I Tip My Hat to All Teachers Everywhere!

In class this week, we worked on a case study dealing with a teacher assessing her students in her classroom. This teacher worked hard to help provide help for those students that might be falling a behind academically. As a group, we worked together to determine what assessments she used. As the case study went on, we learned that one girl in particular seemed to be behind when compared to her peers. We talked about what might be the next step the teacher should take to help make sure that this girl receives the best possible help without putting her at more risk of embarrassment or shame. The rest of our class time was spent on this part of the case study. As we talked, my team expressed the need of speaking with the girl's parents to help better understand the child. We talked about doing more assessments, such as probes, to gain more insight on where she is academically. We also talked about looking for outside help to come in and observe, such as help from a special education teacher. During this time, thoughts came into my mind of just how difficult it is to be a teacher. Before this class, I had no idea how much time and work goes into teaching. (SIDE NOTE: I am not a teaching major, so I have not had a lot of classes like this one.) They work so hard not only coming up with lessons and classroom designs, but then to have to worry about each and every child on an individual basis. My heart is tender for all teachers. They work so hard and care so much. I cannot imagine the responsibility that goes with teaching, but I do know that I will always remember this lesson and appreciate teachers more. I tip my hat off to all teachers, and especially the ones that taught and sacrificed for me.

Meeting the Students' Needs

This week we learned about how to assess students in your classroom and plan instruction according to the needs of those students. We broke up into our groups in our class and designed a poster to help illustrate how a teacher can meet the students’ needs within their classrooms. I really feel that this activity helped to bring the lesson to life. I love being able to work with others to learn. I feel that I gain more when I am able to teach but also learn from my classmates. I learned this week that, overall, the teachers really do put the children in their classrooms first. Even if they have their classroom set up a certain way, they really need to think about accommodating their room to meet the needs of their students. For our poster we drew a boy that illustrates a student in need of help. It is hard to see on the picture, but he is standing on a foundation of “assessments” since this is the first step in knowing the needs of your students. As you move up the picture, you will see there are many ways to help the child based off of the results of the assessments. You might want to change the way the classroom is managed. This can be anything from moving the desks, time management, to changing the materials that are used. Each of these actions, will help to ultimately help “turn on the light” for the student and help them to learn in the best way possible. I hope that I will be able to remember this in the future as I teach children. Maybe I will not be a professional teacher, but I know now that it is always best to keep the child’s needs first.

A Day of Teaching

In our class, we were divided up into groups and given topics to teach our classmates about. My group taught of Speech and Language disorders and I was asked to reflect on our teaching.

I had a lot of fun getting prepared for our lesson. Speech and Language is something that I am passionate about and love researching and learning new information on this topic. I worked many years ago as a speech paraprofessional and found that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I realize the value of speech and language and how important early intervention can be. I hope that this is something that I will be able to do as I continue my education.

My teaching reflection:

I feel that I did well on delivering my part of the lesson. I do not believe that I was perfect at teaching, but I did enjoy learning and sharing what I learned with my class. I feel that even though I was a little bit nervous, I was able to get most of what I had planned to teach across to the students. I believe our teaching was affective through the activities we had planned. I passed out tongue depressors so our class could use them to while speaking to a partner. I wanted them to feel a little bit of what it might be like to not be able to move your tongue in the right way when speaking. Many students expressed frustration and embarrassment. I believe that activities like those help to bring the lesson to life and help those learning to be able to remember the lessons and what they were about.

I really believe that the students were actively engaged during our lesson. I noticed that many students were asking questions and sharing personal stories with our class during our lesson. They also seemed to enjoy our simulation activities.

I do not think that I would have done too much differently while teaching, but I would have liked to make the handout different. I wanted to include more information and felt like a lot of information was missing.

To improve in my lesson I would have liked to be more engaged in discussion with the students. I could tell they had a lot to say, and I did not feel that I gave them enough time to talk and reflect on certain topics. I believe that much of our lesson would have been discussion if we did not have a time limit.

I feel overall our group did well. To rate our teaching based off a 0, 5, or 10 is difficult because I do not believe that we were a perfect 10, but I feel that we were closer to a 10 than a 5. We met together a few times before we taught and all worked together to figure out what we would teach and how we would teach it. I feel that I would rate myself the same as my group. I figured out our assimilation activities and tried really hard to make the lesson exciting and engaging. I put a lot of thought and work into the lesson and was very excited to teach my classmates what I had learned.

Stephanie Nielson

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a forum by Stephanie Nielson on the campus of BYU-Idaho. In 2008, Stephanie, her husband, and their friend who was also the pilot, was involved in a tragic plane accident. More than 80% of Stephanie's body was severely burned. Her husband had broken his back and also suffered burns. Sadly their friend passed away. After many months in a medically induced coma and multiple surgeries, she was able to continue on with life, although in a new form. Her message of her accident, healing process, and finding the strength to move on, touched my heart. She told of her experience, and about the long arduous journey of healing, both physically and emotionally. I was touched by her story of the first time that she looked in the mirror. She asked to be alone and worked up the courage to lift it up and see her new face. I cannot imagine the way she must of felt. She feared that she was no longer beautiful. She feared her children would be afraid of her. She feared she would only be seen as a monster. I must say that as she testified of the healing power of prayer and her faith in God, I did not see a face that looked scary, but a face of pure beauty. She inspired me to be grateful for my trials and find hope in what lies ahead. For those that have not heard of her or would like to read her blog, I would highly recommend reading her story. NieNie Blog or Stephanie Nielson's Message

Mock IEP

This week in class we held mock IEP meetings. An IEP is an individualized education plan to help with children that have any special needs. A team meets together to discuss needs and concerns dealing with a particular child. A team consists of the general education teacher, special education teacher, parent(s), school psychologist, local educational administrator, social worker, and any others that might be needed such as a speech and language pathologist. This team collaborates together to figure out the best plan to ensure a proper and appropriate education for the child. In my class team, we each took on a role to act out during our mock IEP meeting. It was a perfect way to help us better understand what should take place during those meetings. We learned a lot of how imperative it is to work together as a group to decided placement, goals, and plans for the child’s education. We learned how vital it is that a parent is present to help those in the team to better understand their child and hear their concerns and requests. This assignment really helped me to realize the importance of having an entire team to be advocates for one child. I believe this helps to ensure that the best approach is being implemented instead of a hasty life altering decision made by a single individual. While I do not believe the teams are perfect, I do believe they have the best interest of the child in mind. I am grateful for this experience and believe it helped me to understand how important it is to always place a child's needs first.

Day of Sympathy #3

I must admit that this activity was the most difficult one for me. We were assigned to ask for help from a stranger while not being able to say the letters "l" or "n" to simulate a learning disability. The stuttering assignment was easier in a way since I did not have to think about it as much while I was speaking. During this simulation activity, I am quite certain I struggled with staying consistent...saying an "l" one time and not another time. I just got funny looks this time instead of people being nice. It is so frustrating to have something to ask or say and not be able to just say it. I struggled and felt silly as I fumbled through my questions. I cannot imagine struggling with this kind of disability daily. It would be tempting to stop talking altogether just to avoid the strange looks or the "What?" response after you have already asked a question a couple of times. I thought about how hard it is to be different. What must it be like? Here is one girl's thoughts on having Asperger's syndrome and feeling different from those around her:

 "Feeling Different From Others: I'm a 22 year old young woman that has Asperger's Syndrome. I was diagnosed when I was about four years old. I knew I was different from the other kids, but I didn't know what AS was until I was in high school. I hate myself for having this disability. I've meet people in high school, but I felt left out and isolated because I was different. I don't think anybody knows that I have AS. I struggled to fit in, but I was always pushed away and end up alone. I was frustrated. I was never part of a group of friends. I only have one friend that is very true to me and she never ignored me. I have friends outside of high school and connected to a few of my childhood friends made me so happy. I sometimes feel rotten because of my disability and stupid, but I'm not. I feel stupid and sometimes I regret my childhood because I wasn't in the same level as other kids my age. I wish Autism wound go away, but unfortunately, it can't. I'm a college student and my mind will be focused in the present."

(Source: http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Hate-Having-Aspergers-Syndrome/2494448)

Reading this made my heart hurt. To be different and desire to not be what you are, would be a very difficult struggle. I wondered what parents and teachers might be able to do to help assist those that are struggling with "feeling different". In my search I found a resource that I thought might be beneficial to share that could help both parents and teachers: Empowering Parents  I believe that letting children know that they are not alone and that help is available can be one of the best actions we can take.

I really felt a bit of this frustration during this assignment. I can imagine that day after day, the frustration would only escalate. I can imagine feeling alone and thinking that no one understands. I hope that by following some of the advice given in the article that I found might help someone who has a child in their life that might express these feelings.

Help the Children

                                            
The title of the chapter reading for this week is, "Special Education Procedures and Services". As I reflected on what we learned from class this week, I think I would like to rename this chapter to, "Help the Children." Each law and case that my classmates and I have learned about this week, seemed as if they were centered around what is best for the children. Educators must help those that are in need of more assistance. They are required to find the best environment and services to meet the needs of each child. This is not a fast or careless decision, but based off of a lengthy extended period of time, observing and implementing a variety of interventions before any labels are put into place. This process ensures that the child will be able to receive a quality education best suited to help them succeed. I thought of all the specialists that help with this process. They too keep in mind of what is best for the child. I respect the rights of the parents and I am grateful to learn of due processes that give parents the ability to protest their child's treatment if they do not believe that it is fair or the best care for their child. Once again, a law that protects and helps the children. I have learned to love these laws as I have realized it is all for the children. As a caregiver, teacher, or other leader of children, it is comforting to me that so many are advocates for the children. I must add a talk that I thought of this week. President Gordon B. Hinckley in October 1994 gave a general conference talk for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, titled, "Save the Children". I loved his message. Hinckley said, "My plea—and I wish I were more eloquent in voicing it—is a plea to save the children. Too many of them walk with pain and fear, in loneliness and despair. Children need sunlight. They need happiness. They need love and nurture. They need kindness and refreshment and affection." May we always fight and protect the children, the future generations of our world.

Day of Sympathy #2

For my class I was assigned to have a speech impairment. The speech impairment was stuttering. I was required to go to a help desk and ask for help with something. I asked where was the nearest bathroom. I also had to ask for assistance while at the store. I have to admit this was more difficult to complete than the wheel chair assignment. I practiced a lot before I attempted it, and found that I did not sound very convincing. I felt nervous to address the people. Both people that I spoke with were very nice and patient with me, but I feel that this might not also be the case with those that have a problem with stuttering. I could imagine that not only would I be afraid to talk to others, I would often be frustrated not being able to communicate the way that I would like. Language and communication are very important, and I cannot imagine how much of a struggle it would be to have a disorder like this for an extended period of time. Even though there is help through speech pathology, often times, the disorder can remain throughout the person's life. I hope that in the future I might be able to not get impatient with those that struggle with speech disorders. For more information on this topic, here is a link on stuttering.

Early Intervention is KEY!

This week in class we learned about developmental delays. I have heard of this term but did not realize that it is a temporary title. Developmental delays only are used for children ages 3 to the 10th birthday. Developmental milestones are provided to know if a certain child has a delay. If a significant delay is noticed within a child, they are not diagnosed with a particular disability, but are given early intervention care in hopes that it might remedy the existing delay. I am grateful to learn about the importance of early intervention and that it has become a high priority in our country. As an educator over children, it would be vital to know the warning signs of developmental delays and know the strategies to assist those children. Teachers need to know that through this early intervention, a child can begin to advance in all areas of development. My group talked about the importance of being aware of the symptoms and the priority of getting the child the help that is needed.

Here is a link that could help parents understand developmental milestones with their child and what steps they would need to take if a delay is suspected: Developmental Milestones



Here is another link for educators for strategies for children that are developmentally delayed that they can implement within their own classroom: Teaching Children With Developmental Disabilities: Classroom Ideas