Reflection

Education today is hard. 

Teaching today is hard. 
 
Would I ever consider leaving - not on your life.  

What I am learning this year is some of the simple things that I've never really thought about or thought it was okay to do. 


Walk away - It will still be there tomorrow. I promise. 

Take time for yourself- if not you loose yourself somewhere along this road. 

Remember that you have interests - follow them!

Friends - they are your lifeline!

Have someone that you can confide in. Being able to blow steam is a good thing. Find somone that understands what you do, because not all people do.  

Gymnastics

Apparently there was a memo that was sent out that I missed today.

According to some our second graders, it was act like a gymnast today.

See I come down the hallway right before dismissal and some of the second graders are getting their backpacks out of their cubbies... and there in the middle of the hallway is one of the boys attempting to do a cartwheel. Yep....

Oh and apparently today was International Coffee Day.... I guess I would know this but I don't drink coffee...

One of my high schoolers made my day. She works at McDonald's and she reminded me that they started serving breakfast all day yesterday. Egg McMuffins are one of the things she said they are selling all day. SCORE!!! She made my day!!! She thought I lost my mind... It's the small things.

Smiles on my face

There are several things that have put a smile on my face this week.

Yesterday morning one of my 10th graders rushes into my room at 8:55 (note that this is the time that first period starts)

Ms. D! I need your help!!! I have my paper for English paper due today and well I need it typed...

Me: The paper that is due right now?

Student: Yeah and well I have the first two paragraphs done and well then I got stuck.

Me: So, I'm not only typing your paper, I'm writing your paper that is now late.

Student: Yeah... well like I have it all in my head...

Me: So well.. I would love to help but I have to be in someone else's English class... I have 8th period...

Student: That would be perfect Ms. D!! I have study hall 8th period! I'll come back later!!

8th Period... we get the paper written through an act of God...

Thanks Ms. D!! You're awesome!! You said everything I wanted only better! I owe you!!

Me: How about half your grade?

Student: I can do that!



Students ask me how come I can understand and teach this math stuff so much better than their teachers...

I have a simple mind.
I'm re-learning the material myself - cause good lord it's been 20 years since I have seen ALG II let alone Geometry 
I'm on my second time in high school.

Here there and every where

It has been a while since I have put up a new post. 

To say that it has been a busy few first months of school would be an understatement. 

At the end of September... 

I am still finding students who have IEP's... including like 3 that started on the same day. 

Major Catholic High School apparently writes it's own IEP's but there is no way that I can transfer it back into my system for student who moves back in. No big deal. 

Being in classrooms has been rough this year.. Lots of things to learn.. 

We have learned that you can have an IQ that qualifies you for an intellectual disability but still be high enough to get into the high ability class. 

Humor:

Two students go down the hallway. One is sitting in a teacher rolley chair being pushed by the other student. Reason: She hurt her ankle. 

5 minutes later they both come back. Student sitting in chair before is now walking fine and other student is pushing empty chair. 

 

Change in location

Greetings everyone!

As you can see Slice of Special has a new home. Our old home was just not working as well as I had hoped it would. So here we are. Same name, same crazy stories... new home!

Tweets can still be found at

twitter.com/sliceofspecial

First week of school

If the first week of school is any indication of how the school year is going to go, folks we are in for a good year.

First week we found:

That no one really knows where IEP’s for head start kiddos in Indy are kept.

A child with wet hands, no socks and shoes on really did fall into the toilet.

Yes a self contained classroom really does mean a self contained classroom. The therapeutic part will be for staff by the end of the year.

Strippers apparently sometimes start their career in Kindergarten..

Followed by those who strip and hit themselves only qualify for a speech IEP

That some students really get through the system without an IEP who clearly need one

Or they stay with developmental delay because it can come off at age 10. Clearly there is FAR more going on.

We have apparently changed the name of North Central High School to Five Stone Academy and told no one.

A child who was on homebound at previous school, enrolls, at school all week, has IEP,and tells no one.  (Grandma shows up at 2pm on Friday with IEP asking what we can do for her grandson… uh didn’t know he was here)

Stories start and end with I can’t make this stuff up.

Welcome Back!

And we are back!!

Teacher institute started this week. We are off to a great start. Looking forward to a fantastic year!

And not to disappoint I do have stories and the kiddos haven’t started.

Got a phone call inquiring about a student.

Yes I’m calling from South Dakota about D.

Oh, yes, great kid love him!!

I just want to confirm what mom told me. She said that he is in 9th grade no IEP and is in the gifted program.

I busted out laughing. I couldn’t contain it. I apologized to the kind lady who understood why I laughed. I told her I’m sorry but he is a 7th grader, has an IEP, and isn’t in the high ability program.

You might want to have him tested for an LD placement.
Now I did have to chuckle about imaging a 6’1 African American 7th grader in the middle of South Dakota. Just sayin…


Story 2…

We have flipped the building for better supervision. Elementary is where middle school was and vice versa.

One of my middle schoolers comes in to get her schedule and went to the cafeteria to get shirts. She was walking past the elementary classrooms and says “why does it look so elementary over here?” While looking completely confused.
Cause it is the elementary side….

Re-enrollement fun

You say that summer re-enrollment is fun?

You say it can’t be that bad??

In reality it’s not that bad. Though it does provide some much needed entertainment for the summer months for special education. I give you these examples

On school enrollment packet it asks if your child has an IEP. Makes sense right?
Parent doesn’t check that child has an IEP. Yet openly tells us where he went to school (has to).  His previous school, yep you guessed it, a self contained SPED school for the district..  For behavior issues. SWEET!!! Oh and his previous school did send the IEP.  Turns out I happen to know the SPED Director over this program. Guess who’s getting a phone call come August.

Lesson for parents – please share that your child has an IEP. It only helps them. If not, I will find it. 
And I will be cranky when I do. Save some steps!!

Got a message from a parent that I must call her right away about her child starting in August. Why? The child’s behavioral therapist said she needed to talk to me as the parent. Keep in mind parent is dropping stuff off from therapist. Said child does not have an IEP and parent claims that she has already talked to me. SO don’t remember that conversation.

As someone so kindly reminded me… you are on vacation. Yes yes I am.

Field Day

Another field day is in the books!

Quite a great experience to see kids being kids, even the middle schoolers.

Shout out to the local police department for helping us cross a major street multiple times so we didn’t loose anyone.

I got to work the bounce house again. Sweet.

A parent noted… Hey your getting paid to work on your tan!

Yes yes I am!

Stories from testing

Doing standardized testing always brings out the best stories.

Today while I was waiting for all of the high schoolers to show up I was talking with  one of my former students who I was testing and one of the other sped teachers who knows the student’s youngest brother.

So is A act just like he does at school like he does at home?

Yep he’s bad.

(Love honesty)

Testing this afternoon, I was waiting for one of the students to show up so we could get started. One of the boys that I had, who I didn’t know well and I got to talking. He insisted that I needed to be on vacation on a beach or on a cruise and that the school should pay for it for me because I am highly over worked. I agreed with him and asked if I needed to take students with me. He said yes that I should take the three of them that had been testing with me. He told me not to worry that they would stay out of my way on their own beach chairs. He would also be busy finding hot chicks. Glad to know why he wants to go. He later asked me what a hot chick was. Go figure.

So the one student I was waiting for in the second round of testing, walks into the testing room, says that she was at the nurse but that she needs to go back because she  just walked out and needs to tell the nurse that she is with me. Okay..

10 min later she is not back. So I go to the nurses office.

M- I’m waiting on you to start ECA testing.
Nurse- I just gave her pain medicine
Me: Again, I am waiting on her for my group to start ECA testing.

Didn’t know that it takes 20 min to get a pain killer. Also glad to know that spending 20 min to get said pain medicine is more important than a test that determines if you graduate from high school. I know crazy priorities.

Since I have not been in my office, I put a sign on my door that says:

Chief Tater is Testing
She is not here.
Go back to class.

Had a 7th grader ask me this afternoon.. Where have you been all week?

Had one of the school psych’s come in and test today. The student he needed wasn’t here. So the school secretary comes in, while I’m reading directions with a sign on the door, and asks who the other student is he is supposed to test. I tell her. She then asks He’s supposed to test in your office right?? Yep that’s what I told you an hour ago before I started testing.

Realized yesterday that I started testing the wrong student. Didn’t realize until the right one walked into the room 20 min late after I had gotten completely through the practice test. Which I’m glad I figured out.

Sunday Night

Sunday night… So we meet again…

As I sit here tonight…

There is a front coming through.. good storms.

Monday it’s supposed to storm.

High School End of Course Assessments Mon Tues and Wed

Storms on Monday – May be severe.

Cooler Temps the rest of the week…

I did none of the work I needed to this weekend that I brought home that NEEDED to be done.

Oh and I am WIDE awake!

I see nothing wrong here… It’s going to be a great week!

Twitter account has been updated..

What you learn

Met for annual conferences today on two of my students. Great students… a brother and sister duo.

Both Mom and Grandma attended which was awesome.

We were talking about M. We have her under one disability. It is the common thought that she is really under a different disability (ASD) but mom does not want us to test her for that.

Why? Because the doctor says that we are all on the autism spectrum.. Ok..

During today’s meeting mom is talking about how easily M becomes upset when things don’t go her way.  So much so that M has to find something to calm her to be able to move on.

SLP: So Mom, does she perseverate on things or conversations?

Mom: Yes she does. All the time!

Hmmm..

Mom’s concerns are that M comes home and doesn’t understand why she didn’t get picked for something. Mom states that she is very emotional when she doesn’t understand. Once you explain she is fine. Mom states that she always asks why and doesn’t like when Mom says because it is what it is.

So I went into Autism Mode cause that is what I did. So I explained that M has a filing system in her brain that is all file folders with procedures. She needs to ask why to make a procedure folder. When you teller because, she doesn’t know how to make a procedure therefore she can’t file it therefore she can’t file it. Mom so understood this.

Finally mom is concerned about how she doesn’t understand how to make friends.

Grandma: Well you had that same problem growing up too.

DING!!!

And I M. under an LD classification.

I rest my case.

Gumby Visit

So apparently we had a visit from Gumby the other day and didn’t know it.

Went something like this:

Tuesday:
C is seen walking in the hallway by fellow SPED teacher holding his eye. Complaining that he was kicked in the eye. He was told that he would live and to go put water on it.
10 min later: C is in the nurses office telling same sob story, got same response.

Wed:
C is in my office supposed to be working on a reading activity. Other SPED teacher walks in and we start talking about the incident.

C: So I got kicked in the eye yesterday during PE

Me: How?

C: We were playing kickball

Me: I get that but how were you kicked in the eyeball

C: The kid kicked me in the eye as he went to kick the ball.

Me: Dude. I don’t get it.. your eye is here and his foot is there. Unless you are Gumby this can’t happen.

C: I swear I got kicked in the eye

Me: Someone is Gumby… So how?

C: I was sliding into the base and he kicked me when he went to kick the ball.

Me; Dude!! You forgot to tell me 5 min ago that you were on the floor when this happened. No wonder you got hit in the eye.
I know.. no sympathy…

Love my students

Can I just say I love my students… They give me so much entertainment…

Today to start off statewide testing…

One walks in as I am passing out testing books and the tardy bell is ringing on of my students walks in.. I tell him he’s late and he argues that hes not because the bell just rang. Dude you need to be in your seat when it rings.

Before testing starts, student walks in angrier than a hornet saying I need to deal with another student before he beats him up. Nope you need to deal with the anger real quick. Said student later walks into room. First student walks out fumes and all. I ask him to step into the room. He refuses. I refuse to give him the test and send him to the computer lab. I later find out he went to the office and told the office I said to go to the lab or the office. Nope sorry.

End of the day during tutoring, I’m taking test books up to the office because I am finally done.

Come back there is a student in my office, walked in when I wasn’t there, and was going through stuff on my desk.

Umm you need to go back to class.
But I asked my teacher..
That’s great You didn’t ask me and you didn’t have permission to enter my room and go through my stuff.
But I asked my teacher.
Great you didn’t ask me. Back to class with you
This is why life sucks – yep
Call the teacher – cause she had called me.
So I’m sending E Back
Great – I didn’t give him permission to go. He asked and walked out. I called you to see if you were in your office and he left.
Nope wasn’t in my office and nope didn’t give him permission to come.
He needs to be written up and his father called now…
Great! Your doing that right? Cause it’s not my class he walked out of.
Uh…

At dismissal, same teacher, same student..
Teacher hands me a note. Your not going to believe this. It will make your day, read it.
The note says:
E is playing with himself.
Great! Hope he had fun!
Teacher: That’s disgusting, why is he doing it? He shouldn’t be doing it.
Agreed..  what do you want me to do?? He’s being a teenage boy.
Teacher: He needs to be written up for that.
Great! Have fun with that!
Oh can I see the referral now!

Today

Today was day one of statewide testing… Overall I can call it a success!!

In other parts of the building…

Teacher would like to retain student who doesn’t understand the content in his current grade level. Yet, he’s making A’s and B’s.
Colleague would like him retained for valid reasons, didn’t pass statewide testing and has the attention span of the wind.

Home bound instructor would like work for all of his students today…. no teacher has provided any…

Colleague calls parent to set up move in conference – says she is screamed at and parent denied IEP.

Instead of waiting for me, calls director of Sped in Chicago, Get her response in email.

Colleagues response: I didn’t know what to do and you were testing Email forwarded to me about a follow up meeting, parent coming across defensive – has a right to be, staff member asks me what to do and then gets defensive when I give her my answer

Umm you are the one that didn’t know what to do.

After dismissal, staff member stops me to ask me a question:

So do you think you could come in and do an observation of a student tomorrow?

No, I’m ISTEP testing all day. I won’t have time until next week.
\
What do you mean you don’t have any time. Can’t you find some time?

I am testing 7th grade when everyone else is testing, and then I have a short break and then I test 8th grade.

So you mean you don’t have any time to come down to help me?

I will try but I’m not going to promise.

Great! Do I need to get permission for you to come in?

No

I will see you tomorrow!!

I have no idea what I’m observing. Luckily I know the student…

Crazy

There are no words that can describe the insanity that has been the last few weeks. I thought spring break would be good.. Nope… I was wrong.. 

Manifestation hearing for student who managed to turn over desks and throw things, wanted to put him on home bound. Parent refused home bound because the school wasn’t going to home school her child and said if he was expelled it was on him. (Student is 10) Then said that if we were wanting to take his IEP away from him that was fine with her. Nope really not doing that… And that is only part of her screaming at us.

Held Annual conference for student, grades are decent, behavior is in the tank, testing data sucks. Over all not bad.. Parent wants to know how to improve NWEA and ISTEP scores. Not concerned with anything else. Anger issue would have been my first but hey.

Staff member called Dean of students out of an admin meeting with a text message 911 and sent a staff member.. why you ask??? Because the student refused to talk or move. Yep…
Staff Member asks me to test several students.. sure no problem… Go to check scores on state wide testing.. two of the students have the alternative assessment listed with scores. The only way that you can have that is to have an IEP. And apparently they came from our sister school last year.
I was explaining to staff at lunch today that during professional development that not all that fun, I have to restrain myself from not channeling my students and turn into them. They actually encouraged me to do it and thought it would be fun to see. I told them I have a lot of material to work with.

State wide testing – yeah we aren’t even going to talk about that….

I will find it

Dear loving parents,

I know that when you move your child to a new school you would like them to have a new start. I completely understand and respect that.

Not telling the new school that your child has an IEP, does not help in the matter at all. I promise. It only hurts.

I also promise you this, it may take me time to find your child’s IEP, but I will find it. I will win this.

Thank you,

Your loving sped director