Hey, Look At My New Award!

Guess what, everyone? I got my second blogging award! Traci Bender, from a new blog called The Bender Bunch (she's a special education teacher!!!) gave me the Lovely Blog Award!

The rules for this award are:

1. Follow the person who gave you the award

2. Link back to the person who gave you the award.

3. Pass the award on to 15 new bloggers. 

And here are my nominations!

1. Mrs. P from THAT'S SO SECOND GRADE! Mrs. P student taught during the same semester that I did. She just accepted a position in a second grade classroom, and is busy getting ready for this fall! (I'm totally jealous!)

2. Mrs. H from THE TEACHING BLOG. Mrs. H is just getting ready to move to a new town, where she will begin her own student teaching this fall. Having been a student teacher myself this past spring, I am excited to meet another student teacher!

3. Nancy from JOY OF LIFE. Nancy is an intervention specialist who works with kindergartners, and has a special place in her heart for the children with the most behavioral issues. After reading some of my recent posts about Billy, Nancy commented and later emailed me with sympathy and advice. Always appreciated! :D 

4. Sara from RAMBLINGS FROM A DEAF ED TEACHER'S MIND. Like the title implies, Sara works with children who are deaf. She is also deaf herself, which I think puts her in a great position to be a role model for the children in her classes! 

5. Another Sara, from MISS V'S BUSY BEES. She's a young lady who just got her degree in early childhood education. She has a lot of enthusiasm for her family and life in general! 

6. Sharon, from TEACHING WITH SIGHT, is a kindergarten teacher who really loves to use multisensory activities with her little students. Maybe part of this is because Sharon is blind herself, so she knows how important all of the other senses are to learning! 

7. Christi at MS. FULTZ'S CORNER is a third grade teacher who is also licensed as a reading specialist. Reading and writing are her favorite subjects to teach! 

8. Tara from FOURTH GRADE FROLICS is, obviously, a fourth grade teacher. I started following her blog back when I was doing field work, after I discovered her post on letter puddles. I love making those, and the letter puddles became part of a very popular reading game during my student teaching! Tara often posts very creative and fun ideas. 

9. Here's a blog I stumbled upon recently, and it kinda blew me away. I don't know if most people have heard of PANDAS, or Pediatric Autoimmune Illness Associated With Streptococci. I hadn't! I am still not sure exactly what it is, but I have learned from Aimee at THE PANDAS EFFECT that it is a type of autoimmune illness that can cause a child to have behaviors similar to children with OCD, ADHD, Tourettes, etc. Aimee writes all about every day life with her three children, two of whom have PANDAS. I think everyone who works with kids should read this, so we know what to watch for.

I wanted to add a few Teach For America blogs. I've considered joining Teach For America, but I don't really want to move far away from my family at this point. I do admire these young kids for joining up with Teach For America! They may not be able to participate in the blog award because of their weird blogging platform... but we'll see! Many of these guys are just beginning their first weeks of school, which are generally summer school programs. 

10. Ms. M from TEACH-LAUGH-LOVE teaches high school math. (I could never do that... definitely my worst subject! She's just begun, and has blogged about what it feels like to be calling parents to introduce herself as a teacher, when she doesn't quite feel like a full-fledged adult yet herself!

11. Mary Catherine, from B IS FOR 'BAMA, teaches primary school aged children in Alabama. She has blogged about the frustrations of having been trained and educated on what is best for children, and then watching those things not necessarily happening in the school she's posted at. For instance, children must spend most of the day in silence, including a silent lunch that lasts for only ten minutes. Torturous! 

Besides following teacher blogs, I like to follow some blogs of parents who have children with special needs. I think it can be great to read about life from the point of view of parents. You realize that just about all parents (but sadly, not all... although the parents who aren't probably don't have blogs) love their children with all their heart, and are truly dedicated to giving their children the best life possible. In the classroom we may see some children as being really challenging and needing a lot of help... but at home, the parents see those children as their precious, beloved  babies. (Even if you don't teach special education, you will probably encounter children with special needs at some point in your career!)

12. Here's a blog I stumbled upon recently, and it kinda blew me away. I don't know if most people have heard of PANDAS, or Pediatric Autoimmune Illness Associated With Streptococci. I hadn't! I am still not sure exactly what it is, but I have learned from Aimee at THE PANDAS EFFECT that it is a type of autoimmune illness that can cause a child to have behaviors similar to children with OCD, ADHD, Tourettes, etc. Aimee writes all about every day life with her three children, two of whom have PANDAS. I think everyone who works with kids should read this, so we know what to watch for.

13. Laura, from BELLA SPERANZA, is the mother of several children, including a teenage daughter who has ADHD and apraxia. 

14. Marsupial Mama from AUTISM ROCKS has a lively family consisting of herself and her husband, their two small children, and lots of pets! (That's my favorite kind of family!) Her older child has autism.

15. Lynsey from LYNSEY THE MOTHER DUCK is a British mother with two children, one of whom has cerebral palsy. She blogs about life in general, but has a special page for the blog entries that involve cerebral palsy.  

16. Nikki, over at DYSFUNCTIONAL DOSE, blogs about life with her three children between the ages of 10 and 16, two of whom have different special needs. She has a great sense of humor, and definitely speaks her mind! I love reading about her views on parenting, and the funny things her kids say! 

Wait, how did I get 16? I spent about 3 days working on this post, and I guess I lost count. The 16th one is a good one, so I can't delete it from my list! That gives you all one more blog to read. 

And now I'm done! Congratulations, everyone!