Think about it.

Here are two questions for teachers to think about:

“What are you doing to meet the needs of your special education students?   If you do not have special education students, how are you meeting the needs of your low students?  Have you met with your school’s pre-referral group about these students?”

I have no students with IEPs in my class this year. This is not surprising considering how young my students are. Many become recognized around first grade, so this may not be the case all year long. However, whether a student has an IEP or not, all students learn differently and a teacher must accomodate to their needs. In my class, I have three gentlemen with extreme anger, one runner, and one attention-seeker :) Along with that, I have three students are extremely low academically. They require me to think outside of the box when planning my lessons to make sure that it is meaningful and enjoyable for them. As far as meeting the needs of my low students, I am constantly tracking their progress to determine what it is that is holding them back. I make sure to always provide them with my one-on-one attention when I am monitoring the room. At the beginning of assignments, I walk by their desk and explain it individually for them to avoid confusion. Also, I have been tracking all of my students to identify which students can be grouped together, and am using this for my current after-school tutoring and for future reading groups.

Every child is unique when it comes to learning. They will have different passions, motivations, and interests. A teacher's job is to meet them all in one lesson. Go get 'em!

“Reflect on your time in the classroom to this point.  How are you feeling emotionally, physically?  Do you feel that you are getting through to your most difficult students? What strategies are working?  What strategies are not?   What are your next steps with student engagement within your classroom?” 

Oh gosh. The questions I shouldn't be answering. Physically- exhausted. Emotionally- overwhelmed, happy, excited, motivated, worried, tired, and extremely lucky. I often work 15 hour days, which seems a little overwhelming but there is honestly never a good stopping point. Someday I will find it. I push myself too hard because I see all of the amazing teachers around me and hope that the extra push will allow me to live up to their standards. Amazing teachers make it look so easy. In reality, teaching is the most challening/rewarding job out there. I am extremely lucky because of the 23 sweethearts that I surround myself with all day. Find a professional who works in a cubicle and ask him/her to share the precious/hilarious things that happened in their day. Ha.

Pure luck.

I feel that I am getting through to my students in different ways. Some of them have dramatic academic growth, others have improved in their outrageous behavior, others have learned so much more about life. I have students who were reading 0 words on the first day of school and now are reading 8 words per minute. Watching a child learn to read is one of the most incredible experiences ever.
I have students who were name calling and tattling who say "keep a problem a small problem!" or "use your manners." I have a HUGE focus on lifeskills and we take time every day to learn a new lesson about life in general. In my opinion, you need lifeskills and literacy for survival. My students will have that by the end of the year, I promise.

Overall, different strategies work for everyone. My students are mostly tactile learners and I have been using that strategy to get through to them. However, I try a new strategy every day to see what works best for each and every student. As far as student engagement, every day is something different and it is important to get them excited and be excited as a teacher. If you love it, they will love it.


All my love and a little luck too,

Miss Abney