Hello, blogland! I'm back.

I had hinted that big changes were coming at Kumon. Come to think of it, I probably should have take pictures; but I didn't, oh well!
Before the changes I had my own little room with a kidney table, a shelf behind me. I had four students per class, 7 classes per night (each class being a half hour). My kids came in, did their worksheets (typically 5 pages of reading and writing or math) with my assistance. Afterwards they did flashcards to check their learning. The flashcards consisted of letter sounds (lowest levels) and blends for the higher levels, numbers for math. Then the lower levels had a matching game with uppercase and lower case letters. There were charts with the sounds and pictures for me to us more has a practice with the students and hone in on the letters/sounds that are difficult.  There were tracing packets for students who needed additional help learning to write numbers and letters.

After the changes. The room is set up like a large, classic classroom. Rather than desks everyone has tables (two students to a table) with chairs. Everyone faces one direction. My students (the littlest ones) are in the back, where everything can distract them. There are about 50 people in the room at any given time. The older kids not only do their work, but move to a different area of the room for grading and then back to their tables for correction. There is lots of room for distraction! Even though I only have 2 students and 6 classes, I find they are way more distracted with the changed environment. Procedures have changed as well. They have taken these changes much better than I thought they would! We introduced some with the changing of the room (2 weeks ago), some yesterday and we still have a couple more to get to. I feel this gradual process is working well, the students don't seem too overwhelmed. Some still ask why but others are like, is this a part of Kumon changing? I've also been impressed at the way their noise levels have dropped considerably. With the exception of a few students, most understand that we have to be quiet in the big room because lots of people are learning! For the most part, these changes are going well and the students are adjusting.

There is one student who is having a really difficult time. He has autism, so routines and procedures being consistent is huge for him. He does not do well with substitutes; it has gotten to the point where we let his parents know when I will be gone and they pick up his work. The past couple of week he has been very loud (expected), not listened well (expected) and overall squirmy (expected). What I did not expect was him refusing to take a seat and running all over the center. It doesn't happen everyday, but has become much more of a regular thing, where it was not in the past. He will slip out of his seat, run to the nearest table and hide beneath it. You can imagine how distracting this is for other students (especially the ones at the table he is crouching under). Many of the staff have also been taken aback by some of the things he is now doing. Before we were in a closed off classroom, now we are on display every time something goes array. This being said, yesterday he was wonderful! Came right to his seat, did his work and only "fell" out of his chair once! I'm hoping that is a sign he is settling in and that we will go back to being that great kid who has his quirks. Either way, I will continue to be patient with him and we will work this out. But here's hoping to better behavior!

End of the Year Changes

Yes, I am officially done with school for the year. It was restful for about a day before I launched myself into another project, but more on that later. One of the students I worked with this year graduated. It was neat to see how she got "senioritus" the last couple of weeks, just the same as all the other seniors. I guess I just expected her to keep working despite the school year coming to a close~silly me :) I was unable to attend her graduation or party, since my sister also graduated on the same day almost 2 hours away. That was a bit sad, as I spent the entire school year mornings with her. Her mother hugged me (at her last IEP meeting) and cried and I held it together (strange, I know); but the tears did come as I put her on the bus for the last time.

My other student will be back next year and I will see her at summer school in July, so it wasn't as emotional, which was good. If I don't get a teaching job, I will probably be back working with her again, so I may see her after summer as well.

What I have been working on has been insane! It will be over in a couple of days, but it is phenomenal how much preparation goes into it! A student in the same department as I (I only worked with her directly in PE and group activities) was diagnosed with an additional disability which is terminal. So me and a couple other staff members have been organizing a benefit for her. We've been collecting donations for the auction for the past month and are putting the final touches on the auction baskets and preparing the food in the next couple of days. I feel like there is always something else to be done for it. Currently I am working on a poster with the names of all the business owners (cut from my cricut) who donated items. It is overwhelmingly humbling how many businesses have given items and gift certificates! Although gluing all the names on the poster board is taking awhile :) Tomorrow we go pick up food donations and start cooking! My head hurts just thinking about it all.

For those who are local, here is the information for the benefit:
Hedi Benefit
Knights of Columbus, Bloomington, IL
3pm-11pm
Food, live bands, silent auction, live auction, raffle, Mary Kay, Scentsy, Norwex and 31 Purse consultants-come join the fun!
$10 cover charge includes meal and auction number

Whew! There are changes coming at Kumon as well, more on that later :)

Update on the Language Barrier

First let me say she has come a long way. Her father told us she spoke very little English and didn't understand much more. She is progressing rapidly. It is truly amazing how the human mind works and how quickly children absorb information and can learn new things! I don't think I would be able to make such progress in such a short amount of time!

A side note, the two others in her class speak only English (no translators). Funny, as most of my students are bilingual and some are trilingual-it will be quite the advantage when they are grown!

My second class with her I discovered she knew the words yes and no. Oh the possibilities that opened up! I gained much insight into what she was able to understand. I also learned to phrase things in multiple ways. If I say it one way and it gets a blank stare, I say it a different way. I am by nature flexible and will do anything to help a child learn, so this isn't as difficult for me as it might be for some people. Sometimes just changing a few words does the trick and sometimes it takes 4-5 tries to get her to understand, but it is well worth it. Encouragement has been phenomenal with her. High fives, thumbs up and smiles are universal. And she loves them all :)

Today I was so proud of her!! She was able to trace her name without my help (we have been doing this hand over hand for a month with no independence gained until tonight). It looked very much like a three year old wrote it, but she is three, so this is putting her right at age level!!!

She was also able to match the entire uppercase alphabet by herself. We have a magnetic board with uppercase and lowercase letters and the students match them (uppercase to uppercase and lowercase to lowercase). This has been an ongoing process. It began with hand over hand modeling. Then it moved onto her being able to match (very slowly), one at a time, as long as I was right next to her. She would take one letter, hold it next to the a, see if it matched and move on down the alphabet. This was a long and grueling process, but it was progress. Tonight I was able to sit at my regular seat and she was able to match the whole alphabet independently by looking at the letter and finding it (not going through the entire alphabet). She got lots of smiles and high fives.

Another thing I began working with her on today was comprehension. The curriculum is worksheet based and begins by random words being read and pictures next to them. They have progressed now to the point where the pictures are more obscure. Like the words on one page today were fast, and it showed a rabbit with "speed marks", past and it showed the rabbit going past a turtle and last and it showed 4 white ducks and a yellow one, the yellow being last in the line. We talked about the pictures and I can tell she understands some. It will take a bit for her vocabulary to expand and her knowledge of the words, how the apply to the pictures and also how to apply them to different situations. She is a very quick learner, and I know this will progress as well.

Such a sweet demeanor she possesses and such a will to learn. She gets excited for each baby step, it never ceases to make me smile. There is something to be said about the student when she is in my last class of the night after a 12 hour day and I am thrilled to teach her (I have 8 hours at my first job then I go to Kumon). She brings such a joy to the classroom, I am truly blessed to be her teacher.

On a completely different note, I am proud of another student tonight. I began teaching him when I started at Kumon, over a year ago. He could not write his name and he could pay attention for about 15 seconds before getting distracted (which makes for a long 30 minute class). He is graduating from my class to the next classroom on Monday. Today was my last night with him. It is amazing the student he now is. He is one of my model students and will be missed greatly. He is the last of the students I started with to move up. The excitement in his eyes is definitely contagious :)

Don't Hate Me

"Don't hate me, but I need to talk to you when you get here." that was the text from my director at Kumon. I go in and he tells me I am getting 2 of the 4 new students who are all suppose to be quite a challenge. I question him further and he tells me one of the students will be starting at square 1. Ok, I thought, I can do this.

After introducing myself I asked her if she wanted to take her coat off. No response. I figured she was really shy, sometimes it takes the new ones a bit to warm up to me. Her face didn't read fear and she wasn't about to cry, so we proceeded.

From what I gathered in our 20 minute class session I'm not sure she speaks or understands much English. Mmm. . . literally square 1. We did lots of hand over hand work (including how to hold a pencil and tracing the letters in her name), peer modeling (thank goodness the boys in that class are awesome and more than happy to help out). She did repeat the words after me, although it took peer modeling to get there.

How do I teach a child that doesn't understand me?

Upon talking to a close teacher friend she noted, it really isn't much different from your students with special needs (my other job). They can't talk to me either. But I can tell by body language and facial expressions what they are feeling. I think the difficult part with this student is her face is a blank slate: no confusion, understanding or frustration, just blank.

I'm going to see if we know what language she speaks (several are common in the country she hails from). I'm sure I will butcher trying to learn some simple words, but I can try. Also I'm going to see if one of the other students in the class can talk to her in her native language, as he comes from the same country. The tricky part with that is for him not to revert entirely back to that language, but use it as an avenue to tell her basic things she does not understand and to continue on with his learning without this holding him back. . . so many ideas to ponder. . . so many things to consider before executing any one plan.

I wish I had more time with them, an hour a week isn't very much (2 half hour classes). I certainly hope she is getting immersed in the English language somewhere else besides just one hour a week; I fear that isn't enough and she will struggle to learn quickly. But then again, she is young and more easily able to learn complex things like languages. Perhaps I am turning scenarios over in my head and making this a much bigger deal than it is.

Sonic for the win!

I posted awhile ago about Sonic's Limeades for Learning Program. I hope you found a minute each day to vote to help fund things for public school classrooms to help the students learn in creative and innovative ways. I know I voted! Here is one of the projects that Sonic funded (although they were able to fund many of them!!) I like this one because it appeals to me both as a teacher and as a scrapbooker :)

It Is Time to "Cut It Out Now"

Mrs. Deon

"Home is where one starts from." --T.S. Eliot. 7 hours a day; 5 days a week. We spend so many hours in our classroom becoming a family and a team. Help us make our classroom the most welcoming, bright, and organized classroom around!

I teach at a rural elementary school in Southwestern Louisiana. Our location is within 15 miles of a major U.S. Army Base; therefore many of my students are military children. There is no doubt that the classroom make-up is diverse in cultures. Some students have never seen a large city; others have lived overseas! Our school is classified as a Title I school, with the majority of students receiving free/reduced lunch. Many families live in poverty. My students are eager to voice opinions and take active roles in their education. We operate as a team and family. They believe in themselves and they need you to believe in them, too!

From enhancing classroom bulletin boards to creating personalized student journals, this product will improve our classroom for years! We look forward to using this machine in our Language Arts lessons. We like to do many hands-on lessons and projects related to our novel studies and this will take our projects up a notch, for sure! In addition to enhancing our lessons, this product will help make our classroom more appealing and organized. Our teacher will be able to make labels and nametags galore!

This Cricut machine will allow us to add dimension and creativity to our everyday learning. When one reflects upon what made his/her educational career exciting and memorable, it is the special touches teachers were able to add into the curriculum, not the tests and textbooks. Please help make our school year more memorable and imaginative, turning our classroom into a "home away from home."*

Isn't that wonderful?!!! I just wanted to take a minute to share, so thanks for hearing me out :)
You can find all of the projects Sonic funded on www.limeadesforlearning.com

*copied from limeadesforlearning.com

Oh So Much!

I have learned oh so much since taking this new job! I am a paraprofessional at a local high school and work in the rooms with students who have profound cognitive and physical disabilities.

In the morning I have a student who is only a few years younger than I! It is her senior year, but you can continue in the special education program until age 21. While working with her the past month I have learned to push a wheelchair, maneuvering it in and out of doors (both those that stay open and those that don't), learned how to read facial expressions, what areas of physical therapy I can help out with, how to put on a swimsuit without taking off all of the clothing, how to record a switch and how to create "swichable" power-points and learning activities.

In the afternoon I am with a student who is able to walk, but suffers from massive mood swings, among other things. Every day we go out in the community, as one of her goals is assimilation. I have learned to hold my to5nge when others don't understand, to calm her agitations before they become tantrums, to read her facial and body features (she is also nonverbal), and to direct her while giving her the opportunity to make decisions on her own. We also use the switch for her to communicate with others, but I don't often have to use it when it is just her and I (because I am picking up on her various ways of communicating with me).

I wasn't sure I would enjoy this job, but I do. Both of my girls are delightful and challenging. No two days are the same. Even though we are working on the same goals each day, I try to mix it up with different activities and trying to make it fun for them. I really enjoy working with the girls and am looking forward to my continual journey of growth and learning :)

Limeades for Learning

The fast food restaurant SONIC is helping teachers make their dream projects come true! Teachers submit what they need for their classrooms, everyone votes once a day and the ones with the most votes are given funding for their projects~how cool is that! Link a project, vote for teachers and give them the chance to enrich students' lives!!!

Here is the link!