Cre8v IDEAs 4 ED,LD

This blog was a required project for a graduate course in computer applications for education. I finished the class over a year ago and haven’t used it since, but of course it’s still here, floating around abandoned in cyberspace. Good thing, though, because the last semester has shown me more concretely than ever before how important reflection time is to a teacher. Oh, I have my mentors who asked me questions or gave me forms to fill out to facilitate my reflection, but this is the 21st Century! Any really meaningful reflection happens online!

I started my first licensed (provisional) teaching job this past February, to fill in for an elementary LD teacher who decided in November that she was retiring on February 1st. The school had to find someone fast, and who really wanted to change schools midyear. Well, I was just eager enough to make the move from Instructional Assistant to Special Education Teacher to accept the job when it was offered to me. Now, I’m not about to use this blog as a b—h session, but suffice it to say the job came with more obstacles than a Marine Corp bootcamp! I finished the semester feeling like a complete failure. Except for one thing… Well, three things, counting the provisional license and pay increase!

Of the eight sixth-grade students on my caseload, only two seemed to genuinely feel regret at the likelihood of not seeing me again. The rest were just glad it was over. However, of these two, one boy actually said he’d miss me, to the point of asking if I could apply for a job at the middle school he’d be attending next fall!

This kid has problems. He had a documented mental processing deficit; although capable of functioning in most typical school situations, his logic circuits were crossed somehow, and the most basic math problems were confusing to him. He also had difficulties constructing complete sentences in writing, although you wouldn’t know it to talk to him. Most noticeably, he had poorly developed social skills, which made him unpopular among his peers.

My teaching over the four months I knew this boy didn’t make a dent in his academic understanding. However, I think I made him feel like he had an adult friend who accepted him with all of his quirks and believed in his ability to grow. My job was mainly to teach him reading comprehension and math. No real improvement in those areas, but he did start getting A’s in social studies. He made a point of showing me that he’d completed his homework, and asked me to help him study when he knew there was a test coming up. He found his strength, and he reveled in it!

You always hear teachers’ sayings about making a difference in just one child’s life. To the average principal, this is a nice sentiment, but not an acceptable comment on your job evaluation. However, that boy was the one person who made me feel like I had not failed my first semester as a teacher.