You Know You've Found a Good Match for the Classroom When...

You know you've found (or at least someone has found) a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate smiles and says, "oh, he's so cute" to the child with the runny nose and drool who runs to her and wraps his arms around her legs. :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate asks to be shown the IEP goal tracking sheets so that she can help with those. :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate says she plans to start school in January for....early childhood special education.  :)  (I'm OK with this as long as she plans to keep the job!)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate is unfazed (or at least ACTS unfazed) by the kicking, flailing, screaming child on the floor. :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate asks to work with a little guy who needs assistance outside because "he's really starting to get used to me more when I spend time with him outside." :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate tells you how much happier she is in this position than in the larger group classroom she was previously part of. :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate makes herself comfortable during center work, follows the children's lead and extends their play without needing a reminder. :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate recognizes how much progress a child has made when she exclaims that a child "knows so many signs and uses them so purposefully and in conversation" :)

and in this same conversation...looks appropriately impressed when you explain that this child came into the program 5 months ago with ONE sign and now has over 20 signs that he regularly uses! :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associates' interactions with the children are respectful, engaging, understanding and caring. :)

You know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate is patient and appears to understand that teaching self-help skills, life skills, play skills, social skills and behavioral skills are just as important as teaching academic skills. :)

And, last but certainly not least, you know you've found a good match for the classroom when the new teacher associate shows up each day and isn't currently looking for a new position! :)

(The children are settled down again; comfortable with the fact that there are enough hands in the classroom to assist with all those sensory and art exploration activities that they love!  I'm hopeful that this new teacher associate will stick around long enough for the children to truly get to know her!  I'm hopeful that she will be able to learn from the classroom and apply this to her classes she plans on taking!  I'm hopeful that she will also teach us knew things!  I'm thrilled that we seem to have finally found a great match for the classroom!  And I'm hopeful that she will stay for more than a month...it's been a week and 2 days...we're on the right track!!)

I Think the Kids are on to Something! :)

So, apparently I have been learning a few choice ways to get things done when no one seems to be listening, from the kids.   We've been short staffed.  We have had various people coming in and out of the classroom and the children HAVE HAD IT!!  I mean, they are in full blown stomping feet, refusing to move, "DON'T TELL ME ANOTHER PERSON IS COMING IN TO HELP"...mode. 

And I don't blame them ONE BIT!  In fact, I am to that point as well.  Due to what I feel are various less than desirable decisions made by various unnamed people, we have seen several people come and go in and out of the classroom within the last few months. 

I get it, people.  Being a teacher associate in a special education classroom is not for everyone.  That's fine!  I certainly don't want someone to be here if they don't want to be.  That just makes MY life and the CHILDREN'S lives miserable!  But, is there a reason WHY you wouldn't just at least come observe the classroom first to see if it would be somewhere you would enjoy working?!

Well, last week I pretty much kidnapped and held our education consultant hostage in my room for an hour and basically threw the fit that I knew the children couldn't throw (at least not to the people that can make things happen) but really wanted to.  If I could have gotten away with it I would have screamed, thrown myself on the floor and kicked and cried. 

No, I didn't do those things.  I basically threw a "grown up" fit...Yup...not proud of it...but apparently it worked!  This was after a week and a half of only one teacher associate in the room.  You may think that should be plenty.  But, just take my word for it...it's not. 

A day after I threw that fit, a teacher associate "sub" showed up at my doorstep.  I'm calm again.  The world is still not right for the kids.  They are still upset that so many people have been coming and going out of the classroom.   But at least there are almost enough hands to meet the needs of the children.

Of course, my poor new teacher associate (who, by the way, DOES want to be here and is doing a wonderful job) has had to go through this with me.  That is certainly NOT the way to start a new job!  But, we'll get there!  We'll find one more good match for the classroom.  We'll find someone who wants to stay for more than a month.  Hopefully soon.  And hopefully with minimal fit throwing in the future...by the children or myself!

Too Busy!

We have been busy, busy, busy in my classroom!  

This begins to explain why I haven't been able to visit my own blog very often!  The other reason being that we are short staffed AGAIN!  Grrrr!  Hopefully we'll just be short staffed for this next week or so (I have a new teacher associate starting soon)!  I'm looking forward to being able to function with a full team in the classroom again! 

I'm pretty sure I don't have to convince any of you; but a classroom team truly can make or break you in early childhood education!  The children in my room are dealing relatively well with the absence of the necessary number of adult hands to help!  (They would prefer short staffed and adults they know and enjoy being around rather than fully staffed with strangers!)

So, even though we are very busy, I hope to be able to post at least a few times this week!  I think we've got the short staffed management down now and I may be able to pull out the camera at least a few times, to take a few photos! 

I was just happy I had time to eat my LUNCH last week!  We can do it!  I've made time to eat my lunch...we can surely take a few photos during the day!  Wish me luck!

Yikes!

My vacation time is very quickly winding down... or more like crashing to a close!  I am lucky enough to head back to the classroom on Monday to not just ONE new teacher associate to meet...but TWO! 

Wow!  Yikes!  I'm a bit nervous! I feel a bit like a stranger walking into my own classroom!   I almost always feel like I've just run into a brick wall the first few days I am back from vacation, but this is ridiculous!  I have only briefly met one of my new teacher associates.  The other one I haven't even met yet!

So think of me Monday morning!  And don't be surprised if these daily blog posts turn into every other day blog posts after Monday...or twice a week blog posts very quickly for a while!  I have a feeling I may be collapsing on the couch from exhaustion when I get home from school!

Saying Goodbye

Yep, I'm not good at saying "goodbye"!  The last of my little classroom team of teachers that we had going for a number of years has just started teaching in her own classroom.  So...I'm starting over.  Boo-hoo.  Yes, of course I'm excited for her, just bummed for me.

I'm not sure many people, other than early childhood educators, REALLY understand how important wonderful teacher associates (or assistants) are to the everyday functioning of the classroom!  I think sometimes people think assistants simply sit in the back of the room and laminate things! (I'm silently chuckling to myself about that last statement! :)

Of course, we all know how important every single person is to the classroom environment.  It just takes a while for a new team to really begin working together smoothly!  When you have a team that functions like a well oiled machine it's not easy to start all over and build that up again from scratch! 

Believe me...I know!  I've had associates in the past who have clearly and openly said they have no desire to work with children with special needs.  ...Um....tell me again why you took the job!?  I've had associates who clearly envisioned sitting back and relaxing all day while getting paid!  Not in my classroom...are you crazy?!

But those people are definitely NOT in the majority!  Thank goodness!  So, we'll work on getting our new team moving smoothly through the day!  I'm sure the children will grow to love these new wonderful people!  It will be a new adventure; as each person brings something new to the table!  It still doesn't make saying "goodbye" any easier!

Wanted: Cloning Machine

While I'm sure if I lived inside my t.v. with the cartoons, I could quickly clone myself and my teacher associate with some ingenious cloning machine some cartoon villain uses; but out here in the real world, I haven't found I'm able to do this!  Now, forget about any moral issues surrounding cloning humans; I'm just interested in having enough hands to meet the needs of the little guys in my classroom currently!

We're down one teacher associate.  While things are still going smoothly and calmly for the most part, I've gone home extra tired and have had more muscle aches than usual.  I suppose that may be because I spend 90% of my day in a hunched over position assisting children, sitting in little tiny chairs and sitting on the floor!  I know, I know, I'm not the only one!  It just makes it even more noticeable when we are missing an adult!  Just imagine if I was actually a TALL person!  Yikes, this would be even more painful!

So, for now, our activities require all hands on deck!  I haven't been able to take photos of activities because of this...so, no new blog posts!  I think I have things balanced pretty well for next week, so I should be able to sneak some blogging in there somewhere!  But if you don't see me here for a bit, you'll know it's because I'm out there searching for that cloning machine!