Where in the World Isn't Bob Saget?

JenniferS

JenniferS

When you're the leader, you don't have to follow.
Songbird76 said:
A good match in a teacher is like gold. DS had an awesome teacher in 3rd grade...the only teacher who really ever communicated with us about incidents in class. And this was before we knew he had autism. We knew there was SOMETHING, we just didn't have a diagnosis. His other teachers tried, and I think they all LIKED him fine...just that he was constantly bullied and they couldn't catch the kids doing it and they didn't know how to deal with it because DS would have a meltdown and it was his word against the bullies'.
Now he goes to a school for kids with behavioral disorders like Autism and ADHD, so all the teachers are trained in special education, the classrooms are set up to fit the needs of the students...dim lights, carpet to reduce noise from chairs scratching across floors, all distracting artwork, etc at the back of the room. Even the books in the library...they make sure there are comics and such because a lot of kids with Autism can't relate to the characters in story books, because they lack empathy. Each classroom has a room where the kids can go if they need to step out, there are psychologists who work at the school so if someone has a meltdown, they have someone to work with them to find out what's going on. The playground has designated areas for specific games, with designated waiting spaces so there's no "It's MY turn!"....they all know exactly who is next in line and how many people are before them. It's been AMAZING for him.
But, this time of year makes everything unpredictable, which is exactly what kids with Autism can't handle. They have to know who, what, where, how, and when or they get overwhelmed trying to put the puzzle pieces together.
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That is an AMAZING school setting you’ve described.
 
ajrwdwgirl

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
PUSH said:
It's winter break! This was a long week, and the past two days were super long, but I made it! We had a team pow-wow before went left and we gave each other high fives. The week before Christmas is a struggle as a teacher!
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I hear ya! The kids were crazy all week, I was very thankful that I was running the movie room this afternoon during holiday activities. They all watched the movie very nicely!
 
PUSH

PUSH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Songbird76 said:
A good match in a teacher is like gold. DS had an awesome teacher in 3rd grade...the only teacher who really ever communicated with us about incidents in class. And this was before we knew he had autism. We knew there was SOMETHING, we just didn't have a diagnosis. His other teachers tried, and I think they all LIKED him fine...just that he was constantly bullied and they couldn't catch the kids doing it and they didn't know how to deal with it because DS would have a meltdown and it was his word against the bullies'.
Now he goes to a school for kids with behavioral disorders like Autism and ADHD, so all the teachers are trained in special education, the classrooms are set up to fit the needs of the students...dim lights, carpet to reduce noise from chairs scratching across floors, all distracting artwork, etc at the back of the room. Even the books in the library...they make sure there are comics and such because a lot of kids with Autism can't relate to the characters in story books, because they lack empathy. Each classroom has a room where the kids can go if they need to step out, there are psychologists who work at the school so if someone has a meltdown, they have someone to work with them to find out what's going on. The playground has designated areas for specific games, with designated waiting spaces so there's no "It's MY turn!"....they all know exactly who is next in line and how many people are before them. It's been AMAZING for him.
But, this time of year makes everything unpredictable, which is exactly what kids with Autism can't handle. They have to know who, what, where, how, and when or they get overwhelmed trying to put the puzzle pieces together.
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This makes my teacher heart happy. A lot of those things are best practices for ANY kid, not just those with a diagnosis. All classrooms in our school have (or are supposed to) a TAB spot (stands for Take a Break). It's an area to go when kids need a break. It's not a timeout space or a bad space, but a space to go and self-regulate. In mine I have one of those soft, saucer chairs with a pillow. A small bath rug underneath, and it's surrounded by bookshelves, so it's kind of by itself. I also have some calm down tools in a bin (books and stress balls right now, I started the year with more, but the kids couldn't use them appropriately).

The other students in my room are wonderful with my boy with autism. He went on vacation early in the year, and while he was gone we got parental consent to show an Arthur video about a boy with Aspergers, and we had a talk about the student and what he likes/doesn't like. When we walk in line, every student wants to hold his hand. Some students got too comfortable trying to help him out, and I had to tell them to stop because I want him to be independent as much as possible. Independence is a big thing in my classroom, even in first grade. I think the teacher he came from in kindergarten did a lot of things for him, which might have been where some of the issues last year came up.

Also, you touched on the physical environment of the classroom, and clutter is not recommended for any student. All student get distracted by too much on the walls. I also keep my classroom very open and easy to move around. Most of my bookshelves are up against the walls, rather than sticking out into the room. I had my SMART Board moved over the summer to get my classroom exactly how I wanted it, and I LOVE the set up this year. So many of my coworkers have come in and said how much they love it. Which is good because I put in A LOT of hours over the summer getting it just right!

Sorry, I could talk about teaching and education all day! :p
 
PUSH

PUSH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
ajrwdwgirl said:
I hear ya! The kids were crazy all week, I was very thankful that I was running the movie room this afternoon during holiday activities. They all watched the movie very nicely!
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We went to the movie theater as a surprise this morning and watched Small Foot, which is a great movie if you haven't seen it... I didn't before this morning, but it's hilarious and a unique story. Then we came back, went to lunch, had our winter party where we played Christmas bingo, watched Frosty the Snowman and ate treats. Then we went out for recess, came in and went to music, came back to our class to pack up, then went to art, then went home. I had almost no time with them today. They were in my room for probably a combined total of 2 hours today. It was great, but also very rushed. I wish I would have had them for longer, as crazy as that sounds.
 
PUSH

PUSH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Eric1955 said:
I want this.

View attachment 335324
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I see that and my brain goes to the moose from MooseTube. Check out the video below:



They have a bunch of their videos on a website called GoNoodle which is great for brain breaks and movement breaks throughout the day. I do probably 3-6 per day. Not just MooseTube, but there are other people's videos on there, too.
 
ajrwdwgirl

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
PUSH said:
We went to the movie theater as a surprise this morning and watched Small Foot, which is a great movie if you haven't seen it... I didn't before this morning, but it's hilarious and a unique story. Then we came back, went to lunch, had our winter party where we played Christmas bingo, watched Frosty the Snowman and ate treats. Then we went out for recess, came in and went to music, came back to our class to pack up, then went to art, then went home. I had almost no time with them today. They were in my room for probably a combined total of 2 hours today. It was great, but also very rushed. I wish I would have had them for longer, as crazy as that sounds.
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I had 4 of my 6 classes today and I played trivia with them and that was fun. The class I thought would be bad sports were totally into it and it was actually sad when the bell rang. The group of kids I had for the movie got to vote on which one we watched. I thought they would pick Incredibles 2 or something Marvel and they picked A Christmas Story. It was the first time I have seen it from start to finish.

I have had some kids tell me about Small Foot, maybe I'll catch it on DVD.
 
PUSH

PUSH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
ajrwdwgirl said:
I had 4 of my 6 classes today and I played trivia with them and that was fun. The class I thought would be bad sports were totally into it and it was actually sad when the bell rang. The group of kids I had for the movie got to vote on which one we watched. I thought they would pick Incredibles 2 or something Marvel and they picked A Christmas Story. It was the first time I have seen it from start to finish.

I have had some kids tell me about Small Foot, maybe I'll catch it on DVD.
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During summer school we went to the theater and watched The Incredibles the day of the release of the Incredibles 2. It was the first time I have seen the first one all the way through. Well, kind of. I went to help with bathrooms for a little bit, and I had a sad kid I went out to the lobby with, then he spent the rest of the movie sitting on my lap and kept asking when the movie was over. So I guess not really at all in its entirety.
 
Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
Also, we don’t HAVE to go to Dollywood - it would just be fun. I’m sure @Tick Tock would be just as happy to have lunch at The Mill and maybe go for a drive to show us the area.
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I'm fine with anything, honestly. By the time you guys arrive, I'll be so crowds/traffic'ed-out from the holiday rush, that sitting by a stream watching a deer s*** would be considered a step up intellectually.

After the past month(s) you've had, keeping you well and in one piece is priority numero uno.
 

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