.

What am I teaching that I need to learn?

Yes I have a barely jr. high grasp of math, but that's not what I'm talking about. :)

I have always been very aware of the irony of the fact that I (basically) teach parents how to better parent their special needs children, and yet I can't have children. Does this mean I need to learn to parent, perhaps, but still not the conclusion I've come to.

My program's entire focus is Learn Through Play. I teach kids how to play, I teach parents how to play, I teach educational professionals how to play, yet I don't play away from work. Ironic? Oh yeah.

At home I'm exhausted, I'm grouchy and often bitter. I'm frustrated and unmotivated to do things around the house or have fun with my hubby.

I teach play because I need to learn to play. I need to learn to lighten up, be silly, let go and have fun (and not just when I'm around 4 yr olds).

At school I make funny voices, I build with Lego, I play dress up, I run around, I hulahoop, I draw & colour, I PLAY!

Why don't I do these things at home? Just because I don't have children at home doesn't mean I can't play just the same.

I teach play because I need to learn to play.

What are you teaching that you need to learn?

Maybe I AM a Workaholic...

2011-07-03T18:31:00.001-07:00

So here I am, three days into summer vacation and I'm already bored out of my tree! I really think there is something to my husband's frequent allegations that I don't actually know how to relax. I slept for the first day and a half (wonderful) and since then have been running errands, teaching Sunday School, scrapbooking & cardmaking, organizing, cleaning, baking and starting school work for next year.

I think I need help.

Anyone wanna volunteer to give me lessons on to freaking chill out?

Last Day :(

2011-06-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

So today was the last day with students this year. Such mixed feelings! I'm in desperate need of a long rest and dangerously close to burning out. Ok, fine, I burnt out a few weeks ago and have barely been keeping it together. Anyways...

While part of me was immensely relieved to have a few weeks of rest ahead of me, the other part of me was/is so sad at saying goodbye to so many of my kids. Because of the way my job is looking next year I'm pretty much guaranteed to NOT have any but 2 of my kids again next year, which means a lot of goodbyes. Two in particular were very hard, mostly my little J.

He's going to a completely different school system next year which means it really IS goodbye. He gave me a wonderful last-day gift though; he briefly played catch with another student! I was so shocked, never have I even seen him play with a ball, never mind with another student.

I was super impressed with myself for keeping it together all day, no tears, no choking up, just a few big hugs and high-fives for the kiddos.

Then this evening I was telling someone about the first time J spoke earlier this year and it hit me. It's over. I said goodbye to him today. Cue the tears.

Mission

2011-06-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

So all of Early Ed at my school has been asked to come up with a Mission Statement to post outside their classroom when we get back to school in the fall. Several (ok, dozens) of the staff saw this as "more work", "waste of time", and on, and on.
I however saw it as a challenge, a big one.
How can I boil down everything I think and feel about my kids, my families, my approach to education all into one sentence? How can I express exactly what fires me and drives me and informs every breath I take when I'm in the classroom (or out of it for that matter! Ask my hubby, I never stop thinking about school!).
I've since been jotting down words, phrases and thoughts that might make it into my statement but this is turning out to be way more difficult than I originally thought. I really wish I could put some scripture in it (but I could probably get sued for that one). Cuz whenever I think about teaching I think about this verse: “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matt 18:6.
I take that verse very much to heart.
So I'm going to keep working on this Mission Statement and if I ever get it hammered out to my satisfaction (or at least close to my stupid level of perfectionism) I'll post it here.

Reminiscing...

2011-06-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today was the last round of meetings with parents for the school year to review IPPs, assessments, transitions for next year, etc.

Almost every parent commented on how fast the year has gone by, how they can't believe school is over in just two weeks and so on.

It didn't really hit me until I was meeting with J's mom.

We had a great talk about how all the astonishing progress he's made since he started in my class in Sept of '09. We were talking about how best to transition him to his new school next year and how I could help his new school when she looked at me and said, "I can't believe he'll be going to a new school. I've been sitting across a table from you for 2 years!"

That's when it hit me. Two years of my life I've invested in this little guy and his family. Two years I've been an integral part of their lives (and vice versa) and in two weeks it'll be all over. It's very possible that I may not see J again (unless I run into them in the community). I can hardly believe it.

I got a little choked up when I thought about it. I can't believe it.

Encouraging Words

2011-05-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

My oldest niece has recently been overcoming her fear of water. Her grad one class has started swimming lessons and she absolutely loves it (provided she doesn't have to get her face wet of course). She's been begging my sister to take her and her brother and sisters swimming altogether. Considering my sister just gave birth to her 4th child, this won't be happening any time soon.
I told her that I would take her and her 4 yr old sister swimming over summer holidays. She was placated by this idea and excitedly ran over to her sister. "Auntie's going to take us swimming! You're going to sink like a ROCK!"

I almost fell over I was laughing so hard.

A Special Visit

2011-05-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

I got a wonderful surprise at lunch today: a visit from a former student & his family! It was so great! He was by far one of my favs from last year, just the cutest, sweetest little guy. He was also a complete enigma. His family and the team at school had been trying to find a diagnosis for him since he began the program at 2 1/2 yrs old, he's in Kindergarten now. We never did get a diagnosis by the time he headed off to Kindergarten last year, so we were all really worried about him. It was amazing to hear how well he's doing now! His mom said he's been asking about myself & my EAs from last year all the time. He begged her to bring him for a visit to Mrs.R's room! *melt*

It means so much to all of us at the school to get any kind of update once our kids leave the program. We always wonder & worry about how they're doing after we send them out into the "real" world of "big kid" school.

Man, I needed that today!

Sidebar:

He was telling me how old he is now & we had the following hilarious convo.

J: I'm 6 now. How old are you Mrs.R?

Me: I'm a lot older than that, J.

J: You 67?

Me: Ummm, no. Not quite.

J: You 99?

Me: *laughing*

J: You 101?

Me: No, J, I'm not 101. I think I'd be in the hospital if I were 101!

J: Nooo! You 14?

Me: I like that one best. Let's go with that one!

The Reptile Guy

2011-05-13T15:00:00.001-07:00

Just a few pics of the Jeff, The Reptile Guy who came to our classroom with just a few of his "pets". He brought half a dozen snakes, several lizards and one giant Saharan tortoise named Crush. He was personal fav! Apparently in the summer he lets Crush wander the yard "mowing" the grass and eating all the dandelions. He's 45 pounds and not even full grown yet! So cool. The kids had such a great time petting all the animals & learning about them. Not a single one of them was even scared of the huge boa constrictor!

Rapunzel

2011-04-24T12:49:00.001-07:00

My gorgeous little niece has beautiful blonde, wavy hair down to her butt. She also eerily resembles Disney's new Rapunzel character.

Today as we were leaving church she looked up at me & said, "Auntie, I think I have the longest hair in the whole world."

Me: "You do? Are you going to be Rapunzel when you grow up?"

Her: "Yeah. I'm going to carry my long golden hair around in a basket. With a kitty. It will purr."

LOVE!

Fingerpainting? That's for wussies!

2011-04-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Forget fingerpainting, man. We did TOE-painting! It was a RIDICULOUS mess & I will plan much better next time to protect the floor. However, it was AWESOME & the kids loved it!

What do you make?

2011-04-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I watched a clip of a teacher who spoke at a convention. At a fancy dinner party a high-paid lawyer at the table started a rant about teachers & how no one can expect much from students that are taught by teachers when the only reason to become a teacher is because you can't do anything worth any money. He then turned to the teacher & condescendingly asked, "You're a teacher. Be honest, what do you make?"

The following rant is my response to those who would ask me a similar question.

What do you make?:

I make a 6 yr old child speak for the first time when his parents & speech therapists have given up years ago

I make actually stopping when I say “stop” feel like winning an Olympic gold medal

I make parents who are at the end of their rope see their child in a new light & fall in love with them all over again

I make children who have known nothing but abuse & neglect feel safe, unconditionally loved & free of fear

I make “normal” kids not just accept their special needs peers but become fast friends & recognize & appreciate what each person brings to the classroom

I make children who have been given up on by therapists, psychiatrists & the foster care system happy, healthy, responsible kidsI make families stronger

I make children happier.

I make a difference every day.

That's what I make.

Boxes are Fun!

2011-04-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

Boxes are fun!

I am continuously amazed anew when we bring empty boxes into the classroom & let the kids go nuts with them.

So much fun!

*I could not get over how adorable this pic was!*

What I Want...

2011-04-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

At church:

- every child should be welcomed as enthusiastically & warmly as every other child

-no family should be turned away or be made to feel unwanted

-every family should be supported, helped & loved to the ultimate ability of the church

-the church should seek out training, advice & help when encountering a challenge

-every child should be met at their physical, emotional, developmental & cognitive level

I know this is probably just a dream, but it's what I want & I'm going to keep trying to get there.

5...4...3...2...1!

2011-03-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

Last week one of the most monumental things to happen in my teaching career occurred on a boring, typical afternoon.

J & I were sitting at a table doing one of his favourite activities. Hand over hand we write numbers on a sheet of paper, then he points at them while I count out loud. Once in awhile I pause before saying the number, he then shifts his gaze to make eye contact with me & I say the number. If I pause too long he sometimes puts his hand on my face & opens my mouth. So cute.

That day I felt like pushing things a bit so I was pausing a lot more than usual & for longer intervals. J (who recently turned 6) apparently got sick of waiting for me to say the numbers, so he said them instead!!!

This is a 6 yr old boy who has never in his life spoken in any way that could be construed as purposeful communication. He makes odd noises, hums, etc. but that's it.

He was pointing to the numbers starting at 10 counting down, when he got to 5 I stopped saying the numbers & he went "Fie...fo...wee...oo...un." as he pointed at each number. Then he kept doing it! He counted from 1 to 10 next. And kept going and going. I sat beside him with my hand over my mouth & tears running down my face. I waved my one EA over cuz I barely trusted myself to speak & she crouched behind him & listened to it too (so I wasn't hallucinating).

I seriously was crying & shaking for the rest of the afternoon. When I told his mom after school she was in complete shock. At first she didn't believe me (I don't blame her), then she was so excited.

Sadly, he hasn't done it again since, but we're still trying! The important thing is this is a monumental breakthrough. I have to remind myself that when he first signed "more" it took weeks & weeks of repetition before he would do it regularly, so I'm not giving up!

He WILL speak!! :D

sigh

2011-03-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Some days, I tell ya, some days I wonder if we've even made a dent!

Today is St. Patrick's Day so I sat down with the kids to paint shamrocks.

But first, to give them the context!

We sat at the table & I announced:

"Today is a very special day! Does anyone know what special day it is today?"

*pause*

One little guy pipes up, "Tree!"

*sigh*

Middle Names

2011-03-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

I was chatting with a former fav student & his parents the other day. He's quite obsessed right now with knowing everyone's full name, how to spell it & all of your relatives & friends' names too. For a few minutes he bombarded me with:

"What's your name? What's your first name? What's your middle name? How you spell it? What's your mom name? What's your dad name? What's your huband name? What's your sister name?" on and on it went.

So I started asking him back,

"How do you spell your name?"

He spelt it.

"What's your middle name?"

"Johnathon."

"No, that's your brother's name? What's your middle name?" I asked again.

His dad piped in, "What does daddy call you when you don't listen?"

Expecting, I assume him to say his full name.

He thought for a moment, then declared, "Snotty bear!"

His mom laughed so hard she almost fell over.

Awesome.

Who Says You Can't Get Kids to Clean?

2011-03-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought it, but we actually had ALL my kids (despite needs or diagnosis) happily engaged for many minutes in cleaning today. Yes, cleaning. Washing toys to be precise!

Now before you go & call Alberta Ed or Child Services to report child labour concerns, hear me out. ;)

Our wonderful OT brought in an activity to work on fine motor skills that, I will admit, did not think would be all that much of a hit. Being of the mind I'll try almost anything once, we gave it a shot though. What a success!

What do you need to have your children happily washing toys? Your very own mini-car wash!

Take several metal toy cars/trains/trucks, wet them, coat them in sand & let them partially dry. Place a bucket of soapy water, toothbrushes & small pieces of sponges on the table. (To contain the mess give each child a cookie sheet or plastic tray to work on).

Voila! Instant car-wash fun! And what fun they had! Every single kid loved it, my older kids must have washed those cars over & over again for at least 15 minutes.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna finish picking sand out from under my fingernails...

Ummm, wow.

2011-02-28T18:42:00.001-08:00

So my little guy, J, does this one activity that's really cute. You put a puppet on your hand & using a visual support he requests whether he wants the puppet to tickle him, hug him or give him a "kiss". When he gives it a kiss he just presses his mouth against it briefly over & over again. So cute! *This ties in, I promise*

So today he came over to & gestured that he wanted me to pick him up. Now the only time he ever wants to be picked up is to reach something he can't have, so we never do it. Only today I was standing in the middle of the room with nothing up high near me. After trying to redirect him several times & him persisting in wanting "up" I was curious enough to do it (he's not easy to pick up now that's he's 6!). So I picked him up & asked, "What do you want now?"

He tucked his head under my chin & cuddled me for a few seconds. Holy. #$%^.

Then he started sniffing my neck. I'm assuming he liked my perfume. I hope. :)

Then he started kissing my shoulder just like he does the puppet.

I just stood there in shock. I looked over at my EA & asked, "Is he doing what I think he is?"

"Well it looks like he's giving you kisses like the puppet," then half-joking, "But he could be about to bite you too!"

I was so shocked & excited-but it did occur to me that he might still bite me- I just stood still to see what he would do.

Next he stared into my face & started randomly vocalizing like he does, so I did what I often do which is imitate him. Once I started making the sounds he was making he put his hands on my face & stared at my mouth. I stopped vocalizing & he started making my mouth open & close with his hands.

This was by far the coolest interaction we've ever had. It was so amazing, I was-and still am- completely stunned. I still don't know what to think.

More Snippets...

2011-02-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

More interesting quotes from my classroom:

Little guy walks up to me today, "Do you want to smell my tummy?"

While making "eggs" out of playdough for our toy chickens a little girls yelps, "They're hatching!"

"What's inside the eggs?" I asked.

"Fish!"

*pause* "Well that's going to be one surprised chicken." I responded.

Again while making eggs out of playdough a little boy picks up one of his, "He's hatching! The first superhero chicken ever is being hatched!"

Greetings from...

2011-02-22T19:36:00.001-08:00

I have a little guy recently officially diagnosed with ASD. This was no big surprise since I had him last year too and we pretty much all saw it. He is such a funny little guy! He's got curls to die for, looooooves to sing & doesn't so much walk anywhere as he does hop.

Well he now has a new cute factor; his personalized greetings for each person at school.

He has separate greetings for each of my EAs (J & C), his bus driver, myself & our Speech Therapist (D).

J: "Blech!" as he he sticks out his tongue emphatically.

C: "Stop!" as he puts up his hand.

D: "Errrr!" as he squeezes himself in a big hug.

Myself: "Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!"

Bus Driver: "Ah choo!" as he makes a very convincing fake sneeze.

I'm not joking. This is how he greets each of these people every day, possibly multiple times a day if they leave & come back again. Now to you this probably seems extremely odd, perhaps even downright weird. But knowing him as I do I know why he greets each person that way & it actually makes perfect sense!

J: Is always telling him to take toys/clothes/books out his mouth by telling him "Out of mouth. Blech, yucky."

C: Every day reads his favourite book with him that tells us the way to be a Super Friend. "Stop & think, what would a Super Friend do?"

D: He loves getting big bear hugs from D each time he sees him.

Bus Driver: He loves the way she says "Bless You!" every time he sneezes.

Myself: All last year I worked with him on greeting people by looking at them & saying "Hi".

I guess what I'm trying to say is, context and relationship is EVERYTHING! Never, ever forget that. Outside of a caring relationship his behaviour would seem completely unusual, worrisome and honestly, probably annoying. But in the context of understanding his personality, medical diagnosis, like/dislikes, interests, etc. it makes perfect, awesome sense.

Princess Don't Drive Bulldozers!

2011-02-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

It's always fun in preschool land, especially when the toys you set out don't get used quite as planned! ;)

We're learning about things that go this month; that means vehicles of all sorts, construction & tools.

I set out lots of cars & trucks of all sizes along with tools & construction dress-up clothes. My idea was that they would be combined into sort of a mechanic/construction type imaginative play.

Well somehow the princesses & castle got dragged out in the midst of it. The result: hilarity!

Robin Hood was getting a ride to the hospital by a Transformer that was originally a Barbie car; the princess was driving the bulldozer to the tea party; the construction worker was fixing the parkade the puppy was racing a car in...AWESOME!

Above are a few amazingly adorable pics of the kids in their dress-up stuff.

Lego Adventures

2011-01-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Watching my nieces discover the world of Lego has been so much fun over the last few weeks. Especially my Naestra-Lou who has quite the imagination! :)

Right now she's playing with a "pirate bone-guy" (skeleton) who is wearing a racecar helmet & holding a coffee cup & pet parrot named "Holly the parrot".

The following are some snippets of her play:

"The bone Lego guy is woman pirate. He has to drink coffee. All woman pirates need drink coffee. All womans need to drink coffe!"

"He has to stay out of the water or else he gets dead. Then he can't save all the animals free. Not if he gets dead."

Love it!

More Snippets...

2011-01-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

It's always busy in our class, cold weather or not! The last few weeks it's been WAY to cold to venture outside. So what do you do? Bring the snow inside of course! The kids were in awe of the fact that we had snow IN the classroom. Especially when I dumped the dinosaur bucket in it!

One afternoon C came running up to me, wanting me to come see his letters that he built in the block centre. I was so surprised & proud when I saw his "T" and "I" he built all by himself. When the other kids saw what he was doing, they wanted to make letters too. What a great afternoon!

A few days later we FINALLY got a break in the weather & ventured outside with another Early Ed class for some fun. We built with coloured ice blocks, painted snow with coloured water & made snow angels. There's always something to do around here!

"Just" Play You Say?

2011-01-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

If you haven't "officially" heard of play-based learning I'm sure you can make an educated guess as to what it is. It's the educational philosophy that young children learn best when educational objectives are integrated in to play. (I'm not going to get into the debate on what constitutes "play")

My program at school is play-based which I love. It's a philosophy I believe in and support whole-heartedly. Today in my classroom was the perfect example of how this works.

I brought in an old-school Littlest Pet Shop set today for my 4-5 yr olds to play with. They had never seen it before so I figured they would be pretty excited about a new play set. When the kids arrived instantly 5 of them swarmed the table. After letting them establish their own scripts for awhile I sat down to play with them. These 5 kids are all in the program for different things, they range from one normally developing child to a boy with a severe behaviour problem to kids with severe expressive and/or receptive language delays, etc.

I began modeling what a few of the items they hadn't touched yet were for (a hamster wheel, a magnetic ball of string for the kitten, the food dishes, etc.). These were then quickly integrated into their scripts. After a minute I noticed one child was having trouble getting a pet out of a cage.

"Oh no!" I cried. "The turtle is trapped. Who will save him?" One little boy immediately declared. "I will! Super mouse to the rescue!" & swooped over to "save" his friend. This became the most prominent theme for several minutes.

Okay, so now you're thinking. "Yeah....so? Big deal?"

Let me show you the big deal.

Something everyone of our kids struggles with are "wh" questions. These are higher-level thinking questions that are extremely difficult for many of my students to a)understand & b)answer. (eg. who, what, where, what do with, when, why)

To answer "who" they first need to understand that this is referring to a person & then they need to answer the correct person. So every time from then on that they called out, "Who will save me?" & looked up at their friends they were cementing in their minds that "who" means person. Yay!

Second, another huge thing these kids struggle with is peer interactions. They're usually quite comfortable interacting with adults & asking them for help, etc. They often freeze up & have no idea what to do when faced with peers. They don't make eye contact, they don't ask full questions (if they want a toy they walk near the child and while staring at the floor say "please", ummm, not effective). This simple script that they happily played for a good chunk of the afternoon worked on huge, important goals for these kids. And guess what, they had no idea they were "learning".

This was just the beginning. The afternoon was so amazing & they learned so much. It's days like this that I love my job!!

Who Knew?

2010-12-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

So Friday was an interesting day. As any teacher will tell you, the week before Christmas break, Spring break & summer holidays are BRUTAL! The kids are so done. The teachers are so done. Everyone just needs a break.
Well this starts happening even earlier in an Early Ed room. So on Friday my kids were D-O-N-E. The youngest ones (2.5-3 yrs old) spent most of the day completely spaced out. They would begin to pull off their mittens, then just sit there, staring into space until I tapped them on the shoulder. We played a game where they pretend to sleep for about 1 min, and none of them wanted to get up!!
In the afternoon, my little J had a rough day. For the first time in 2 months he bit one of us. One of my poor EAs got it pretty bad on her arm. So while she went to get disinfectant & ice, my other EA had to sit with J in his modified form of a "Time Out". This left me with 7 wired, exhausted kids who all wanted to see what was going on.
Salvation arrived in an unusual, unexpected form. A box! A delivery from Scholastic to be exact. I had been expecting a set of Teacher Resource books I had ordered for awhile now and it chose that moment to show up at our classroom door.
Not knowing if this was going to work or not I promptly made a BIG to-do about this "present" arriving. How exciting! How wonderful! Let's see what's inside! What could it be? Etc. etc.
I was terrified they would lose interest the second I opened it and they saw not toys, games or even picture books, but Teacher Resource books. I needed to buy all the time I could get though.
So we all plopped down on the floor, slowly peeled off the tape & one by one, pulled out the books.
"Look! This one is full of fun crafts we can make! This one has lots of cool pictures!"
I B.S.-ed with the best of them. And lo and behold, they bought it! They must have sat there flipping through these books for a good 5 mins! And for a room full of special needs preschoolers, that's a miracle!
It just goes to show. You never know where a miracle is gonna come from. And don't underestimate the value of a little excitement and enthusiasm! ;)

Explain, please!

2010-12-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

Some days, well, most days, I wish I could ask my kids to explain what they just said. Two perfect examples happened this week.

I was helping one of my little girls so I was crouched down beside her. She rubbed my shoulder and said, "You're nice and clean."

Ummm...thanks?

Waiting around after school yesterday for a little guy to get picked up after all the other kids had gone. As I mentioned in a previous post, his favourite song is "Eye of the Tiger". Well, he attempted to explain the song to me. A few quotes of what he said.

"I like the punching part. The girl punches."

Me: "I didn't know there was a girl in the song."

"Yeah, a girl and a tiger. 'Eye of' is the girl and 'tiger' is the girl. 'Eye of' is trying to beat 'tiger' so that's why there's punching. Like this." Began punching the air.

Again, ummmm...

Christmas in Preschool Land

2010-12-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

In my classroom we love Christmas. When I set up the tree and had it ready & waiting for the kids to decorate on Monday they were SO excited! Even more excited the next day when they realized they were still allowed to touch & play with the tree & move around all the ornaments they want.

Our gift wrapping centre is also a HUGE hit. Who knew so much fun could be had from some scotch tape, tissue paper and boxes?

More Snippets...

2010-12-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

As I walked to the printer down the hall from my classroom I overheard a few first & second graders discussing their play plans for recess:

"So we're playing wedding, right?"

"No, first we have to have a rehearsal!"

"I'm the flower girl!"

"Come on husband, hurry up!"

I tried to m

ake it around the corner before bursting into laughter. So sweet!

We have dress up clothes in our room right now and boy are the kids into it! They mostly fight over being the puppy & kitty. One little guy was dressed up as the puppy & another asked him, "What's your name, puppy?"

"I'm Music Dog. I sing my favourite song."

He then proceeded to "bark" his favourite song. It took me a few seconds to recognize it (give me a break, he was barking it). It was "Eye of the Tiger"! He was unmistakably barking "Eye of the Tiger"!

I got some awesome pics of the kids in various costumes for our yearbook. My perso

nal fav is of our twin boys posing together, both dressed as princesses. Love it!

Below is a pic my EA took of my after the kids had dressed me in a lovely paisley vest and purple lei.

Awesome-Sauce

2010-11-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing how most of my posts are about the same student, be they celebratory or, well...not so celebratory? What can I say, the most challenging things/situations/people in life are often the most rewarding.

So, onto the celebratory post!

He (J) has been in a really good (if slightly silly) mood the last few days. We've all been commenting on it. He's happier than we've ever seen him, he's even showing us his silly side!

This may sound harsh to someone who hasn't worked/lived with a person that is on the severe end of the ASD spectrum but, often it's hard to see their personality under the symptoms. I have often watched a child with ASD and wondered who they are under the ASD. Amazingly, I finally feel like we're getting a glimpse into who he really is under all that surface stuff, and he has a silly side!

A few days ago, he (J), N and I were walking back to the classroom together. J & N were holding hands & I was holding J's other hand. N let go of J's hand and J actually stopped dead in his tracks, looked behind him and reached for N's hand.

I seriously just stood there in the middle of the hallway, staring, for a good 15-20 sec. Until that moment I didn't think J actually realized the other kids in the class even existed on any real level. Honestly, I thought he saw the other kids basically as furnishings in the classroom; just kind "there".

If you have ever interacted with an ASD kid you know what I mean.

They often interact with other people (even those closest to them) as if they were objects. They honestly just use you as an object or tool to get whatever happens to be their objective. I have even had them try to use me as a human ladder, on a regular basis.

So that was pretty exciting.

Next, in our indoor playground, he started pushing the other kids. I know that this is a strange thing to be excited about, but again, it can be a sign that he is actually trying to figure out how to interact with them in a new way. Just the fact that he may have realized he CAN interact with them is amazing!!

This afternoon, though, was the cherry on top. And finally I was not the only one to witness something amazing with J, there were 3 of us freaking out today!

When it's time to clean up & transition to a new activity I ring some bells, the kids put their hands on their heads, & I tell them where to go next.

So J helped me ring the bells (as usual), then he briefly put his hands on his head, walked over to the snack table, sat down and waited!

Here picture me with my mouth gaping open as I, my EA and our SLP stare at J in mute, blind amazement. To rip off a phrase from my best friend, It was pure awesome-sauce.

Snippets from Preschoolers

2010-11-08T16:43:00.001-08:00

Random snippets from my day. All things I honestly heard kids say recently.

"You're pretty Mrs. R. That's a warm fuzzy, right?"

"I'm gonna do something inappropriate! I'm gonna do something inappropriate!"

"Horsey. Neigh. Chomp!"

"I'm a sheep! I'm a sheep!"

The Art of Not Saying What You're Saying

2010-11-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

That's right, you read the title correctly. I swear that teachers should receive some political-candidate type training in how to not-say what you're really saying while talking to parents.
You basically have to develop a code that you can memorize and use for situations you run into often. This is NOT where I disclose my own personal code phrases, I took Poli Sci, I know what not to say! ;)
But a few "official" code phrases that the education profession have made are things like:
"They often become dis-regulated"- This translates to, the kicking, screaming & biting make ME want to kick, scream & bite someone!
"They need to work on their attention span & focus" - This means, you know that crazy squirrel in Over the Hedge? That's your kid!
So the next time you chat with your child's teacher about how your little Bobby is doint in school, try to remember that what they're NOT saying is just as important as what they ARE saying!

More Special Moments with Floam

2010-10-26T20:02:00.001-07:00

Once again we were playing with Floam today, the kids really do love it even if it is a bit messy. My one guy with Autism has always loved playdough, etc. so he loves Floam. All he has ever done with anything like that is: roll it, squish it, eat it. That's it. I've worked with him for 2 yrs now and that's all he's ever done. Today we were doing the usual: rolling, squishing (trying to stop him from eating it) and an amazing thing happened. Some of the other kids were squishing their Floam into bowls/cups and pulling it out again to see the shape it made. My special little guy looked at them, reached over & grabbed a bowl, squished his Floam into it. He then stared at it for awhile, peeled it out, turned it over & looked at the shape it had become.
Wow.
Then he did it again. And again.
Triple wow.
These are the moments that get me through the day.

Batteries

2010-10-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

We were in the "sky lounge" this morning (an indoor playspace that looks down on the big gym in our school and my kids were watching an older group of special needs students play in the gym. One girl is in a wheelchair and a little boy asked me, "What's she doing?"
Me: She riding in ther wheelchair.
Him: Why?
Me: Because she needs that chair. Her legs don't work like yours do.
Other little boy (who is fully able-bodied): My legs don't work either. The batteries in them broke.

Convos with Preschoolers.

2010-10-21T16:06:00.001-07:00

We were playing with Floam today (if you don't know what that is, you definitely don't have/work with little kids!)

One little guy made a longish blob.

Me: What did you make?

Him: A wee-hoo!

Me: What is a wee-hoo?

Him: (holding it up) THIS is a wee-hoo!

Me: Oh, what does it do?

Him: It's a nice one.

Me: Well I'm glad it's a nice wee-hoo.

If you know what a wee-hoo is, I'd love to know! ;)

Fall

2010-10-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

I really do love fall. The colours, the brisk breeze (knowing Christmas is around the corner) and the fun stuff we do in my class. Two of my fav activities each year are putting fresh cranberries in the water table (the kids go crazy for it) and having a leaf "fight" with my little ones. I use fake leaves (they sell them for decorating I think), fill a big bag with them, go into the circle corner and let them go nuts! It inevitably turns into burying Mrs. R in leaves, but I don't mind. I usually spend the rest of the day finding leaves stuck all over me, in my hair and down my shirt (will never fully figure out how they manage that one). I wish I could post pics of the kids covered in leaves, but you'll have to make do with pics of ME covered in leaves!

You Pick

2010-10-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was playing in the house centre this morning with my students. This is always fun! The following scenario made me laugh:
S lays out two outfits for her "baby" to wear.
S: Mrs. R, which one should my baby wear?
Me: (pointing to one) I like that one.
Pause.
S: (pointing to the other one) I'm just gonna say you pick this one.
Pause.
Me: (trying not to laugh) I appreciate your honesty.

Just Play!

2010-10-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Playing is like breathing, hugging, prayer--you need to play. Everyone needs to play.Playing is a means of growing attraction between any two souls. You suspect two people are falling in love if they start to play together. If you want a child to love you, learn from you, imitate you, communicate with you, enjoy you--then play with that child. Both of you will experience joy.

-TAHIRIH BUSHEY http://autismgames.blogspot.com

The Daily Grind

2010-10-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well the school year is now in full swing. I'm eyeball deep in writings IPPs, data collection, meetings, planning, Home Visits....just the regular daily grind.

I find that once the bloom of excitement about a new school year wears off, there are definitely stretches of time when the going gets a little rough. No matter how much I love my job deep down, there are times when I just never want to see playdough again, I don't want to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, I would give my right arm to have an ADULT conversation (that's NOT about school) in the middle of the day. There are days I just can't shake off getting chunks of my arm taken off by a 6 yr old's fingernails, or getting peed on for the second time in a day.

It'll pass I know and I will rediscover my love of Wheels on the changing diapers.

It's just the daily grind.

You Sure I Don't Live Here?

2010-09-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

So this is where I live. Practically at least! My folks stopped by on open house night & my camera crazy dad snapped a few pics. I'm actually answering and email in the one pic!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

2010-09-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

This year I only have one student with Autism (6 last year) but he was in my class last year so I know him pretty well, which helps a lot. He's almost 6 and will probably be in specialized programming all his life because he is completely non-verbal, among other things.

This is his third year in the program and we've been trying to get him to verbalize or use sign language the whole time. He does point at what he wants, he also uses a picture communication system, but has never, ever signed or verbalized in a purposeful way.

He LOVES to spin and today I caught him sitting on my office chair (he's not allowed behind my desk). So I sat on the floor in front of him and spun him around on the chair. He loved it.

So I kept spinning him. I would spin him around once, stop, get in his face and sign & verbalize "More" over and over. Then I would wait for awhile, and spin him again.

We did this a few times until one time he signed more. HE ACTUALLY SIGNED "MORE"!!! I screamed and praised him and spun him like crazy (which he loved).

Then he did it again! And again!!

THREE TIMES he did it!

I was screaming like a mad woman I was so excited. Everyone thought I had gone crazy cuz no one could see what we were doing behind the desk.

I told his mom and she was shocked. I told some of his former staff and they were shocked.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

THIS is why I do this job!

Waiting for the other shoe to drop!

2010-09-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am in complete awe of my new classes this year!

As last year was not only my first year as a full time teacher, but also my first year in Early Ed, I had no frame of reference with which to compare my students. The other people working with me kept telling me that I had very difficult groups, that it wasn't just me. I had to take their word for it, but I honestly kept wondering if there was something wrong with me! It was SO hard working with them in so many ways, I kept thinking that this was normal for Early Ed and I was just not very gifted if I was finding it that difficult.

But I now see that it really was just the groups of kids I had, phew!

It's not that I didn't love my kids last year. It's not that I didn't have any fun. I miss my kids, I really do! I loved them and still do and had so much fun with them all through the year.

But it was HARD. H-A-R-D.

My kids this year are blowing me away in the best way possible! On the third day of class my afternoon kids followed the routines with next to no problems or complaints. My director happened to walk into my class at clean up time and was in awe of them. She looked at me and said, "This is their third day of class? We're miracle workers!"

I'm so excited to see what my kids this year are going to accomplish! I might even be able to do kindergarten work with some of them by the spring! :D

My New Classroom

2010-09-12T12:05:00.001-07:00

I changed rooms this year but I really only moved to the other half of the room I was in last year! I really like it a lot better though!

"Iguana"

2010-09-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

So a former student's family asked me if I'd be willing to support their son at Awana on some weeknights. After a RIDICULOUS process of getting the okay from the ATA (seriously people!!) tonight was my first night.

M's mom told me the day before how he was so excited to go to "Iguana" with Mrs.R. It is henceforth known as Iguana cuz that's awesome-sauce! :D

I can't even describe how much fun it was!! He did so great, I'm incredibly proud of him. He even recited his memory verse (which sadly the teenage boy who listens to memory verses couldn't understand). Oh well! He then proceeded to tell me that "God loves us according to the Scriptures" and "Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures". He mom mentioned that currently his fav hymn is "Blessed Be the Name".

But the definite highlight of my night came when he was playing with my watch and bracelet. He then noticed my wedding ring:

"I have your ring, Mrs.R?"

"No that's mine."

"But I want to marry you."

*pause* "Maybe another day, sweetie."

"Okay."

*melt*

Serves Me Right

2010-08-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well I guess is serves me right for trying to work while on holiday!
I was sitting at the table typing away and Alarielle, my nosy 5 yr old niece came along side me. Here are a few snippets of the next 20 mins of my attempt at being "productive" on holidays.
(While leaning on my arm making typing very difficult)

"Why did you click on the twelve?...Why did you make that all black?...What happened?...S...o, so, why did you write so?...C...h...a...i...r, why did you write chair?...Why does that say animal? Why do you need that word?...Why do you have this kind of picture?...Why did you make the all the same words over here?...Why does this box get big as that one gets big?...Why did you stop typing?...Why did you press that button on the mouse?...Why did you click on the computer?..."

*sigh*
It's a good things she's adorable and I love her! :D

I wish

2010-06-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

They'll Just Disappoint Me...

2010-06-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Those are words I heard from a hurting woman today. The mom of one of my (yes I'll admit it) favourite students. This little guy captured my heart the first week of school and never let go!

I discovered they attend a church I used to attend and do Children's Ministry in for over a decade. I kinda figured they went to church somewhere the day he sat on my lap and sang "There's Power in the Blood". :)

I figured from a few comments over the past weeks that all was not going so well with him in Sunday School. Today I asked her point blank how he does in Sunday School. Apparently all he does is sit by himself in a corner and read books. He doesn't participate, isn't engaged. So I offered to talk with her church. I explained that there are many simple adaptations churches can make to support him. Some churches appoint one on one volunteers to work with special needs kids.

She told me that she didn't want me to. It would just get her hopes up and then they would disappoint her.

*Can you hear my heart breaking at this point?*

Now I know that pretty much no one reads this but I needed to vent so here it is.

Coming to a Close

2010-05-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

Well there's only roughly 23 days of class left in the school year. Wow. So hard to believe. For all the, well, everything, I've gone through this year it's been pretty amazing. I can honestly say I've learned more about teaching these last months than I did in all my years of schooling.

I have learned to be more patient and understanding than I ever thought was humanly possible. I have learned separate the behaviour from the child. That may sound strange, but many people cannot do that. They see a child kicking, screaming, biting, etc. and cannot move past it. They then see that child forever as "bad" "mean" etc.

I can't tell you how many times that in the space of 15 secs a child has gone from drawing my blood in anger to sobbing and clinging to me for comfort. If you don't think that's a difficult emotional experience for child AND adult, you've obviously never experienced it on a regular basis.

I can't possibly list everything I've learned here. I'm just so incredibly thankful to a loving God who knew better than I to put me in this job. I have had to rely on Him and my loved ones to get me through this year like I rarely have had to before. I have no idea where I'm going to be next fall, if I will even have a job in any school. But if He provided me with this job and what I needed to see it through, than I'm sure He will take care of next year too.

But man, I'm gonna miss those little munchkins!!

Sing It Again, Sam!

2010-05-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

So one of my little girls has decided she just looooves me lately! It's super cute and sweet.

Yesterday, we were visiting where she's gonna go to kindergarten next year. We were holding hands walking down the hall and she started singing softly to herself. It took me a second to get what she was singing. You know that tune "If You're Happy and You Know It"? Well to that tune she was singing "Mrs. R, Mrs. R, Mrs. R" over and over again.

She has also started complimenting everything I wear, by that I mean EVERYTHING! Every piece of jewellry, clothing, hair accessory, even my school keychain!

Another teacher came in the classroom the other day and I gushed over her amazing shoes. I was wearing green flip flops. My little self-esteem booster heard me and rushed to let me know, "Mrs. R, your shoes are pretty too! I like your shoes!"

Can I just carry her around in my pocket and pull her out when I need to think I'm awesome?

More Convos with Preschoolers

2010-05-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

One of my little girls spent the other day telling everyone who would listen, "Mrs. R is the bestest teacher in the whole widest world...and I'm the best kid!"

I guess that makes it a perfect match then. Adorable!

Frogs, Chicks, & Caterpillars

2010-05-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a travelling zoo in my classroom the last several weeks! We had tree frogs named Pablo & Delilah for a few days. One of which suctioned itself to the face of another teacher. Definitely one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I had to peel it off her face. Don't worry though, I got mine later when it peed on me!

We then had 3 dogs come visit. My personal fav was a tiny little terrier cross name Myla. So cute!! This was followed by hermit crabs. Eeeew! They're like creepy spiders in a shell!!

Next came the eggs that two days later became chicks. Seriously so cool to watch! Just before one of the eggs hatched I picked it up and could honestly hear it chirping inside its shell! Love it! The kids had a blast with the chicks, they were so fascinated with them.

There was also Pokey the hamster. Dude, that hamster is one tough customer. I can't even tell you how many times a kid picked the poor thing up in his hamster ball and shook the crap out of it! Not to mention the time one child picked his whole cage up and hucked it! Pretty sure that hamster's gonna survive the apocalypse.

Now we have caterpillars! They're supposed to turn into painted lady butterflies in a few weeks. Pretty excited to see the whole process.

Somewhere in between there we attempted to grow beans (huge disaster) and successfully grew amazing pumpkin plants. The kids also made awesome chamomile milk bath for Mother's Day.

Needless to say, every day is an adventure in my classroom, and not just for the kids!!

Conversations with Preschoolers

2010-04-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

Doing to art with the kids this morning.

Me: That's a beautiful sticker, Z!

Z: Yeah. Just like you!

Me: You think I'm beautiful, Z?

Z: Yeah! But you're just, just a girl.

Happy Sigh

2010-04-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was just an awesome day!
I had a meeting with someone that I was DREADING! I can't stand confrontation. I'm not usually very good at it and I usually get very emotional. But this one went better tahn I could have ever hoped. TY Jesus!
I had an awesome Family Programming Session with one of my special little guys. We went to a park and he sat on my lap while we swung on the swings. And while we swung he started singing "Hosanna". :)
Then I got home from school and you know what was waiting for me? My hubby making tacos for supper and flowers on the table. *sigh* It was so sweet!
Then the cherry on top was that we booked our flights to Halifax for August! We've never been on an actual vacation since getting together over 5 years ago. I'm SO excited!!
I wish every day could be that awesome!

Yay for Crises.

2010-04-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

So I had quite the professional crisis this past week, and if you know me at all, you know that means it lead to a personal crisis too. I'm a little emotional that way! :)

Without going into details, I was given the strong idea from a few people that:

-everything I'm doing in my classroom is wrong

-my educational philosophy is wrong

-I'm failing my students and everyone else

-more not fun stuff along those lines...

This lead to several days of little/no sleep, losing 5 pounds from not being able to eat cuz I was so stressed/depressed and generally crying 24/7. I was a wreck.

I finally sat down with my amazing Early Ed directors and poured everything out. They thankfully gave me some much needed encouragement and direction on how to deal with all this.

I sat down this weekend to really, REALLY analyze my educational philosophy and why I do things the way I do. When I did it was great to realize that I'm NOT a failure. NOT everything I was doing was wrong.

Yeah, some things needed tweaking and I was hugely lacking guidance in a few areas, but overall, I'm a good teacher.

I'm not one of the greats, but I think I have the potential to be one day with experience, mentoring and effort.

What do you, I'm pretty good at my job after all. No matter what some people say.

Whoa, heavy!

2010-04-11T15:34:00.001-07:00

I'm doing my first academic homework in years, dude!
I have a presentation due on Tuesday I have to give to all the administrators at my school plus about 6 of my peers. *nervous sigh*
I've decided to present on the topic of the importance of developing a strong philosphical foundation in the areas of fairness and competition in the classroom.
It's a really important thing to talk about (I think).
I can't tell you how many times a teacher has said to me, "I can't make special accommodations for a special needs student, it won't be fair to my other students!"
GAH!!
When will people stop ascribing to a 4 year old's definition of fairnes?!
Fairness DOES NOT mean everyone gets the same, it means everyone gets what they NEED!
I'm hoping to shake up a few people's teaching philosophies come Tuesday.
Wish me well!

Not So Fun Afternoon

2010-04-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well I guess you could say I officially had the scariest experience of my teaching career today, I actually had to call Child Services on a family, and almost the police too.

*sigh*

I obviously can't go into details.

Thankfully things ended better than I expected, still not great, but much better than what I was fearing would happen!

It was still a VERY stressful hour of my life. When I finally got back to the school I marched into the Early Ed office and asked who was buying me a drink! They all agreed I deserved one! :)

I'm a little nervous about the possible "fallout" from the family in the days to come, please keep me and my little student in your prayers. I don't necessarily want to see him removed from the home, but they do need some help. The family has clearly been struggling for months, but sadly reject our attempts at helping.

*sigh*

Deep breaths and it'll all be good...I hope.

Kid Pics

2010-03-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Finally found a few pics where my kids' faces aren't showing to show you a little of life in my classroom.

This is the giraffe I drew they called either a camel or horse.

My kids swarming the poor visiting fireman.

Fired!!

2010-03-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Chatting with a few EAs from the Early Ed class next doors to mine today. One little guy got quite upset he couldn't get his way. He pounded his fist on the table, pointed at one of them and hollered, "That's it! You're fired!"

Obviously both EAs at the table burst out laughing. He turns on the other one and yells, "Oh yeah, well you're fired too!"

Made my week!

Night & Day

2010-03-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

So yesterday one of my more, umm, let's say challenging students had a brutal day. It took 4 of us to get him on the bus and strapped in, I had to carry him down the hall to the bathroom while he clawed my arms and kicked me in the head the whole way there.

That's just a sampling of our day!

Then today, he was leaving for the bus, looked at me and said, "Thanks for having (me at) school!"

*melt*

It's a good thing he's so darn cute, man.

giggle

2010-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

So it may be totally mean of me but I totally got a laugh out of one of my students doing a full face plant in a big puddle yesterday!
Call me mean all you want, but when she stood up she was spitting muddy water and looking very confused about what had happened! Hee hee!

Things That Make My Heart Smile

2010-03-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

I need a little reminding right now, so in no particular order:

- Naestra using me as a human jungle gym

-My kids running into the classroom with a huge smile on their face and knocking me over while yelling "Missa Arr!"

-My hubby, his presence in general

-Tavin's drooly grin

-Tavin snuggling his head under my chin

-Bellydancing & the sound the coins on my hip scarf makes

-Garfield

-Calvin & Hobbes

-People enjoying the baking I make

-Travelling

-My one student calling kindergarten "in the night garden"

-Zack asking if I would like him to cuddle with me

And many, many more!

sniff

2010-03-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

One of my boys was very emotional today, crying at the drop of a hat.

He was holding hands walking back to class with my INSANELY hyper little one with Autism who let go of his hand in his excitement to run to the classroom door.

Cue tears and heartbreak.

"He doesn't want to hold my hand! He doesn't want to be my friend! Waaah!"

Before I could really say or do much to comfort or reassure him, the little guy that had been holding his hand took him gently by the shoulders, looked into his face and said,

"I be you best fweind." and hugged him!!!!!

OH...MY...GOSH!!

I nearly started crying then!

Stupid Day?

2010-02-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Some days, I tell ya!
Reading a children's book called "Brainy Baby's Animals" to my kids today. Apparently:
- a coyote is actually called a "fox"
-a black bear, cougar and bobcat live in a swamp with alligators and beavers
- every type of colourful fish is called an "angel fish"
- a gnu is actually called an "antelope"

Next I went to the washroom. Haning up next to the door is a poster lovingly supplied by my school board entitled "How to cope with stress"
# 6 Get up earlier.
#27 Get to work earlier.

I freaking kid you not.

Mirror, mirror...

2010-02-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

I got to see myself reflected in a tiny little mirror yesterday afternoon, so great! During free play 2 of my little guys wandered into circle corner and started pulling things out of my "off limits, teacher only" box I use for circle. I followed them and asked them what they were looking for. They both were looking for our rhythm sticks, wanting to sing our "This is the way we tap our sticks" song (that I sneakily use to teach up, down, left & right).

So I sat on the floor, let my little J & S share the teacher's spot. It was amazing! J started taking us through the ENTIRE circle routine. Every word I say/sing, every move I make, every idiosynracy of mine...it was the funniest, cutest thing I think I've ever seen! I was seriously in tears it was so funny.

He even imitated me not being able to find something I needed (sadly that happens pretty much every day). I haven't had that much fun at school in weeks.

I couldn't believe J had actually memorized every word and move I make. If you ever think they're not watching, you couldn't be more mistaken! They take in WAY more than we think!

Oh right, THAT'S why!

2010-02-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

If you have ever known a child with Autism, you know that many times they just don't connect emotionally with others. Many children with Autism will show very little emotion towards family members, friends or caregivers.

We've got a few little guys like that in my class. One of them is very affectionate towards his parents, but does not like other people much at all. He honestly spent the first 6 weeks of school laying beside the door to my room, sobbing. Trust me when I say we tried EVERYTHING to get him engaged or at least distracted. Nothing worked. It was heartbreaking for me and my staff to see him like this but there was nothing we could do.

Over the next few months he slowly improved. He would cry for half the day, then only the first 1/2 hour, then only the first few minutes. Now he is generally a content little man with very few tears. Huge progress! Well today was another huge progress that almost had me in tears.

I went to another room to pick him for a session. He didn't notice me when I came in, so I crouched down beside him, put my hand on his shoulder and called his name. He slowly turned his head, focused on my face for several seconds, made eye contact and SMILED! The hugest, sweetest most beautiful smile you ever saw! He held my gaze for several seconds and smiled away at me. (getting choked up as I type this)

Thank you sweetie, for my making my whole week worthwhile!

Arr Matey!

2010-02-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

My fav little guy was pretending to be a pirate on Tuesday. He ran up to me, squinting one eye closed, saying, "Hi ho, pirate Mrs. R!"

Love it!

My Prince

2010-02-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

This is how blessed I am. My amazing husband woke up at 7:30 after working the closing shift and came to surprise me at my school to volunteer in my morning class.

*sniff*

Is there a sweeter man in the entire universe. I'll post pics soon of the AWESOME block castle he built with two of my kids!

Bad or Good?

2010-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Asked one of my little guys with Autism how he was today. Response as follows:

Him: "I bad."

Me: "Oh dear, why are you bad?"

Him: "Oh, okay. (exasperated sigh) I good!"

Halfway

2010-01-30T13:13:00.000-08:00

So it's February. Halfway there. Halfway to the end of the school year. IPPs again, Parent Conferences again, Treatment Plans again. Evaluating how the kids are doing, whether or not we've succeeded in getting them to where they "should" be. Measuring, judging, evaluating, testing...

Part of me is so proud of how far so many of my kidlets have come. Proud of myself and my team for working so hard, overcoming so many obstacles.

Another part of me is panicked. Some of my kids are moving on to Kindergarten! "REAL" school! Are they ready? Have I done anywhere near enough? Can I do more in the time we have left? Aaah!

Ouch!

2010-01-20T15:04:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing that your heart can actually hurt more for someone else than it does for yourself?