EMU! 2 years already!

WOW!   It has been TWO years since I've graduated from EMU!   I am so proud to be a member of the 99th graduating class.  Eastern Mennonite University is phenomenal.   It challenged me academically as well as spiritually.   

EMU is unique because it's not only a learning community that obviously strives for academic excellence, but they really embrace the creative process.   Furthermore, they find this balance between professional competence and keeping passionate about your Christian faith.   

I am proud to have taken the oath to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God!   

Powerful article

This article is definitely worth the read, and perhaps even further discussion.

Teachers struggle, we're human!   Please be nice to us. 

There is some swearing.   That happens sometimes.

And apparently... there's a book!

I added it to my ever growing Amazon wishlist. 

Active Shooter....

This article is extremely powerful.   Proceed with caution.


Quote #1:
The drills affected him deeply. At home, he bit his nails and did pretend lockdowns while he was playing. Eventually, he refused to go anywhere alone, even to his room or a bathroom at home.

Reflection:  My daughter is three years old.   She will be four in September.  This is her first year in pre-school.  Her first ever lock down drill was a complete disaster.  It was traumatic.  It was scary.   She had nightmares.  At her young age, she is already USED TO the drills.   She knows how to hide and keep quiet.   She knows what to do if you're in the bathroom.   I hate that she has to know these things, we all do.   It's sad that this is necessary.  

Quote #2:
Active shooter drills have become more common as school gun massacre after massacre has made headlines. 

Reflection:  When I read this statement, it reminded me of times in my own classroom where a student will reference a school shooting... and another student will say, "Wait... which one?"   

Quote #3:
But there is hardly any research on the drills’ effectiveness, and while there are some federal recommendations, there is no standard template for schools to follow in terms of how to do them, how often to conduct them and how to explain them to students of different ages.

Reflection:
The reality is, it could happen any time.   There's no way to ever be truly prepared.  

Quote #4:
As a result, a growing number of schools are experimenting with ways to lessen the toll of the drills while still doing everything possible to keep students safe. For some school districts, that means using age-appropriate language; for others, it involves having guidance counselors or school psychologists available during and after the drills.

Reflection:
This is a load of crap.   It is.  While a pro-active approach is definitely necessary and appreciated... we need to be talking more and really TALKING about mental health.    Some people read my last sentence and rolled their eyes.   The reality is, it doesn't matter who is where and when or what credentials they have.   If someone wants to do harm, they're going to do harm.

And the award for most depressing quote goes to...

Virtually all public schools in America teach students some form of emergency preparedness, ranging from fire and tornado drills to mock lockdowns.   While drills date back decades — students in the 1950s dove under their desks during the Cold War’s “duck-and-cover” nuclear bomb drills — it was only in the past 20 years that “active shooter” and “lockdown” entered the educational lexicon.

Powerful Quote

This quote blew me away...


"Sometimes the worst thing about having a disability is that people meet it before they meet you." -Easter Seals Society

Board - complete!

Black Out Poetry Board is complete!

I can't wait to see the kids today and watch their reactions!

Black Out Poetry -

This week, we tried something completely new and completely out of our comfort zones. 

Black.  Out.  Poetry. 

I have been reading about the literacy skills involved with Black Out Poetry, and after seeing a friend post one of her pieces on social media, I decided we should take the risk and try it.   Ultimately, I let the students decide.

The first thing I did was explain it, very briefly.

I then challenged students to complete a graphic organizer while searching the web for information on Black Out Poetry.   Students even went so far as to use the hashtag to search, too.   #blackoutpoetry

Once students saw the samples I had shown, we watched this video.  

We then talked about steps to Black Out Poetry.   I had found several websites with several different approaches.   In my presentation, I stressed to students that we would find what works for us and that the steps were simply to guide us and they weren't all completely necessary.   Our goal was to find our creative process.

We needed a practice round.

For the practice round, I supplied students with the lyrics to two songs.    We listened to both songs and students chose what song they wanted to "Black Out." 

We had so much fun with this!   One of the coolest parts (for me, at least) was hearing and seeing students mess up.    Kids were saying, "Crap!   I goofed!"   Or "Man!   I should have made the circle wider" or even "Oh man... wait... ok... ok... I got it... no biggie."

The next round was student choice.   

Students were instructed to find song lyrics they would like to Black Out, or simply ANYTHING.  Some students chose poetry.   Some chose lyrics.   Some chose an article from the local newspaper. 

They did amazing work!    Some students figured out that they liked ILLUSTRATING their poetry before blacking out while others preferred blacking out first.

Hearing the kids talk through their process together was one of those smile file moments.

Once we finished, we discussed some of the processes they were using:

• creative thinking
• connecting literature to art
• brainstorming
• pre-writing
• thinking analytically
• making connections
• creative writing
• understanding figurative language
• etc...

I never expected them to want to go further.   I kid you not... I had students BEGGING to "do just one more."   I asked them if they would want me to host a Prime Time (study hall type thing we have here) and they said yes... but they also wanted to do one more in class.

We decided we would take random pages from our class novel to Black Out.    

The pieces are absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to share them with you once they are back from lamination.    

I am completely blown away by this experience.   

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my job!?!?

Assistant Principal's Week

I don't know what happened with my Tweet. I think I accidentally deleted it. This is what happens when I scroll on my phone too fast.

Anywhoo, my tweet said:

"Happy Assistant Principal week to @DarylReisinger and @Paul12160280 of @PalmyraAreaHS. There literally aren't enough words to express how wonderful these two men are. Their guidance and wisdom have shaped me in to the teacher I am today! Thank you for the past 14 years."

I am so blessed at my job, ya'll. Seriously. I have thee most caring administrators. I confess, I didn't even know this week was their week! I need to get with the program!

I remember many a time in a grad class hearing someone complain about their assistant principal in their building and I really could not relate at all. Our guys are amazing! Their doors are always open. They offer serious feedback and when they see a problem, they offer a solution. These gentlemen have the true heart and well being of every student and staff member in mind. I have learned from them. I have grown because of them. It's an honor to be able to say, "Yep! I know them!"

So let's go on a trip down memory lane, shall we?

While there have been many funny moments in our building... there also have been those serious times.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I almost went into labor way too early. I was barely five months pregnant. My allergies were out of control and I was carrying her high. I was having issues breathing which then made her have issues getting oxygen from me. A colleague (thank you, Lisa!) saw me in the hall and got me to the office.

Our office staff rocks, too. In a matter of moments I was in the office kitchen with Lisa and JoDell (our amazing librarian) while the secretaries (Em, Janet, and Vic) were working on getting a hold of my husband. Our principal was calling 911.

Lisa was holding my hand and counting contractions. JoDell was helping me through it. My bestie came running down to help out. And Daryl locked down the office to give privacy. Paul walked in and he stayed with me a bit and prayed with me. He assured me I would be okay, he kept me focused on God and before I knew it I was safely and prayerfully in the ambulance. Nora sure did a number on me, it was a tough pregnancy. She finally showed up when she was supposed to in September. Every night Nora and I say prayers together and we always say a special prayer for my colleagues and most especially Lisa, JoDell, and "Mr. Paul."

Below is a photo of Paul and Nora at a retirement party for another dear colleague.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love working for this district?

Criss cross apple sauce

While I'm not always going to post links from my personal blog here... I thought it would be neat to let ya'll know I'm trying (emphasis: I forget crap) to have a 30 day gratitude thang going on.

Honestly, consistency is a huge issue with me personally.   I can be consistent with anything for work and education.   But when it comes to ME... eh.... not so much.   

IF I like this exercise and it sparks joy (Marie Kondo got me all up in my feelings) I MAY (hehehe get ready for it...) do a 30 day gratitude thing for teaching for the last month of school.   See what I did there?

Lord have mercy, I need to find me some diet green tea.    This mama is tired and has the corny jokes to prove it!

Anywhoo... enjoy.

About Elliot... on Autism Awareness Day

https://faithfulleigh.blogspot.com/2019/04/autism-awareness.html

This post is from my personal blog (see link above) but felt it was appropriate to share here, too.

This post has been in the working for quite some time now.   I see it only fitting that I "go public" with it on World Autism Awareness Day.   I warn you, that this post is long.   I challenge you - to read it all.

While it has been a long time since I have typed in this particular blog, it is quite obvious that this blog documents a journey.   It goes all the way back to the days of infertility and here I am now with two beautiful and healthy children.

My entire life has been around autism.   My dear friend Maevis inspired me to be a special education teacher.   In high school, I spent my free time teaching autistic individuals how to swim.   Autism is my "thing."   I once had a student tell me that they appreciate me because I "spoke autism"... and fluently!    I'm nerdy.   I like to be up on all the latest research.

My pregnancy with Elliot was perfection.  Elliot was conceived naturally.   We used progesterone supplements during the first trimester to make sure he stayed safe.  Prior to becoming pregnant with Elliot, we were told, that we would never have a healthy son due to a heart defect on my husbands side of the family.   When we found out we were having a boy... we were completely shocked!  Really?   We had assumed Elliot was going to be Eleanor.   I remember feeling this immense feeling of pride and fear all at once.   He's supposed to be sick.   We immediately had his heart checked.   He was perfect.   And he still is.

Elliot his all of his milestones on time or even ahead of time.   He smiled.  He recognized his name.   He crawled.  He walked.  He ran.   He's been talking since he was six months old (seriously) and hasn't shut up since.   He never demonstrated any learning delays at all.   Other than a slight speech problem, no "red flags" for anything... especially autism... ever came up.

Elliot has a tremendous vocabulary.    Unfortunately, all of the children in his life up until kindergarten were either quite younger or significantly older than him.   For example, he has a cousin that is a senior in high school.

I did notice that Elliot wasn't a fan of the Children's message at Church.   He didn't really like sitting up there without someone he knew.   Not really a red flag.   Just different.   And I did notice that Elliot preferred and still does prefer toys that look as they do in real life.   For example, his tractors.   He has/had no interest in plastic or flimsy tractors.   He liked realistic toys.

When Elliot began kindergarten is when I started noticing some social issues and I found myself annoyed with myself because I was looking at him not just as my son but with my "teacher hat" on.  He struggled socially in kindergarten.   One student in particular bullied him.   Badly.   He had a very hard time understanding why someone would just randomly be mean to another person.   However, kindergarten was only a half day program.   I had asked for him to be evaluated for speech because he did have some pronunciation issues.   At the time, the school determined that his cute little pronunciations were something he would grow out of.   He was thriving academically.

When first grade began is when the real bells started going off for me.   I am a big fan of routine and structure and always have been.   Maybe I'm autistic, too!   Who knows.  Who cares!

The first week of school was tough for Elliot.   He went from having a three hour school day to a seven hour school day.   He went from being at an in home daycare to school aged child care.  A lot of change was thrown at him at once and despite being prepared for it to the best of our ability (open houses and tours offered, etc) --- he struggled.   At the end of the first week of school, he had expressed a sadness over missing his kindergarten teacher.   He missed kindergarten.   Despite being able to still see his kindergarten teacher, he was still struggling with the new schedule and the new demands.   He was doing fine academically.   However, he was struggling with staying on task.  He was struggling with a full day every day.    He was having some frustrations.   Elliot was able to voice these concerns to me and we came up with some strategies to help him.   A big help was being able to have a good 35 minutes to himself (no Nora, LOL) after school when we got home.   He's allowed to go in my office and draw.  He's allowed to lay in my bed and watch a program.   He can simply just play in his room with the door close.

When report cards came, we signed up for a parent teacher conference.   His teacher is absolutely wonderful.   As we were talking about some of his struggles, I just flat out said, "Do you think Elliot has Asperger's?   Do you think he's somewhere on the spectrum?   Something is a little... Sheldon Cooperish to me."   She was RELIEVED I said something.   By the end of the week his permission to evaluate was signed and I was in touch with the school psychologist.

And because this is how God works.... I laughed when I learned that Maeve was the name of the school psychologist.   It reminded my of my sweet Maevis.   My childhood pal on the spectrum.   God is a trickster.   For realz.

As a special education teacher, I know the "rules" and I know the "lingo."   I went all out with Elliot's testing.   I wanted full evaluations done.  Everything.  The works.   With extra data sprinkled on top.  I also knew that this was going to take some time.   Possibly more than the 60 days the law affords.   I also knew that this was going to be overwhelming for Elliot, and I wanted to make sure that a relationship was formed first and also that there were breaks for him so as not to be completely defeated.   I gave the school psychologist his full medical record in addition to providing four pages of typed feedback.   This is my kid.   Something was off.   I wasn't messing around.

February 1st is when I was told that he definitely qualified for special education services as a student with high functioning autism.   I cried.   I don't even know why I cried.    But I did.   I cried.  A lot.

I soon realized that I wasn't worried about Elliot.   I was worried about how other people would see Elliot.   I'm not a fan of labels and I just knew (and know) that there are struggles coming.   But then, the more I thought about it, I had a "DUH!" moment.   It doesn't matter.   Elliot could be purple with five arms and he'd have struggles.   It doesn't matter what Elliot "has" --- he's going to have struggles and it's my job to love him through it.

His IEP meeting was quite lovely.    Not even kidding.   Maeve was kind enough to provide the reports to me ahead of time.   We had great discussion about Elliot.   My little genius.   We agreed that he would benefit from speech and social skills.   It was made very clear that he is not learning disabled.   No where close.    We talked at length about what kinds of SDI's would benefit him.   We set reasonable goals.   I felt like his IEP was a true team effort.

His classroom teacher is amazing.   She made a "star chart" for him.   His first goal was to hit ten stars.   He mastered that goal.   His second goal was to hit 15 stars.   He mastered that goal this past week.  He is presently working towards a goal of 18 stars and he has been at 17 stars so far this week.

Elliot is far from non-verbal.   It was tough for us to decide if we would tell him he "has autism" because we don't want him all up in his head about it.   I finally sat him down and explained to him about his IEP and what it means and what autism means.   We also had a very good discussion about a classroom rule I have for my students which I now will be passing down to him.    We do not and we will not ever allow our circumstance to be our excuse.   He is not to every "play the autism card" or "use the IEP excuse." and at his young age of seven, he understands this.

You're probably wondering where Elliot struggles.   I was thinking about posting that but I'm not going to do that.   It's my belief that people need to be judged by the content of their character.  Their integrity.   Not their deficits.   Elliot has them.   And guess what... you do too.

What I can tell you about my son is this...

• he is and always will be the love of my life
• he is a fighter just like his mama.   Goals have been set for him, he's processed them, and he's already knocking them out of the park
• he's caring, he has a huge (and healthy heart)
• he loves to learn
• he is especially strong in math and really enjoys science
• he's a book lover
• he loves corny jokes
• he's a builder
• he thinks in pictures
• he understands sarcasm
• he believes in kindness
• he has hugs that an army could get lost in
• his big brown eyes are deep and genuine
• he tells me about his dreams almost every single day
• he is happiest in nature
• he's met one friend this year and it brings me great joy
• he has a toothless smile that can make your day
• he celebrates his success
• he acknowledges his failures
• his hands fit perfectly in mine
• he is an artist
• he is a visual thinker and hands on learner
• he never forgets (blessing and curse)
• he's working hard at being the best Elliot he can be
• he is not allowing his circumstance to be his excuse
• he has made me a better woman since the day I knew he was coming
• he is going to change the ****ing world.... just watch
• he relies on and trusts in God
• he is doing the best he can

It's funny, really.   When we were going through infertility and having miscarriages on the regular... some people would make that age old stupid comment of, "Everything happens for a reason."   I prefer saying, "God is going to use this!" --- it has all come full circle now for me.   

I fell in love with Autism when I met Maevis.    

I fell more in love with Autism when I started teaching for PASD.

I fell in love with my son when I first saw his tiny heart beat flicker on a screen.   

I fell even harder when I held him for the first time.   

And now God has used me through it all.... he has chosen this remarkable young man (who happens to have a few quirks) to be my SON.  He has chosen me to be his Mommy.   And I promise you all this... he is going to change the ****ing world.   He already has changed mine.   

Well played, Lord.   Well played.   

Elliot Walter Geib, you are a Child of God... who happens to have this thing called Autism.  And I love you to the moon and back, forever and ever Amen!