A Step Forward

I have a very bright student who is failing because he has given up. He excuses himself by saying he will try, but having said that he does not finish. He will often tell me that he has forgotten, as if that will make everything fine. Recently he was placed on a behavior contract. This is a tangible way of tracking behavior. Yesterday I saw a happy child that was finally getting work done. I told him that it was nice watching him grow up. He is making progress, even if for just one day, he is moving forward one step at a time.

A Good Motto

Failure is forgiven;

Giving up is not.

Good Day

Today was a good day. My most difficult student finally had a day without getting into trouble. Another difficult student has now had 6 consecutive days of good behavior. It is an amazing change. Many interventions have been tried on behalf of these students including prayer. Never underestimate the power of prayer.

Winnie-the-Pooh

When I was getting my Special Education credential at Cal State San Marcos, I did a report on AD/HD. One of the resources I used compared AD/HD to the characters from Winnie-the-Pooh. The typical impression of AD/HD behavior is to think about Tigger. I call it the “Bounce off the wall” type of behavior. This type is usually identified by 6-years-old. The quiet type is often missed altogether. Many of my current students have the quiet type of AD/HD. Here is a list of each type of AD/HD and their Winnie-the-Pooh character. The last one does not have a character from Winnie-the-Pooh, but I think there are many people in prison that would fit this criteria.
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Winnie-the-Pooh

Inattentive, distractible, disorganized, friendly,

“Space Cadet”

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Tigger

Inattentive, impulsive,

hyperactive, restless, bouncy

  

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Eeyore

Inattentive with

chronic low depression

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Piglet

Difficulty shifting attention,

excessive worry, easily startled.

   

Rabbit

Difficulty shifting attention,

inflexible, argumentative



Troubled Type

 Irritable, aggressive, impulsive,

defiant, disobedient, learning problems



The Sub



Yesterday I was in an all day workshop, and my assistant was absent too. I promised my students a treat if they were good for the substitute. The written report from the sub indicated the students I expected to be good were, and the ones I expected would be difficult were as well. The students are graded on their behavior each period according to a rubric that is displayed on the wall. According to that rubric, two students earned an “F” the last period of the day. This indicated they got no work done, and they distracted others from working. I was not surprised at the names of the two students, but I did feel bad for the sub. He is scheduled to return on Friday, and I hope he does.

A Strange Day

Something strange happened Wednesday. It was strange, but nice. My two most difficult students weren’t difficult. They were actually good. They were polite, appropriate, and on-task. I gave them each a new pencil with the words, “Caught You Doing Good,” on it. This was done in separate periods. They actually seemed to like getting the positive attention from me, instead of the goofy laughing of their peers. I got good reports on them from other teachers too. I hope it will happen again. Everyday would be nice.