Entry #2 - Fitting in

This week I had a wonderful time getting to know the students in my class better. I knew right off the top which ones might need some extra care and attention; this week I was able to watch them carefully and test out some management strategies to find which might be effective for each child. I did find a few wonderful strategies that I will continue to use. I did teach my first lesson and was very impressed with how it all went. We were learning about triangles, so I asked them to make me triangle shapes with their bodies in as many ways as possible. It was neat to see them being active, and the results were so creative.

This week I also went ahead and made up a better plan for how I will learn about our special needs student in the older grades. This week, I spoke to my teacher about strategies that she had tried with him in Kindergarten, and inquired as to why these same strategies that appeared to be helping were not implemented in later grades. Honestly though, no one seemed to be able to tell me, and so, I will continue this next week with the principal.

Week one: Learn about the needs of the child, and chat with his current teacher about strategies he is using and whether or not they are working.

Week two: Ask the principal what she thinks might be the next step in dealing with the situation. This child is without doubt a danger to himself, other children, teachers, and EA's. He has been through 8 EA's already. Is there anything that the principal can do at this point without parental support? Where is the last straw?

Week Three: Talk to the student in question. Ask him what he think of school and if he likes meeting the new "helper friends" every few months. Ask him what he thinks should happen if he hurts someone, and ask him what really does happen. How does this student feel?

Week Four: Learn about Autism spectrum disorder, and try and find out if there are strategies to severe behaviour children that could useful to the school. Because one of the problems is that this student doesn't have the supporting tools he needs, because he is only funded for point five EA and no additional funding, then some new strategies might be something worth trying.

Week Five: Find out all of the schools in the district who are able to work with this particular special need and have the resources needed. Learn what they are using, and how it is working, and who is in those classrooms everyday.

Week six: Try and find out what teachers in other schools do when they are in similar situations with students who have serious behaviours, no proper resources to help (i.e. no needed tools), and have EA's who won't stay around.

Week seven: Learn why the student has been enabled to get worse over the years, and why no one has stepped in to take action while there is a child in the school who is a danger to their children. And why are the parents not wanting to be involved in the healing of their child, as opposed to the detriments of others and himself? I might try to speak to a parent, but I don't want to be rude, point fingers, or be reprimanding in any way, so I may not speak to them.

Week Eight: Think for myself what I would do in this situation. What would I do, Where would I go next?