Long Time, No See!

Hey, is anyone there? Does anyone still want to read this?
I disappeared without a trace back in December, right after blogging about yet another change that had taken place where I was working. The little boy I was working with as a 1:1, Taz, was transferred to the special education room.
And really, after that, I guess I just sort of lost hope. I don't want to spend a lot of time moping and complaining about it. Let's just say that it was a very, um, traditional school, with a lot of focus on sitting down, being quiet, doing the work you are told to do, and not asking extra questions. Lets say it was a school that believed that, instead of finding ways to help a very active, kinesthetic first grader get the most out of school, they should give him more and more consequences for being active, until Taz started to lose his love for school and started having tantrums and refusing to do things. Let's just say this school was not a good match for Taz or me.
In the end, the principal told me that they would not continue my employment even if I wanted to continue working there next school year, that I was no good at working with kids with behavioral issues, and that I may be better off working with "severe and profound kids." (His words, not mine.) So I finished off the year, said goodbye to Taz and the few friends I had made at that school, and slunk away with my tail between m legs.

The good news is, shortly thereafter, I got my first real teaching job. The bad news is, it is only for the summer. Remember last summer I was a 1:1 aide for a little guy named Billy at an ESY program? Well, they hired me back... this time as a teacher! Starting next Wednesday, I am going to be teaching 9 second and third graders with intellectual disabilities.

I'M SO EXCITED!

And nervous.

I only found out the details about the kids a week ago, and I spent the past week frantically working out lesson plans and activity ideas. Of course, I can;t completely plan that much, because even though I have the kids' IEP goals, you know that when I actually meet the kids and spend time with them, the whole plan will have to change! I'm making my plans really flexible... I am actually planning by sticking Post-It notes in a notebook so it can be changed very easily.

On Monday, I am going over to the program to start setting up MY CLASSROOM! I will post another blog entry then.

I am really hoping this will help me get a real job for next school year. The fact that they hired me back as a teacher, after seeing me work as an aide, has to say something positive about me, doesn't it?

I hope?