Children with Disabilities

Forewarning : I am not an expert in special education. I have only been teaching children with special needs since August and have learned about it in college. I am by no means an expert in that area.

The other day... while picking up my kids from P.E- they had one of my students off to the side.

They told me that he had been making fun of another student that has down syndrome. I was so taken aback and so upset.

I told him that wasn't nice, and we walked to class.

I told my class I had to talk to them about something very important.

I asked them what the word special meant-some told me they were special- to which I agreed, and they said magic was special -again, I agreed. 

It was a really hard topic to discuss with five and six year olds, but my heart was telling me they needed to hear this.

I told them they were all very special and unique and that everyone was different.

I made some examples like one student likes the color blue, and another likes pink.

Anyways- I said some children ( I brought up the student that was made fun of ) are even more special. I  said they need more help, not just with learning but many different things.I also said that even though someone may not look like them or Miss Perkins, doesn't mean they should be made fun of.

It was a very hard conversation to have. Even if to some of them, the magnitude of it may have went over their heads,I know that some of them got it.

That is what teaching is all about. It is about finding those teachable moments.Not just teaching them reading, math, writing,social studies and science.It is also teaching children how to be caring, nurturing children, who will become caring and nurturing adults. 

That is all. 

:) Hayley

First Month of Being a Kindergarten Teacher and Now

The beginning of Kindergarten is extremely hard.

I had no idea all of the routines/expectations/procedures these children had to learn.

Well - I had some idea but putting it to use was the hard part.

Bathroom signals, what to do if you want a tissue, what to do if you need a drink , where your backpack goes, where your put your morning work, when you can sharpen a pencil, who your shoulder partner is, where do you walk in line, how do you act in the cafeteria and so on. 

Not easy. Next year however, I feel like I will go in with a years experience knowing all of the things I wish I had done. That I am thankful for!

I have gained knowledge, experience and after a summer of rest, relaxation and the occasional tutoring- I will be ready to conquer again.

On my run tonight while clearing my head, I was reflecting on how far they have come since August.

They are like a well oiled machine. A couple still have trouble following my rules, but you will always have those couple that do that.

It is amazing to see my students reading and reading fluently!

I did that!

Nothing makes me more proud than seeing that.

What also makes me proud is their new found independence. Their willingness to share their feelings and their belongings. 

They have grown socially, emotionally, physically and mentally.

It is absolutely amazing and rewarding.

This group of kids has taught me who I am as a teacher.

They have pushed me to my limits and they have made me a stronger individual.

Yes, little five and six year olds did that.

I have the best job in the whole wide world!

I am one proud teacher! :)

Why I hope I'm always a Kindergarten Teacher

Why I hope I'm always a Kindergarten teacher.

A fire ignited inside me the day I became a Kindergarten teacher.

 Kindergarten is a unique entity.

Only in Kindergarten do you hear stories of imaginary friends, long drawn out stories about what they love and what they ate for dinner. Only in Kindergarten do you hear that you're beautiful or pretty every day from your little ones. 

Only in Kindergarten do you get to hear a child for the first time say " I can read " .

Hearing " I can read " for the first time is the most amazing three words you can hear from a five-six year old student. 

Kindergarten is where I want to stay. I want to grow as a teacher and learn new techniques that help my students learn through playing. I want to learn new centers that get my kids excited about reading, math and all the rest.

I want to encourage dramatic play and read alouds. 

The beginning of Kindergarten is not an easy task. Each child comes from either formal or informal preschool or staying at home with Mom/Dad.  

They all are nervous, scared, maybe a little excited. 

But each year, I hope to grow with my students, and watch them go from blank slates and see them mold into young readers excited about learning.

I want to go and buy playdough and Dr. Seuss books, I want to plan games where they use their imagination.

Oh I just hope I am always a Kindergarten teacher.

Screaming

One thing that they don't teach you in college is the likely hood of you having a screamer on the first day of school.

I have always wanted to be like Miss Honey in Matilda, and frankly I always try to live like that. I think everything is sunshine and roses!

So it was my first day teaching Kindergarten. My room was ready, I had my schedule planned out for the day and the kids were ready to begin!

We were both starting together. 

The kids were quietly coloring a "Welcome to Pinewoods" page when student A walks in. 

Everything was fine! Until Mommy left.

Student A screamed and cried and tried running out the door for....

FORTY MINUTES!

40

All of my other little ones were calm and quietly and probably very nervous.

Never would I have expected that. 

At one point she was running around the school!

This lasted for TWO WEEKS.

In that two weeks I had to put her on a bus crying.

I thought it was her birthday so she was wearing a crown whilst running around the school ( It wasn't her birthday)

And then she got moved into another Kindergarten class to be with her twin sister.

And that was my first two weeks of teaching.

And guess what?

I still love every second of it!

Xo Hayley

Madness- Good Madness

Hi!!

 I'm Hayley and I'm a Kindergarten teacher!
It's April 2nd, and the school year has been going on for about approximately 140 days. That means there are only 40 more to go. When that 40 days is over, I have officially survived my first year of teaching!

What a year it has been!

Let me start things off from the beginning.
I graduated in May of 2013 from Florida Gulf Coast University. I then started my job search immediately. I received a contract from the school district, before I had even graduated. I thought to myself...wow, this is going to be so easy!

Boy was I wrong.
It was an intense summer of applying, interviewing, and no phone calls.
When one day, while I was babysitting, I got a phone call.
From the elementary school I went to as a kid!

 

I could not believe it, I had an interview the very next day! It went great, couldn't even believe it was happening.
That afternoon, I heard back!
Well....I didn't get the job! So the search continued.
I was at an interview at a school for a fourth or fifth grade position.
Anyone that knows me, knows I am a primary kind of person. But- I was accepting it, I just wanted to teach!
When I walked out of that interview, I had a voice mail.
It was from the school I taught at! They were wondering if I was interested in a Kindergarten position. Ummmmm...yes! They would know in a few hours if it would be a position for me to have or not.

Well. It was mine to have! That very day I signed my contract and I was a Kindergarten teacher, where I went to elementary school. It was literally a dream come true.

I got hired at the very end of July, and school started August 7th. It was a whirlwind, but a wonderful whirlwind.

What I wasn't expecting was what my first year of teaching would be like.
You can't learn that in college, you can't learn it through looking at pinterest.
So I decided to make this blog so I can look back, and share what it is really like to be a first year teacher! I should've made this months ago...but I've been too tired! :)

My next post will be about my first day of teaching.
Preview- "I had a screamer" 

Xo
Hayley