Wonders Never Cease.....

For the past two days, I have been substitute teaching in a self contained classroom. These children not only have learning disabilities, but they also have physical and psychological handicaps. Many of these children do not speak clearly and several do not have the ability to form a sentence.

When one goes into a situation such as this one, one may think, "this is a shell of a child, how can I possibly teach them, what can they learn?" After observing these children, one will find that they are highly creative and have capabilities that seem to be inate. These children are affectionate and if they can sit down long enough to listen, they are eagar to please.

These children have embedded themselves into my heart. I have a new perspective on the saying, "ALL children deserve an education".

Comments

My license

So...it's the end of November, and I finally received my license. Although it's only a provsional license....it still makes me feel more official! Now, I will finally get to sign my contract.

Conundrums and Impact

This is not the post I planned to publish this month. My intent for this post was to discuss rurality and its impact on Fort Smith teachers (I promise, there is an impact). But, it can wait until next month. Instead, let's chat about uncomfortable and awkward professional moments. A couple of months ago, I interviewed for a local, rural high school principal position. I was stoked about the opportunity, so I Showed Up for the interview! To prepare, I studied the population, the community traditions, the instructional strengths and weaknesses, and how the school leadership communicated with the external community. I even familiarized myself with local organizations interconnected with the school community. It was absolutely the best interview I have ever had. I actually drove away, terrified that I may be selected as the instructional leader of a high school when I have absolutely no high school experience. Fast forward to May 18 and an invitation to interview for a middle schoo

There are good days....and there are bad days!

So....we are well into the second quarter. My kids trust me, they talk to me, they help in the classroom, and most of them want to make me proud; HOWEVER, there are the handful who continue to disrupt and I just don't know how to get through to them. My days are filled with engaging activities, but, I have found a flaw in it: Our children expect to be stimulated every second of every day and they are not being taught the skill of being quiet and still. Is this not a skill that they will need to advance to junior high and high school? College and adulthood? Are we not doing the children a disservice? So....my solution is this. YES, engage them in activities that will assist them in making an emotional connection, but also, have time set aside each day for notetaking and reflection. Although I realize that I am not supposed to "teach to the test", if I don't teach the test, how do my students know how to successfully take the test? HAVE YOU READ THE TEST Q

Dana's Blog

Search This Blog