Things are going pretty fast at school. The year has come to an end in no time. I'm going through the "oh my goodness I haven't accomplished a thing" kinda phase coz I'm looking at the unfilled part of the glass right now. Anyways, so my plan for the upcoming month is to practice the set of goals that were accomplished by the students in order to be able to write a complete assessment of where they will be standing by the end of the year. I am also planning to create a work portfolio for each student with samples of the work and lots of pictures of them!
G: el7imdilla. G is not going anywhere! She will stay in my class, but I'll have to arrange a special schedule for her in order for her to be able to socialize with students from other sections. I was hoping to accomplish more with regards to her IEP since I see her as a very bright gurl. But unfortunately, time was limited and I just understood what her case is about. Ofcourse I'm still worried about her since there is a possibility that she would get totally blind--in this case, she will be treated as a deaf-blind student which will make her very difficult to handle.
R: Compared to the rest of the students, R showed the least amount of progress due to her very long period of absence, her family's dishonesty, and because her case hasn't been clear to me whatsoever. I just found out that she is diagnosed with Agenesis of Corpus Callosum, which in brief refers to the absence of hundreds of millions of nerve tissues that connect the right and left hemispheres of the brain. I was shocked coz I have been studying about how to stimulate the interaction between the 2 hemispheres back in UNI. Now, I'm working with a student who doesn't even have it. Part of it was a relief since I was nearly going crazy about not knowing the reason behind her social withdrawal. ACC has so much to do with that which is the reason why she is not able to perceive facial expressions and social cues. Her next year's IEP would be totally different.
A: He has changed A LOT since the beginning of the year! I can't wait until the end so that I could read the very first post about him. There is NO SPITTING not in school..not at home. He used much of his 'stored' language which is very positive. He washes his hands, and put his shoes on all by himself. And he also matches colors! I'm so proud of him. He turned out to be an achievement instead of a failure.
H: My baby has also changed so much. She is very social, always smiling, loves being around her teachers and friends. She somehow knows the basic colors (red, blue, yellow, green). Her language improved! I'm just confused about her mental state. I've always believed in her, and I truely believe that she is in a normal mental condition but has been affected by environmental factors that has lowered it. However, others can't see that. I'm not sure if I'm only being sensitive about it which makes me not able to be as objective as others.
6 comments:
heart-felt update...
i get goosebumps when i read for u...when u describe ur student, i visualize them n also there are many feelings of urs mixed n felt in ur words...
gluck with them thinker
Things did go pretty fast this year, especially with the amount of effort you put into developing their skills. The changes that showed on each student is mostly the continued work you've prepared and analyzed.
If there's anything i'm proud to say, is that you've done what you wanted to do at the beginning of the year. You have at least moved these students out of that circle that they have been in over the past.
G, what a student, a role model to those students who go to normal schools. She's active, bright, and mature in her actions. If there's something that makes my day, its reading or hearing about her.
As for R, I believe that her family is just let down by the fact that she has this, and are consequently denying her the privelege of interacting with you and her fellow classmates.
One person i'm really happy to know about is A. Ever since the beginning of the year, i've been reading about the trouble he causes and i never ever doubted your ability to change him. As much as i'm proud of him, i'm proud of you for your ability to control yourself in front of everything he has caused, and being able to change him COMPLETELY. Simply AMAZING.
H is yet another achievement, and i so hope to see her in a normal school soon. I believe that the closest of your students to that is H, you have worked hard to understand her nature and have change a lot of the aspects that needed to be changed. I solute you on your efforts with her too.
All in all, i'm really glad i'm reading this right now, knowing that you've touched these students' lives and got awarded by their change. A great teacher would be a great mentor and a great life-changing person. There is no quality an amazing teacher would have that you don't have, probably even more. The most amazing of these traits is getting rewarded by the simplest of things, the progress of your students.
Wish you all the best.
Always and forever,
S2
looking back, at least you have accomplished more than most of us/any of us could say about our crappy jobs. i am proud of your achievements and the way you were able to alter lives (that's not the easiest thing in the world), but most of all i am extremely proud of the fact you didn't listen to anyone & you followed your dreams, your own voice & that you made it on your own. in many ways, you inspire me to do the same.
fatmeh: my first year of teaching has taught me how to love my students and believe in them regardless of what their files, parents, or other therapists say! I have grown to be so attached to them, which does have its negatives and positives.
Thank you fatmeh =)
s2: I took my time to understand my students and the environments each has come from. I used to think that reading about each student's diagnosis or syndrome makes it easy to teach. Ofcourse it did help in a way, but now I believe that every child is a unique case of his or her very own self. And there's no way we can judge except through spending as much time with them AND their families. The best thing about teaching children with special needs is that you learn through time that the simplest changes make such a huge difference in those children's lives. Which makes teaching them so rewarding =) I'm so glad that you've been reading about my students' progress!
Thanks ^_^
mizzy: life is all about choices. making the right choice and learning from your mistakes. and most importantly, listening to your inner voice. i did go through moments of doubt, break-downs, and all. and it was hard to be alone. but i finally found my path, where i truely belong.
inshAllah you will find your very own place, even if life looked ugly at some point. it will eventually lead you towards making the right choice and reaching your goals =)
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