We've completed our 1st week of school! I hope that everyone had an awesome week! My week was "interesting." If you don't know, I teach pre-k & kindergarten students who have been diagnosed with ASD. The spectrum is very broad. Every year is different for me as my role changes according to the needs of my students. I could be in the general education classroom with a full-inclusion or mainstreamed student, or I could be in the special education classroom with students who are self-contained.
Even when a student is self-contained I take great pride in planning with the general education teachers and ensuring that my students are learning the same information that the general ed teachers are teaching; of course making modifications. In addition, I make sure that my students are included as much as possible with general ed.
Now that thats out of the way, I have 2 new students. All I have to say is; special ed teachers, when you are writing an IEP please be honest. I understand keeping it positive but it has got to be some kind of malpractice to completely not address a child's behavior anywhere on the IEP. I'm not saying to write your opinions, I am simply saying to state the facts. A receiving teacher needs to know what to expect so that she can plan accordingly.
My plans for this week went from this:
to this:
in a very short time which was really upsetting because I do so love the Gingerbread Man! I really tried hard to make it work but my non-verbal students very effectively communicated to me, "Lady, get over it!" Needless to say, next week we are starting (HERE).
Now that I've accepted that we probably won't be doing a lot of what I have planned, and that I need to come up with a new plan, I'm good.
I have a new excitement about this school year. I see it as an opportunity and I welcome the challenge! I expect that both my students and I will learn a lot; because as you know, every child with autism is different and when you work with one you've worked with one!
Feel free to follow me on this journey! I would love to hear your feedback & experiences!
Like Limar's Stars on Facebook to download this little something I threw together:
Autism 101 has evolved into a documentation of our 2014-2015 school year. Follow us on our journey! Here is a link to the next installment: Autism 101: Easing into Work
Thanks for stopping by!
Asia
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