During week 6, I added two more kids to make up for the absent days in week 5. The children took to me in no time. I was teaching half days on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and only one lesson on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These kids are so different: different learning styles, different language levels, different grades, and different abilities. I teach one kid with multiple disabilities, s/he is just a joy. Sure makes going to work on Monday morning something to look forward too. The next child I teach is also a joy. I walk out of the class with my checks hurting because we are constantly laughing. The stories this little one tells me are more than hilarious. One story that s/he told me that s/he will be married by the time s/he was 15!! Can you imagine?! Just so funny!
Week 7, I added one more. This meant that I would be teaching all day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We also see this kid everyday, so I don't really have a day in between so I had to have my lessons read, which was hard cause I didn't have that extra day to plan. This child I was the most scared to add because s/he could have a lot of behavior problems, so I was nervous because I really don't have a lot of experience in dealing with behaviors. However, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. First trick: visual schedule, second trick: Rewards!!! I wanted this kids to think that my classroom is fun, and exciting but we are also expected to work. So, if the child was good, I planed on using the smart board! The child good on Monday! So, we got to use the smart board. Sad to say, we couldn't use the board on Tuesday or Wednesday, or Thursday. However, on Wednesday after school, I attended an Early Intervention Behavior Modification class. Our teacher told us that we need to give the child more breaks throughout the day as a reward for doing what they are told. Makes sense. This poor kid, is in my class for 90 minutes straight and we were constantly throwing work at her/him. I would be frustrated too. So, I thought about and decided to implement it on Friday. So now, we work for a little bit, enough to get one task done and then I give her/him a break as I set up for the next lesson. IT WORKED!! We have been flying through my lessons and ending up having about 15-20 minutes of play time on the smart board. Of course, I still have objectives that we are targeting but the student doesn't have to know that. hehehe.
I am truly enjoying what I am doing. My teacher comes for my midterm evaluation on Monday. I hope she sees my skills and how much I love what I do. Wish me luck!
Breaking up the 90 minutes instructional time into small sections is a great strategy. You mentioned a similar strategy in your reading strategies as well. Actually, it is one of the most important, if not the most important, strategies in teaching, particularly, students with disabilities.
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