Attitude

As a Special Education teacher I help students with learning challenges. Many of these students have behaviors that impede their learning. Some of these behaviors are bad habits. The kids have learned that they like to make people laugh, and often their jokes are at the expense of other’s feelings. I have two rules in my classroom.
1. Work Hard

2. Be Kind

We talk about what it looks like to work hard, and what it looks like to be kind. This includes being kind to each other and to things. One form of kindness is in the attitude a person has. One of my students has a poisonous attitude. It is like the saying, “One bad apple will spoil the whole bunch.” I asked him to do something yesterday so he would have his homework ready for today. He told me he didn’t care, and he was determined to be uncooperative. He reeks a tough-guy aura, which is especially interesting since he is the size of an 8-year-old. All the students watched this little scene play out. I sent Mr. Tough-Guy outside for a time-out. Words and attitudes are very powerful. They can inspire and they can destroy.

Baptism

This past weekend a sweet 8-year-old girl was baptized. She was very excited. She was one of my Primary children when I taught the CTR 7 class, so this was special for me too. I had helped them plan the baptism. Last December, a day after Christmas, the mom was baptized. It was a short meeting. I think the missionaries gave the talks, and it was not attended by many people. I remember the dad wore jeans and a t-shirt. The contrast at this baptism was striking. The dad was dressed in a white shirt, tie, and dress pants. He did the baptism and confirmation. The transformation that has taken place in this family is beautiful. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly brings out the best in each of us.

Migraines

Isaac got the results of his EEG. He has white spots on his brain, which are associated with migraines and seizures. He is now taking medication that addresses both of these concerns. Isaac had passed out a few times on his mission. The doctor thinks that Isaac was most likely having a petit mal seizure. He is grateful to be validated that his migraines are real, and for a real reason.

No Excuses

If you want something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.

Primary

We had a Primary Presidency meeting this evening. The person in charge of the ward activities came to talk about the ward Christmas party. The Primary has been asked to provide a craft for the children. We were all so tired that we didn’t have much to say. I felt bad that we didn’t reciprocate her enthusiasm, but now ideas can start to percolate in our brains. We love the Primary, and our energy will come back.

Better Day

Today I had three IEP meetings; one before school, one after school, and one at 1:00pm. The day went smoother for the challenging little boy. Marc spoke to his mom, she only speaks Spanish, and let her know how her son’s day had gone. Apparently she has some influence because he was much improved today. He was actually polite.

I have a new computer setting on my desk, and a new laser printer. I can’t use either one of them because the district has to set them up. Apparently the district is saving money by laying-off two techs. Who knows when they will get to my computer? So today I took in my laptop so I could have a functioning computer on my desk. I am very dependent on my computer.

First Day

School began today for the students. Everyone got to their classes, and there was only one student that had the wrong schedule. They were very well behaved. Today we went through the planner and marked all the minimum days, vacation days, and report card days. They really love to cross off the vacation days. Most of the kids were able to do this activity, but some were challenged by it. One very small 6th grade boy was uncooperative last period. I am made him stay after school for five minutes, and his compliance level increased. His language arts teacher said she sent him outside 4 times in one hour. She was impressed, but not in a good way. He will be a challenge this year. The good news is I actually got an aide this year, and she is very qualified. This was a good first day.

Blessing

Sitting with my feet down makes my arthritic knee very stiff, and I have a hard time walking. I was very concerned about sitting through an inservice meeting all day long. I asked Marc for a blessing. He and Isaac blessed me that I would make it through the day, and I did. I am very grateful for the power of the priesthood. I didn’t lose my mobility, and have to use a cane. I could walk every time there was a break, and at the end of the day too.

Scheduling

I have scheduled and rescheduled my students. I have gone three different times to work on my room, and I have ended up working on the schedule. I thought it was finally set, and the Principal found it had been changed again. As far as I know there is only one secretary that schedules students. She has been helping me, and she would not change my students. There must be a gremlin at work.

School Answering Machine

Anyone who has worked in a school can relate to this message.

Bread

Paige volunteered to make bread for the Young Women on Sunday. She made a lovely round loaf. It was for a lesson on the Sacrament. It was greatly appreciated. She made us a loaf today. It smelled so good baking, and it was very tasty. There was a time when I made bread for the family. My recipe made 5 loaves at a time, and sometimes I made bread twice a week. It is nice to know that both my daughters are good bread makers.

And So It Begins

I received the official letter that school begins on Thursday, 8/19/10, at 7:45am. We will have teacher inservice all day long. Traditionally these meetings are long, and repetitive. I hope that this meeting will be inspiring and insightful. At least I can hope.

Amelia Peabody Emerson

I finished listening to the Amelia Peabody series today. There are 19 books in the series, and most of the books were over 10 hours long. It was fun following the Emerson family on their archeological digs through Egypt. The story begins in the late 1800s and follows the family through WWI. There was always a mystery to solve and humor in each story. I downloaded several of the books from the local library, and the rest from Audible.com. The books were all narrated by the same reader. She did different voices for the different characters. She was amazing. Listening to a good book makes mundane tasks go quicker.

Coughing

Paige and Isaac are both sick. They have been coughing a lot. The type of cough that won’t let you sleep at night. Finally they went to see the doctor this week; different doctors on different days. They are both now on the 5 day antibiotic and an inhaler. They are sleeping a lot, breathing better, and coughing much less. I am grateful to live in an era when medicine is available.

The Weighting Game

I have lost 7 pounds in the last month. That is not very much, but I’m grateful that I haven’t gained 7 pounds. I really am eating a lot less, and exercising a lot more. My clothes fit better, and I feel better. I need to keep moving forward.

Summer Fruit

It is watermelon season. Paige picked out a juicy watermelon. She then cut it up and put it into plastic containers. She made six individual servings. It is so sweet and tasty, and much better than a cookie. This is another benefit of summer.

Trick-or-Treat

The Primary chorister provided the children with homemade chocolate chip cookies. The children had earned each ingredient for singing well the previous Sunday. The thought occurred to me that I should ask about allergies. Someone mentioned a little boy in the Sunbeam class. I went and found his mother, and asked her. She said her son was allergic to eggs and peanuts. That meant he could not have the cookies. I did manage to get a small bag of fruit snacks for him. When it came time to hand out the cookies, he received the alternative treat. It was very sad. He put his head down, and he wouldn’t look up. He didn’t make a sound, but his shoulders shook a little. I felt really bad. I am glad that I was prompted to inquire about allergies, but I wish we had planned better.

Poetry

At the end of the school year I had my 7th graders write poems using this website. They enjoyed it once they got started. This website makes it easy. These poems do not rhyme, but they are fun and thought provoking. Here is a Cinquain poem that I wrote about summer vacation.

Vacation

A Time to Rest

Watching, Reading, Sleeping

Reflect, Refresh, Energize, Change

Summer

A Work in Progress

Paige and I worked in my classroom today. We were there for four hours, and we listened to 33 classical songs on Paige’s IPod. We stayed busy the entire time. I loaded up my desk, and threw out a lot of old papers. Paige found projects that interested her. She needed very little direction. Paige took apart and cleaned my carpet sweeper, and now it works much better. She also moved a bookcase and cleaned behind it. We plan to return tomorrow.

Room 402

I am finally moved into my new room thanks to Marc, Paige, and Isaac. They helped me move many boxes and a filing cabinet. Paige has been very helpful in moving the contents of the filing cabinets. I turned the key to my old room in today. The new room is not finished yet because there are many unpacked boxes. I was delighted to see that I have a new computer, monitor, and LaserJet printer. They are still in the boxes. I started throwing things away today, but I still need to purge many more items.

Another Mile

I swam a mile on Monday. I used the kick fins for all 36 laps. I did 7 ½ laps of backstroke, and 7 ½ laps of crawl. The rest I used the kickboard. I feel that I am getting stronger, but my time only decreased by 2 minutes. I will keep trying.

Congregation Participation

For Sharing Time this week we discussed the miracles of Jesus. For the 1st week in August we were to discuss the calling of the disciples in Luke 5, and the calming of the sea found in Luke 8. For Junior Primary the children acted out the calming of the sea. Four children were put at each corner of a blue sheet. When the signal was given they raised it up and down to make big waves. Two children were given cake pans and a wooden spoon to bang to make thunder. The rest of the children were divided into the wind and slapping waves. One group blew with big puffy checks, and the other group rubbed their hands back and forth. I cued in each group as the story was told, and cued then when to stop at the appropriate time in the story. We repeated this three times, so the children could do different parts. They loved it! I then told them the story of Jesus calling his disciples. This is the story where the men had been fishing all night without any luck, but when Jesus instructs them to cast in their nets they pull up so many fish their nets begin to break. I then asked the children questions about the two miracles and they were able to answer correctly. I had prepared a coloring page for them. They colored them and I suggested that they share their picture with their families, and tell them about these two miracles of Jesus. The children were all engaged, and it seemed to be a success.