A Change...

This week our teacher announced that the house passed a bill to replace the NCLB law. The new bill will be called ESSA-Every Student Succeeds Act. I do not fully understand all of the changes that have been made, nor do I know the effects that this new change will have in long term, but do see promise in this change and hope for a better future. This is very exciting to be here for a part of history! I love that states will be in more control and I hope that this will be an improvement to the education of our children. My classroom group and I briefly talked about how this could greatly benefit education. We are excited to see what happens with education in the future. Now that we have studied laws in education throughout time, it is fun to see another change take place while we are in this class. If you would like to know more information on this change go to this link: http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml


As we draw an end to another semester, I am pausing to reflect on all that I have learned in my class. I must say that I have learn and gained an application not only for those that suffer from disabilities, but those that give of their time to care for them. In my classroom, I am surrounded by so many striving to be educators and I am in awe at their drive and compassion. These future teachers truly desire to service others, and knowing the pay, it is not for selfish reasons. I have gained a new appreciation for all educators. Countless amount of hours are placed in planning, accommodating, and taking all students into consideration when running a classroom. Teachers do much more than they are paid to do. My eyes have been opened and I will be forever respectful to my past and future teachers. Thank you teachers for all you do.

Service Learning

This semester our class was asked to complete five hours of service learning working with adults that struggle with disabilities. At the start of the semester, a boy from one of my classes announced how the school has an autistic mentoring program and that all were invited to join. This program allows student peers to work with students struggling with autism here on the campus of BYU-Idaho. The mentors help provide assistance with daily living, school, social/emotional difficulties, and anything else the student might be struggling with. To join the program, you agree to a two semester commitment, and agree to work with your mentee at least an hour a week.  I decided that this was something that I would love to be a part of. I attended training meetings every other week throughout the semester. After the first couple of meetings, I was set up with a partner and a mentee. My mentee is a first semester student. It was his first time being away from home, and he was nervous and scared to be on a new journey in life. Having a little bit of experience with those that are dealing with autism, I knew that change is one of the hardest challenges to encounter. My partner and I often helped him with social issues, as school seemed to be a strength for him. We still checked each week to make sure he was completing his assignments and that his grades were acceptable. His challenges dealt a lot with roommates, meeting new friends, and finding a place to belong. As we worked with him each week, I felt myself growing a deep care for him and his well-being. He always seemed so excited to see us each week. As time passed on, he seemed to become comfortable with us and less afraid to express his concerns in his life. We often talked openly about how to talk to his roommates, how to talk in a large group (knowing when it was his turn to speak), and how to make new friends. He often felt sorrow for not having any friends here, and was grateful to have us here to help him. After working with him for several weeks, I found a valuable resource that I used to help direct him in social settings. I also started implementing role playing to help him know how to respond in certain situations. The website was very helpful. I recommend it for anyone that struggles with social issues: http://www.autism.org.uk/socialskills  Overall I have felt that this experience has helped me to grow. It has helped me to gain more compassion and love for those that are dealing with a special need. I am grateful for this experience. I am looking forward for the opportunity to continue working with this program next semester. I am grateful for my mentee and all that he has taught me. I know I have made a new friend in the process also.

A Shout Out for Technology

(Warning: I am on a soapbox) I must admit, I am a bit old fashioned. I am not a huge fan of technology, and find myself angry at how it has taken away from our interpersonal communication skills. I can be on campus, surrounded by a sea of students, and still feel so alone. As I pass by each person I see, a screen blocks any person to person contact. I refuse to get a smart phone, and I only carry my phone occasionally...I am strange, and I know it, but I can remember what life was like before technology took the front seat, and I miss it. I miss people saying "hello" as I pass them by. Our world has changed, and often when I think of it, I tend to focus on the negative. Now, with keeping all that in mind, I must give a shout out to technology!

In class yesterday, we focused most of our time on visual impairments. We learned of a small handful of different causes and types. In groups we talked about ways in which we would accommodate students that have visual impairments. I learned a lot of great ideas on how to assist those students, but one particular part of the lesson stood out to me more than the rest. We learned about different types of technological assistance that is now widely available. I was not aware of any of these resources, and I must say that I was very impressed! As a class, we went into our phones (of course I could not participate in this activity without having a smart phone), but we saw how we could change the settings to help navigate the phone if we had visual impairments. Also, we went onto the computer, and found that every computer has settings to make the print/page larger, or be able to have information read out loud. I also learned about how you can now have any book/textbook transformed into a audio book. These are amazing tools and teachers really need to know about them to help assist any students they might have in their classrooms that would benefit from this technology.

So, going back to my first paragraph, I realize now how much good can come from technology. We are now in a world where disabilities are being recognized and accommodated for. It can help the children with certain disabilities to be able to be more independent. That is quite impressive and I can no longer keep a strong negative view about the technological world. For that reason, I must give a shout of for technology! What a wonderful asset to our world!

Don't Limit Me!

In one short moment, my thinking was changed. In class this, we learned about a few different impairments such as traumatic brain injury, orthopedic, and cognitive impairments. As we went through our lessons, my table of classmates and I discussed different ways to help children with these types of disabilities within our future classrooms. How would we help, assist, and accommodate them if they were in our classroom? We came up with several ideas such as providing an aid to assist them, giving them tools such as a "talking stick", or writing simple yet detailed step by step instructions on the board/paper that they could refer to throughout the class time. Of course all of these accommodations are good and often needed, but it never struck me that we as teachers, could be enabling these children. Of course this is a case by case basis, but how often do we do everything for people that we "think" cannot do it on their own or with little assistance. I have a friend who is blind and when I first met her, I did a lot to help her. I remember wondering how she can get by when I am not right there helping her at every moment... Then it hit me. She is much more capable than I had realized, and also very independent. I was not helping her in a way, I was enabling her. Why do we do this? I think ultimately we want to help. We want them to feel comfortable and are afraid to push them outside this comfort zone. As teachers, we should always remember to use LRE. We need to take these children into our classrooms and hold them to very high standards(for them). We must not limit any student! It was a wake up call for me as I watched this video in class of a girl that has down syndrome girl speaking on this matter titled, "Don't Limit Me."

Child Abuse

This was another difficult week in our class. How awful that we have to discuss topics such as child abuse, but we must be aware and realize that it does happen more than we might know. I have learned a lot this week during our discussions in class. Did you know that in 80.8% of the cases of child abuse, a parent is the perpetrator? Did you know that babies and toddlers are the largest group of children that are abused?

 

 

 

 

 

I was shocked to learn of this information and realized that educators working with children on a daily basis have huge responsibility to watch for these children, know the signs, and report it. Do you know the signs of abuse? Do you know what steps to take if you suspect abuse? I did not know before my class, but I was grateful to learn this information. I feel that I must write about this not only so I can remember it, but hopefully be able to teach someone who might be able to help a child who is suffering. This information is from my class lecture. I did not write this, but recorded it to pass on to you.

 

First it is important to know the different types of abuse: Neglect, Physical abuse, Sexual abuse, and Emotional/psychological abuse.

 

Do you know the signs of each one of these?

 

       NEGLECT:

• Repeated complaints of hunger
• Wearing dirty or unfitted clothes, often repeatedly wearing the same outfits
• Perpetually dirty hands, fingernails, hair, neck, face
• Inappropriate clothing for the weather
• Missing or forgetting supplies or homework
• Problems with social skills, specifically empathy
• Poor academic achievement
• Lack of response from caregivers to teachers' communication attempts (this is not a sign in and of itself)

      PHYSICAL ABUSE:

• Injuries that are not consistent with the explanation offered
• Presence of several injuries(3+) that are in various stages of healing
• Repeated injuries over a period of time
• Injuries that form a shape or pattern that may look like the object used to make the injury (examples: teeth, buckle, cigarette burns, etc.)
• Facial injuries in infants and preschool children
• Injuries not consistent with the child's age and development
• Bald patches on child's head where hair may have been torn out
• Repeated poisonings and/or accidents

      SEXUAL ABUSE:

• Difficulty walking or sitting-pain or itching in the genital area
• Withdrawal to infantile behavior
• Seems distracted or distant at odd times
• Has a sudden change in eating habits; can have trouble swallowing
• Sudden mood swings: rage, fear, insecurity, or withdrawal
• Leaves "clues" that seem likely to provoke a discussion about sexual issues
• Develops new or unusual fear of certain people or places
• Refuses to talk about a secret shared with an adult or older child
• Writes, draws, plays, or dreams of sexual or frightening images
• Talks about a new older friend
• Suddenly has money, toys, or other gifts without reason
• Thinks of self or body as repulsive or dirty or bad
• Exhibits adult-like sexual behaviors, language, and knowledge

      EMOTIONAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE:

 

      Signs in Child-

•  Being fearful of parent
• Saying they hate the parent
• Talking badly about themselves
• Seemingly emotionally immature when compared to peers
• Exhibiting sudden changes in speech, such as stuttering
• Experiencing sudden change in behavior, such as doing poorly in school

      Sign in the parent/caregiver-

• Showing little or no regard for the child
• Talking badly about the child
• Not touching or holding the child affectionately
• Not tending to the child's medical needs

In class we talked about how often times we need to use our judgement and listen to our instincts to know if something needs to be reported. My classmates and I talked about how you often need to see multiple signs in order to suspect something. If a child is wearing "hand me downs" from siblings that do not seem to fit quite right, it does not necessarily mean that child is neglected. We need to use proper judgement. It is important to note that teachers are responsible to report when they suspect a child is abused. Another part of our lesson that I feel is important to talk about is when you know a child is abused, what should you do and what should you not do.

 

      DO NOT:

• Interrogate the child to extract more information
• Get angry and say mean things about the person you suspect
• Make promises or guarantees of what will happen (This is important to keep the child's trust-you do not know exactly what will happen-Don't make empty promises)
• Only ask the parents and take their word for it

      DO:

• Tell them it is not their fault
• Tell them they have opportunity to share the information safely
• Follow your company/school's procedures
• Be an advocate regardless of worries about relationship with the child's family later
• Take swift action to report the incident and protect the child. Delays caused by not knowing what to do or failure to take action, contribute to the child's injury

 

Now that you know the signs and what to do or not to do, take action to pass this information to all those you know that have children in their lives. The children in this world need our help. They need us to be advocates for them. They need us to fight the fight that they are not able to fight. I hope that I will never have to use this information that I have learned, but if I need to, I know I will know what to do.

 

A video that might be helpful for all educators: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse

 

 

Resource: Farley, Laura. “Child Abuse and Neglect” PowerPoint presentation. Brigham Young University of Idaho,
Rexburg, Idaho. 13 Nov 2015.

 



A Hard Week

This week was a bit difficult in our class as we addressed children living in poverty and/or abuse situations. It is hard to know that so many innocent children are suffering. We watched a video on a school called Whitney Elementary in Las Vegas Nevada. This is one of the poorest schools in Las Vegas. They have over 500 children that live in poverty that attend their school. My heart was broken as I heard of what these children had to go through each day. The part that stood out to me, and what my classmates and I talked about in class, was the children that were taking home a handful of ketchup packets so they could eat "ketchup soup" for dinner that night. Another thing that stood out from the video was the fact that many of them were not aware that people celebrated their birthdays. Wow. I had know idea that this was happening in our country. The video does end on a happy note as the principle is working miracles and giving those children amazing opportunities and assistance for success now and in their future. I recommend watching it. Here is a Link.

It might be hard to not judge those caregivers of these children. I know it can be easy to point a finger. Our professor must have known that we might be quick to blame and had us do a simulation activity to see if we could survive for one month on a limited income. You first get to pick out a job, find health insurance, and then it takes you through a number of real life events to see if you could survive for an entire month. I remember that I was excited to see that I had about $250 left in my bank at the end of the month and thought, "Yes! I did it! I could survive!". Then I hit the next button and it said my rent was due the next day. I was about $600 short! I really did not make it. Reality hit hard. My group at my table all failed also. It was a good wake up call for us to not judge all those caregivers that struggle just to make ends meet. You can't point a finger and just tell them to get a job. It is a horrible cycle and it is hard to find a way out of it. I learned a lot just from this activity. If you are interested here is the link to be able to do the simulation activity yourself. I really did learn a lot this week. 

Opening My Eyes to Sight

For class, we were required to do a simulation activity to simulate different problems that can happen regarding sight. I was given four masks representing someone having glaucoma, loss of an eye, problems with the lens(such as astigmatism) that causes loss of visual acuity, and macular degeneration. I wore each mask for an hour, totaling four hours for the entire activity. This was defiantly a struggle. I was trying to work on my homework the entire time and quickly realized it was not going to be easy. The mask that stimulated the loss of an eye, covered one eye and left the other eye uncovered. I found that this one quickly gave me a headache. I just wanted to close my eyes and not open them the entire hour. I still managed to do my homework, but it took me longer and struggled to concentrate. The next mask that I wore stimulated macular degeneration. This one might have been the "easiest" one to experience, although it was still difficult to function. The mask made it so I had dark spots right in the middle of my view. I was still able to read, but I was slow. I also noticed that I kept loosing track on where I was reading on my page. I was often lost going from one line to the next. The next mask that I wore stimulated glaucoma. This one let you see out of small tiny circles, kind of like having tunnel vision. This one was difficult, but still not the hardest one. I was able to continue with my homework (slowly) and struggled more when I looked long distant. Walking was also very difficult with this mask. With no peripheral vision, I struggled to take in my surroundings. I was afraid to go very far while wearing this mask. I cannot imagine having sight so limited for any extended period of time. The last mask that I wore was the hardest one for me to experience. It was stimulating loss of visual acuity. While wearing this mask, it was difficult to see anything. I could no longer read and had to put away my homework. I could not use my computer or phone. I struggled to make sure I put everything in my backpack and that I did not leave anything behind when I left. It was a long hour. I couldn't tell if anyone was looking at me and I was nervous and afraid to address anyone without being able to see them. I just saw blurs. Lots and lots of blurry people. Sight would be such a difficult thing to loose. I admit that I have taken mine for granted. I think about all of those things that I would not be able to do: drive a car, ride a bike, walk to places, read a book, watch a movie, look at the person I am talking to, shopping at a store, getting dressed and ready in the morning...I am sure I could go on forever. What would I do? How would I handle this? What would life be like? I am grateful for this experience and for it opening my eyes to the world of those living without sight. The world looks a lot different to me now.