A ready room...

Well, it was a whirlwind of a week...

Monday at 9:45 pm I received the phone call offering me the First Grade position I had interviewed for just a few days prior!

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were long days....starting at 6:30 am finishing my room at the Autism Academy until 10 am, then driving a half hour, and beginning to work on my first grade room!!  It was an exhausting week, but a week I would not have traded for the world!!  This is my dream and I am so tickled to be a first grade teacher :-D

I have had my students for two days and have already changed my seating into rows...we just aren't ready for cute little groups yet!  However, I wanted to share some of my classroom pictures! I'm happy with how it looked for the first day...

Welcome to our First Grade room!

Behavior Board

Cubbies and Storage

Small Group / Reading Instruction table

Morning Meeting and Math focus board

Teacher Zone :)  It isn't nearly this neat anymore :(

Closed cubbies with sticker reward charts!

Word Wall (yay for having a Cricut -- thanks Mom & Dad!)

My favorite project so far....our classroom rules/promise :)

...my unexpected dream...

Two weeks ago I had my autism classroom almost completely ready.  Then I got a phone call.  Two days later, I had an interview.

One week ago, tomorrow, I got a phone at 9:45pm.  The phone call that I have dreamed of getting since I started college.  Yes, that phone call.  They had approved me and were offering me a classroom. Permanently.


And I accepted.  Last week my days were long, full, exhausting; they were split between finishing my autism room and starting over from scratch in my new room.

But in three days, I will be standing at the door of my permanent classroom welcoming my first group of First Graders!


Yes, I get to be a First Grade teacher 😊 and I couldn't be more blessed or excited!!

I'll get some photos up soon, and I'll change my blog!

middle of summer update...

More accurately, I should title it "middle of the year update", but we will go with it!

My regular school year ended on June 7th.  I had one week off, took a second week to go to Michigan with my family, and began teaching extended school year.  I taught a new group of students for two weeks. Tomorrow I will leave for training...more later.  When I come home, I will teach two more weeks, then have August to get ready for the fall school year to begin.

*training*
There is a structured method of teaching students with ASD that has been developed by the University of North Carolina.  It is called TEACCH! My company is sending me to this five day intensive TEACCH training....in North Carolina! Now, no beach for me this coming week, but I am so excited!  I feel like a real teacher.  I am going to have a specialized training to teach my kids!  I spent many days last year being told "you'll understand once you go to TEACCH"... Now I am going!

I have been told that I will be required to sign a 3 year contract upon my return.  While a few months ago I would have absolutely said no way....my heart has changed and I have settled.  I am planning to stay here for three more years.  I'll be offered many trainings, a lot of experience, and will be able to sharpen my skills.  I am tired of moving.  A friend was telling me the other day that I need to start making some decisions for just me.  This is one of them. I am going to sign the contract and not look at public schools for a few years. I want to focus on being a great teacher for these kids....not a half hearted one who is constantly looking for a way out.

It is crazy how much a few months can change your perspective ❤
Happy summer teaching!
-m

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june currently...[finally]

How embarrassing!!  It's June 13th and I'm finally getting around to doing my June currently.  Better late than never I suppose!

Listening - When I started this post husband man was listening to the Pens 24/7 Radio station on the iPad.  He's stopped...the only sound I hear now keys typing....ah! lovely <3

Loving - I crave sleep.  I need sleep.  I am a HORRID person when I do not have enough sleep.  ESY begins next week, but this week I have been home.  Baby Pup (who really isn't much baby anymore!) and I have enjoyed daily afternoon naps.  Probably my favorite time of day :)

Thinking- Well, at least I did it this month!! I missed the last...uhmm...three or four?? :(

Wanting- I recently stopped taking a medication which was prescribed to me from my doctor.  I did it for various reasons; maybe I'll write that post after nap time tomorrow!  However, the nasty side effect has been what the online community calls "brain zaps".  Never knew such things existed, but boy are they annoying, slightly scary, and frankly I'm ready to be done with them :)

Needing- Who doesn't need a little more patience??  Sometimes I'm just at the end of my rope with answering questions. Secondly, who doesn't want a little more sunshine??  I love myself tan :)  I will not go to a tanning bed any more....so when the sun comes out, this lady loves to soak it up!!

Vacation Essentials-  Which I get to leave for in 2 days :)  Family-in-law trip to Michigan!!  I bought one of those big southern straw hats....with a big black flower! I cannot wait to wear it.  I'll post a pic soon!  My camera.....it's a Canon D-SLR and I have one of those fantastic zoom lens.  Ah....best purchase I ever made on my own.  So glad to have it!!  A book...which means I need to go to the library tomorrow and check one out!!

Head on over to Oh'Boy 4th Grade with Farley to link up YOUR June currently....and to make me feel better about not being the last one!! :)

Happy {summer} Teaching!!

-M

someday...

Somedays, I have every intention to update my blog.  Somedays I just don't have the energy to do so. Somedays, I just don't want to share the stories.  To be honest, I don't feel like I've had many successful stories to share.  Most days my students have left and I hang my head wondering if I am doing any good. I second guess most of my decisions because I feel like my aide doesn't agree with how I'm doing things.

Somedays I get spit on. Somedays I see lots of smiles. Somedays I do everything right for my kids. Somedays I do everything wrong. Somedays I can laugh at the end. Somedays I just cry.  Somedays I plan ahead. Somedays I just go home.

But someday.....one day...I will be a great teacher. I will learn how to always do the best thing for my students. I will do what I know is best for them, without care of what anyone else thinks. Someday...

And someday I'll get better at writing on my blog!  I'm hoping I can create some great materials over the summer and post more of my plans for next year ☺

Happy Teaching!

-M

Educents

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I'll be back soon with a classroom update!!

Happy Saturday!

Meghan

march currently...

I am listening to a mix I called "Over the Rainbow".  Mellow songs given to me by a friend :)

I am loving the fact that I had an eye doctor's appointment.  We're discussing LASIK.

Plus I got to order new glasses....who doesn't love a new look?!

I am thinking about how I can make tomorrow better.  My students stretch me daily.

Most of the time I don't know how to handle their very autistic banter.
Nor do I quite know what to do with my student who is refusing to write anything....ugh?!

I am wanting to relax.  You know, massage, long bath, someone make dinner for me,

have an already clean house, quite time alone....that kind of relax.

I am needing to hold a baby.  My sister-in-law is pregnant with her first and a few

other people I know have had/are having babies recently.  While husband man and I
aren't there yet, I go through these periods when I just want to sit and rock a baby.
There is something that happens, I think it's "world stopping" and it gives me perspective.
Reminds me of the important things, you know?

My first name is Meghan.  So my like, love, and hate had to start with "M".  I like making food,

baking or cooking.  I love mellow music.  I am a bit of a music snob in that I am pretty picky
about the style of music I listen to when, but it makes me feel alive.  I hate Mondays.  Not because
I have to start another week at work, but usually with my students it is their worst day.  Every
Monday, I have to undo the weekend routine and reinstate the school routine.
They just end up feeling like terribly long days :)

Head on over to Oh'Boy Fourth Grade to link up for March's Currently!

Stretches, meltdowns, fevers, and drinks....

What do all of those have in common??

My day. My Monday!

I spent the weekend sick with the flu on the couch. Boy was t a doozy. I'm a terribly big baby when it comes to being sick. I whine and cry and mope around. And for two full days I laid on the couch and did just that. I had a low grade fever that would come and go but never broke. Until today.

When I woke up this morning, I still had my beautiful chest cough, but hardly any body aches. I was thankful! I knew I needed to be ready for school today. Who knows what Monday will bring. (And had I known, I would have called in sick and stayed curled up under my warm down comforter.) I was feeling pretty good and went to school a bit early even. 

I had everything ready for our day. K was going to work in his special zone with is aid today. I was ready to tackle T who has refused to do work unless he gets to type it. Ugh. But I was ready.

Then the day started. By 9:15, K was in the quiet room refusing to work. And by 9:30 T was in the other quiet room refusing to do work. And that's when I stopped being "ready" for today. I only have 5 kids and two of them were refusing to work. 

And so it went...k and t refusing to do work. My aide and I back and worth bouncing two refusing children with the three that were working. 

Lunch came and went and the afternoon was on the downhill. I don't know much about Autism, but something I have come to learn in my few months in this world, sometimes kids need to have a HUGE meltdown in order to focus and move on with their day. So my aide and I decided it was time to make K work until he finished or else had his meltdown.  Meltdown it was.  

The meltdown lead to a therapeutic hold.  Ready for this, K stretched my shirt! I couldn't believe it. He so such a strong kid, and I lost my hold on his arm and BAM he had my shirt and stretched the neck. After recovering the hold, I looked at my aide and said "I'm going to need a new shirt". I have never been more thankful that I am a daily wearer of tank tops under every shirt than I was today. Meltdown finished and K recovered, I found a tshirt to finish the day in.  In the middle of the hold, because K is such a fighter and a very strong 14 year old boy, my fever broke in the middle of my sweat, and I honestly started to feel better!

K came around and finished his work. T eventually came around and did most of it. I am planning something new for him tomorrow. My aide had the brilliant idea of rewarding our 3 that had been such good workers for the day...they got ice cream sundaes :) 

Now about the drinks? Most (well, I'm pretty sure all) of my colleagues drink.  They joke about how I need to start in order to survive. And honestly, I thought about it today. Around 10 am when I was watching my classroom fall apart.  I sat in my office at my desk and cried. My aide walked in, put a hand on my shoulder and simply said "Don't cry.".  It took me back to fifth grade when my partner teacher told me how important it is for me to hold it together and be strong for my kids, they can't see me break down.  So I followed both their advice, and stopped crying and was strong for my kids the rest of the day.  Then I came home, laid down for a bit, and made dinner.  All while drinking my boring unflavored water. I think I might get some cranberry juice tomorrow, but for now, I'm not giving in to the very strong urge ( and encouraging colleagues ) and starting to drink. My kids need me strong and they need the same me every single day.  

Tomorrow is Tuesday.  There's going to be something good in that day too...

Happy teaching!

-M

classroom photo update...

I've been slowly settling in and adjusting the environment of my classroom over the last few months.  I thought it was about time to update the pictures :)  Enjoy!

Behavior & Information Board
This has since changed....a more updated photo soon!

My updated writing center!  Complete with editing marks and PA
grading rubric! The white board is where I write their daily
journal topic.

This [finally] started last week! I added velcro to the open
yellow squares and use their photo to change their jobs each
week.  They were pretty excited to [finally] have classroom jobs!

I had a half-class afternoon a day last week and we created our own story.
This was completed by my three lowest students who are reading on  Dolch Word List
and Second Grade levels.  I was pretty proud of the story they created!!

It's almost Friday....

1....I changed the name of my blog because not all of my posts are solely about teaching, and I don't want to always be a newbie teacher....someday I want to be a great veteran teacher!

2....I also changed my background...I like the new look, at least for now!

3.... Husband man and I are running away for the weekend...starting tomorrow after work. We both are taking Monday off. To say I am looking forward to it is an understatement. We don't even have anything big planned, but I love running away once in a while.

4.... The run away weekend couldn't have come at a better time.

K has begun to transition back into my classroom for as much of the day as he can handle. The amount he can handle depends on the day :) Monday was a HORRID nightmare. He didn't make it through our first rotation before we were escorting him to the quiet room....where he went in and out of for the remainder of the day.  Tuesday was a GREAT day! Such a different child! I was so proud of him! Wednesday we had his IEP meeting...he only had two short trips to the quiet room and was able to send most of the day in my room again. Then we went to leave.....he wasn't able to get on the van. My aide and I were in the quiet room with him for almost twenty minutes until he calmed down. We had to call his mom to drive back for the second time that day to pick him up. By the time she got there, he had cried and exhausted himself to sleep.  I looked in on him frequently and my heart felt something I hadn't felt for a long time. A little tiny bit of emotion. I saw my fourteen year old ASD and ID student curled up on his side sleeping soundly.  Such a different picture than I usually see of him. In those moments I didn't have to be "on guard" or constantly reinforcing or redirecting; I was just a girl who fought the battle of the day and saw the result of a severe autism meltdown: I was exhausted and would wake up stiff the next morning....he had worn himself out to the point of just simply falling asleep.

He had a good day today....until he had to go to the van to go home. He didn't want to. And into melt down mode he went. Mom had to come again. And for a second day, I saw a very heavy child looking very little and just longing for love.

In the middle of today's meltdown he ripped my hair. It hurt. Thankfully I have an enormous amount of thick long hair....no permanent damage. Just a headache a little bruised pride.


My coworkers have been very encouraging this week. I think they see the desperation in my eyes. I think they know I'm running out of steam.  They tell me it will get better...it might take a few years, but they say it does. Someday I'll be able to teach more and my days won't be as filled with behavior modification...or therapeutic holds.

Tomorrow I will go to school and I will do my best with the 6 sweet boys God gave me for this time. Pulled hair, bruised pride, lack of energy, patience, or strength....I will care for them.

Then I will run away for a few days :)

Happy Teaching!!
-M

20 Things About 2012...

The idea for this post came from Walk with me by faith  and Tickled Pink Mandy.  They both did a great job with theirs...hopefully I can review as well.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you have never done before?

*I taught fifth grade

*I survived my first parent-teacher conference

*We bought a puppy :)

*Husband man and I moved our entire home/life

*I started teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

2. Did you keep your New Years Resolutions and did you make any for this year?

*I didn't make any last year

*I don't plan on making any this year

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

*Nope

4. Did anyone close to you die?

*Husband man's grandma....what a sweet lady.  See my post here...

5. What places did you visit?

*West Virginia

*Lots of towns in our home state because of the move

6. What would you like to do in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

*Show more appreciation for the people I'm around.  I suppose just saying thank you for each little thing....just so someone hears it and knows they are appreciated.

7. Which dates will be etched in you mind from 2012 and why?

*January 3rd....first day in my fifth grade classroom

*January 8th...our first wedding anniversary <3

*January 27th...the day we brought our baby pup home and became a family of three

*June 6th...last day with my fifth graders

*June 10th....brothers birthday and the day we found out we were going to move

*July 8th....the day we left our little nut hut

*September 17th....the day we closed and moved into our new home

*December 31st....the day the craziest, most unstable year of my life so far came to a close :)

8. What was you biggest achievement this year?

*Teaching fifth grade ... sounds like a simple concept right? It was harder and much more worth it than I thought it would be. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

9. Did you suffer any illness or injury?

*Husband man hit his head...ugh....what a story! Thankfully I was pretty healthy and strong this year!

10. What was the best thing you bought?

*My iPad....it's wonderful!
*Our new home...it's an older house and it's not all perfectly level...but the wood work is beautiful.  It has a bay window and a sun room.  It made the crazy move just a little easier!

11. Where did most of your money go?

*School loans and moving

12. What song will always remind you of 2012?

*This is always a hard song for me. I would sing "Somewhere over the rainbow" and the sunshine song to my fifth graders.  But for me...Laura Story's song "Blessings" will always stay close.  There were a lot of tears this year.

13. What do you wish you would have done more of?

*Hugged my fifth graders

*Laughed more this summer through the stress of house hunting/moving/change

14. What do you wish you would have done less of?

*Nothing. It was hard, there were stressful times but I wouldn't eliminate any of it if I could.

15. What was your favorite TV show?

*White Collar

*Bones

*Alias

....I may be a big fan of Netflix!

16. What was the best book you read this year?

*The Help....hands down. I loved it! It took me almost 10 chapters before I really got sucked in, but then I was hooked.

17. What was your favorite film of the year?

*Being a Netflix fan, I watched more movies than I care to admit.  I don't know if I have a favorite one.

18. What did you do on your birthday and how old did you turn?

*It was over a weekend :) So, probably writing lesson plans and planning the next week.  I turned 23. Nothing super exciting!

19. What world event stirred you the most?

*Osama Bin Laden's death....husband man was in the military for a while.  I'll never forget the look on his face when we heard the news.  Justice was finally served.  There was a little glimmer of peace that went across his eyes.

*Sandy Hook School Shooting....the scariest thing that could ever happen during my days as a teacher would be to have someone come and threaten my kids.  There might not be anything I can do to stop them, but I will try.

20. Who was the best new person you met?

*I met a LOT of new people.  When I went from a day to day sub to teaching 5th grade full time I met some amazing teachers...including my partner teacher.  He helped me grow into a stronger teacher and a more balanced one (well...I'm still working on that!). He encouraged me to keep dreaming up lessons and to at least give things a try..."The worst thing that can happen is you dump it part way through and start with something new," he would say. He was right; it was worth it. When we moved and I started my job at the Autism Academy, I worked with an amazing aide!  She has continued to help me with my new group and my most difficult boys.  She is an encouragement to me and always knows when to offer advice!  I couldn't have asked for two better people than these two.

Now....onto 2013.....

I spent three evenings working on this post.  I've never spent that long on one post.  I'm not sure why; I think I wanted it to be extra special.  Prior to this post, I usually would stop remembering when I got to the point of ending 5th grade and having to move.  That's when life got crazy and stressful and some days plain ugly.  This reminded me about a lot of good things that happened; things that I had forgotten about.  It wasn't a horrible year.  There were some rough weeks; but overall I would be crazy if I weren't thankful for all God provided for me, husband man, and our baby pup (who turned 1 a few weeks ago!).  He blessed us through it all; even when I wasn't deserving of the blessing.

Happy New Year!

-M

a new year dawns....

Oh how I don't like change.  Never have and I can't say that I ever have the desire to like it.  Guess I'm a little bit like my current bunch in that way.  January 3, 2013 is going to be so different than January 3, 2012.   I suppose it'll be okay.

I've seen these posts a few times and they look like fun :)  So I thought since tomorrow's going to be different...might as well start today and join my first link up :)  Currently....

That was fun :)  Maybe I'll stay on top of this and continue next month as well.  Happy New Year!

Link up with this awesome blog here:

Happy Teaching!

-M