I was completely at a loss in one of my classes today.
Nothing seemed to be going at all ok.
This class is a group of children who basically need the ratio of one adult per child. Truly. Yet for some reason, I receive all 14 of them at the same time. At least - AT LEAST 5 of them are either autistic or severely delayed. Two of them speak a native language other than English at home. About 3 of them are known to be physically agressive on a regular (every day) basis.
Their teacher, bless her heart, walks them out to my barrack with the most war-torn look on her face, and then ejects like a human cannon in the opposite direction for her only moments of solace from this ridiculous nightmare of a class.
(It might be fruitful to mention that this is the second teacher this class has had this school year. Their first teacher had to resign due to the unrealistic needs of her class and her apparent inability to accomodate those needs. Her recommendation at the time of her resignation was that the school acquire "several special ed. certified teachers to assist the new teacher." It is the second teacher's first week with these students. I truly fear a repeat...)
I am a loving teacher. I have never felt this way about a class in its entirety, but this one trumps all special needs classes I have ever dealt with. Ever.
I get them completely by myself, in a building separate from the rest of the school, with a telephone that has no dial-out option, only incoming calls. I don't have a cell phone. So this is definitely a situation that is up a creek without a paddle on days that go terribly awry.
Today was an awry day. There are no words in the English language to describe the mayhem that took place in my music classroom today.
Let's just say, "What happens in Vegas..."
At one point, I actually cried out, "Help me Jesus!"
It was at the name of Jesus that the whole world stood still. Every child in my spinning-out-of-control class stopped and looked at me.
It wasn't long-lived, but I saw the power of His name and it was enough to keep me going.
So tomorrow, Help me Jesus!
And the day after that.
And so on.
4 comments:
PRAISE THE LORD!
I WILL P-R-A-Y FOR U TOMORROW
AND THE DAY AFTER THAT...
AND THE NEXT DAY...
AND SO ON...
;) now go home & kiss your kids and thank God they're "normal"
The primary reason I am now a SAHM is because I figured I could either be a great self-contained last-stop-before-getting-locked-up special education teacher or I could (hopefully) be a great Mommy . . . but I knew there was no way I could be both. I lovedlovedloved teaching special ed, but it is certainly fatiguing work.
I can say this, though -- no matter how much that teacher may love her job, you are a bright light in her life, just because you give her a break. I went to recess with my kids, I went to music with my kids, I went to lunch with my kids, I went to PE with my kids. The only person who would agree to keep them without me in the room with them was the librarian. I've been out of the classroom since 1993, but I can still remember how, for 4 years, I cherished 1:00-2:00 every Thursday afternoon, and how I always felt I owed a debt of gratitude to that wonderful lady. She knew that one of my kids ate mosquitoes. She knew that one of them smashed his face against the floor until his nose bled every time he got upset. She knew that the reason I wore jeans and tennis shoes to work every day was because I frequently had to restrain violent kids. And she still let them go in there without me. I very nearly named my firstborn after her. ;-)
So, on behalf of all those most-special-of-special ed teachers who get the most extreme kids and who never-ever-ever-ever take those kids anywhere without the other teachers turning tail and running . . . I salute you. ;-)
Goodness, gracious. I hope the school will have the sense to at least hire one expert to help with that class.
is this a class where you are to produce a product at some point of the year, or are you just exposing them to some music?
yes, i agree with the other teacher. they do need to have some special educated person in that room. or at least an extra body.
wow and i thought my room was crazy. could you ask the director for some help? even from a legal standpoint, you would hate to have a child get hurt and the school get sued because of improper student coverage.
even in the public schools, autistic students have an aide that follows them around.
i sure would mention it to the director before the school gets into trouble.
that is just my suggestion. let me know how it goes.
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