Greetings, I have decided to come back AGAIN after another one of those unannounced hiatuses of mine (Jesus, I am such a bad blogger).
Since September, I have been working as a paraprofessional at for teenagers with behavior disorders for a school in Kansas. In addition, I have had an evening job working as a tutor for reading and math skills. I have worked these jobs with near-complete enjoyment, but always with the main goal of obtaining another full-time teaching position.
The reason for this most recent hiatus, quite honestly, was the stress of looking for a new teaching job was getting to me (again). I slipped into that unhealthy, depressed state that I had last year while looking for a job. Self-doubt became my closest frienemy. I started smoking again, I was not sleeping very well and all I could obsess on nearly every minute of every day was whether or not I would ever teach again.
Before I go any further on that issue, I would first like to give an update on a student I spent a lot of time with, and blogged about during my paraprofessional work experience. I continued to work with this particular student throughout the school year, but with a month or two left, the student was getting in trouble so often that his parents were afraid at some point, he may end up getting himself in trouble with the law at school. He exited our program, and entered another program with less emphasis on academics, and more on behavior treatment. As unfortunate as it was that he reached this point, I know it was the right thing for this young man. I can look back on my work with him, and know I did the best I could. I do question whether he got anything academically out of this program, but I know for a fact that both he and his parents were satisfied with job that I and the other staff members did in working with him.
The other, much more positive news I wanted to share is that I WILL BE TEACHING AGAIN!
A small school district on the Missouri side of the Kansas City border has hired me to work with middle school students who have behavior disorders. In addition to an impressive interview, I can also give credit to this most recent employment news to the experience I obtained this past year as a paraprofessional. Even after I accepted the offer, I continued to receive phone calls for other job interviews. All of these were with fine school districts, but I knew the opportunities afforded to me with this position were too numerous to turn down. The administrators of the school informed me that I would be given a lot of freedom and responsibility for what happens with my students at school. In addition, I am in charge of only a half-dozen students, I have very little paperwork, and I can set my schedule as I please for most of the day. Translation: I get to spend more time actually helping students.
This, as well as some other things going on in my life, has me feeling more optimistic about my future than I probably have ever felt in my entire life. What better time than now to start up my blog again?
For readers of this blog (what few of you currently exist), let me reiterate (as I have in the past) that this may not be the last hiatus my blog ever encounters. Ongoing events in my life - both personal and professional - will dictate the volume of activity this blog will see. In the meantime, I hope you will read and enjoy.
Showing posts with label Behavior Disorders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Behavior Disorders. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, December 19, 2011
Work Update: End of the Semester
I still have technically a few more days before my winter break begins, but my main paraprofessional duty has been completed until 2012. The student I am assigned to has finished his finals, and has begun his winter break early. This week, I will finish up my last few days at work with my supervising teacher by helping to babysit the remaining students we have, and helping her get grades caught up and her classroom ready for second semester. For all intense and purposes, the first semester has come to a close for me.
The last time I talked about my student, he had begun to make immense progress in his behavior and going to class, but he was starting to slip. His inappropriate behavior, as well as his anger and aggressiveness got even worse proceeding that post. He ended up having a melt-down one day during class, and ended up getting suspended. Partially, his behavior worsened because of his disabilities, but he was also becoming frustrated with many of the students he was surrounded by. We ended up changing his schedule to make sure he was in classes with more well-mannered students (relatively speaking) who were more likely influence his behavior in a positive manner. I knew the effects of this change would not fully alter his negative behaviors (and they haven't), but they have helped decrease them.
With the way the first few weeks of class were going, I was amazed if I would ever get him to go to even 3 or 4 classes. In addition, he was taking long naps everyday that could last up to two hours, and it was pretty much guaranteed he would go off on a tangent of profanity and confrontation with me and other adults that sometimes lasted up to an additional two hours. With a little work (as well as a change in medication by his parents and doctors), he is now going to all of his classes now, at least partially participates in classes, and almost never sleeps anymore. As I mentioned, he still has times where he becomes angry and profane, but it is a lot less frequent.
Before he finished up his finals, I sat down and had a conversation with him. I made it clear that I am so proud of all the progress he has made since he first entered our program. But I also made it clear that my expectations for him have drastically gone up, and my willingness to give him negative consequences would increase when negative behaviors take place. I explained that we would be doing him a disservice as educators by not doing this because we are trying to prepare him to deal with the real world. If his boss comes up at work, for instance, and tells him he needs to be doing something, and he cusses his boss out, that is obviously not going to end well. My student seemed to understand where I was coming from, and respected what was being said. For me, working with this student it is always challenging, and almost never boring. But it has been a pleasure to have been given this assignment, and I cannot wait to see what second semester has in store for me.
The last time I talked about my student, he had begun to make immense progress in his behavior and going to class, but he was starting to slip. His inappropriate behavior, as well as his anger and aggressiveness got even worse proceeding that post. He ended up having a melt-down one day during class, and ended up getting suspended. Partially, his behavior worsened because of his disabilities, but he was also becoming frustrated with many of the students he was surrounded by. We ended up changing his schedule to make sure he was in classes with more well-mannered students (relatively speaking) who were more likely influence his behavior in a positive manner. I knew the effects of this change would not fully alter his negative behaviors (and they haven't), but they have helped decrease them.
With the way the first few weeks of class were going, I was amazed if I would ever get him to go to even 3 or 4 classes. In addition, he was taking long naps everyday that could last up to two hours, and it was pretty much guaranteed he would go off on a tangent of profanity and confrontation with me and other adults that sometimes lasted up to an additional two hours. With a little work (as well as a change in medication by his parents and doctors), he is now going to all of his classes now, at least partially participates in classes, and almost never sleeps anymore. As I mentioned, he still has times where he becomes angry and profane, but it is a lot less frequent.
Before he finished up his finals, I sat down and had a conversation with him. I made it clear that I am so proud of all the progress he has made since he first entered our program. But I also made it clear that my expectations for him have drastically gone up, and my willingness to give him negative consequences would increase when negative behaviors take place. I explained that we would be doing him a disservice as educators by not doing this because we are trying to prepare him to deal with the real world. If his boss comes up at work, for instance, and tells him he needs to be doing something, and he cusses his boss out, that is obviously not going to end well. My student seemed to understand where I was coming from, and respected what was being said. For me, working with this student it is always challenging, and almost never boring. But it has been a pleasure to have been given this assignment, and I cannot wait to see what second semester has in store for me.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Work Update
Despite all of the progress we were making, my student's behavior has started slipping further off the rails in the past couple of weeks. He is still going to classes, although we are having to leave the room a lot more. Across the board, he has started acting up more: using profanity, inappropriate conversations, getting angry, hitting the desk, kicking chairs, etc.
Some of his behavior is connected to his Tourette's, and I suspect his Autism as well (although to a lesser extent). Some of his behavior is linked to the one time he was bullied by a student a couple of weeks ago (every other student in our program is treating him with compassion and trying to include him). He now feels more students are either trying to bully him or want to bully him, although at this point, it is purely his perception (no actual bullying that I have noticed).
Some of this behavior is his reaction to watching so many other students misbehave, which is to be expected in a program for students with behavior disorders. He not only feels it is disrespectful and annoying, but he is also frustrated at the fact that he has someone who is with him at all times telling him not to misbehave when he acts up, while none of the other students have someone. I can understand his frustration there. But he honestly thinks that other students do not get into trouble when they misbehave. We at the program have to remind him that a) they do get into trouble, although we may not correct there behavior at every single moment of the day and b) these students have their own set of issues they are dealing with, so not to hold it against them.
Up to this point, my student has taken classes largely with a group of students whose misbehavior is more severe than other students in the program, so that does not help him. These other students that have classes with him also tend to have behaviors more related to conduct disorders, rather than similar disorders to what my student has (Autism, Mental Illness, Tourette's). The program director has switched around his classes so that he will spend more time with student's whose behaviors are less reoccurring throughout the day. While this move was necessary, I am slightly skeptical that he will do that much better, as he is still spending a great amount of time around students with ongoing behavior problems. All I can do at this point is continue to work with him, and hope for the best.
On a positive note, my student has been spending a lot of time playing basketball with other students in the program, which he looks forward to doing everyday whenever we have free time. He has difficulty with fine motor skills, so he has some trouble shooting and dribbling the ball. But the other students that play with him have been very patient, and have done a great job at getting him the ball, letting him shoot, and not saying anything when he double-dribbles.
Some of his behavior is connected to his Tourette's, and I suspect his Autism as well (although to a lesser extent). Some of his behavior is linked to the one time he was bullied by a student a couple of weeks ago (every other student in our program is treating him with compassion and trying to include him). He now feels more students are either trying to bully him or want to bully him, although at this point, it is purely his perception (no actual bullying that I have noticed).
Some of this behavior is his reaction to watching so many other students misbehave, which is to be expected in a program for students with behavior disorders. He not only feels it is disrespectful and annoying, but he is also frustrated at the fact that he has someone who is with him at all times telling him not to misbehave when he acts up, while none of the other students have someone. I can understand his frustration there. But he honestly thinks that other students do not get into trouble when they misbehave. We at the program have to remind him that a) they do get into trouble, although we may not correct there behavior at every single moment of the day and b) these students have their own set of issues they are dealing with, so not to hold it against them.
Up to this point, my student has taken classes largely with a group of students whose misbehavior is more severe than other students in the program, so that does not help him. These other students that have classes with him also tend to have behaviors more related to conduct disorders, rather than similar disorders to what my student has (Autism, Mental Illness, Tourette's). The program director has switched around his classes so that he will spend more time with student's whose behaviors are less reoccurring throughout the day. While this move was necessary, I am slightly skeptical that he will do that much better, as he is still spending a great amount of time around students with ongoing behavior problems. All I can do at this point is continue to work with him, and hope for the best.
On a positive note, my student has been spending a lot of time playing basketball with other students in the program, which he looks forward to doing everyday whenever we have free time. He has difficulty with fine motor skills, so he has some trouble shooting and dribbling the ball. But the other students that play with him have been very patient, and have done a great job at getting him the ball, letting him shoot, and not saying anything when he double-dribbles.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Work Update
Great news since the last time I wrote about work. The student I am working with has made a few adjustments in his medication, which in turn has changed the way he behaves as school. He is now going to all of his classes, and on an everyday. In addition, he is getting all of his work done (with very few modifications), and he doesn't take naps anymore. He also seems to be fitting in well in all his classes. He participates in an appropriate manner, and most of his peers seems to be treating him with respect and trying to incorporate him into the lessons. We did have one incident where he was being bullied, but this was promptly dealt with, and hasn't reoccurred since. He still goes home and deals with his own issues of misbehavior there, but even that has greatly improved from where he was.
We have, however, started running into one major problem regarding peer interactions. Since my student has began to really find his comfort level in his classes, he is trying harder than ever to fit in with some of the "cool kids". This includes mimicking the inappropriate language and topics of conversation that he hears. Such misbehavior is normal in just about any secondary education setting, but it is especially prevalent in programs for students with behavior disorders. When we confront him about this behavior, his response is that he feels other students are allowed to get away with it, so why shouldn't he? We try to explain to him that those other students do not get away with it, even though we might not go up to them and tell them to stop it immediately the way we do to him.
I suppose mimicking such behavior wouldn't be such a big deal if the student I was working with could stop himself like other students. But one of the disabilities he has are Torrette-like-symptoms, and one he starts speaking inappropriately, it is hard for him to stop. This has become a very frustrating problem for everyone involved (especially him). We are starting to look for other students in the program that he can be around that will set a better example for him (easier said than done given the type of students in the program).
Despite this setback, he is doing a lot better than he was when he first entered our program. He is a wonderful kid, and I am so proud of him!
We have, however, started running into one major problem regarding peer interactions. Since my student has began to really find his comfort level in his classes, he is trying harder than ever to fit in with some of the "cool kids". This includes mimicking the inappropriate language and topics of conversation that he hears. Such misbehavior is normal in just about any secondary education setting, but it is especially prevalent in programs for students with behavior disorders. When we confront him about this behavior, his response is that he feels other students are allowed to get away with it, so why shouldn't he? We try to explain to him that those other students do not get away with it, even though we might not go up to them and tell them to stop it immediately the way we do to him.
I suppose mimicking such behavior wouldn't be such a big deal if the student I was working with could stop himself like other students. But one of the disabilities he has are Torrette-like-symptoms, and one he starts speaking inappropriately, it is hard for him to stop. This has become a very frustrating problem for everyone involved (especially him). We are starting to look for other students in the program that he can be around that will set a better example for him (easier said than done given the type of students in the program).
Despite this setback, he is doing a lot better than he was when he first entered our program. He is a wonderful kid, and I am so proud of him!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
It Gets Better
Photo of Mitchell Wilson from Huffington Post
Over the past year or so, the "It Get's Better" has garnered much attention to the issue of GLBT teens committing suicide after they were bullied in school. It started out as a project to GLBT teens, but has seemed to morphed into a message for all teens who are bullied, regardless of their sexual orientation. It is a wonderful message that more teens need to hear.
Above is a picture of Mitchell Wilson. Mitchell was an 11-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy in Ontario, Canada who committed suicide after being beaten up and robbed by another student. Mitchell was the previous recipient of bullying, and after the assault, he was so terrified of going back to school and running into that student that he took his own life. More details on Mitchell's death can be found here, but there is so much to be disturbed about this story on so many levels. It is more than just the fact that he was a young man who was bullied, and committed suicide. It is the fact that Mitchell was so young (not even a teenager), the fact that he was physically disabled, and the fact he wasn't merely teased or pushed around, but violently assaulted. There have been very few stories in my life that have made me as sick as this one.
Certainly, bullying is an all too frequent part of school growing up. Traditionally, adults have taken a nonchalance attitude towards it. Some will say it's merely a case of "kids being kids". Others see it almost as a right of passage, or it will make someone a stronger person in the long run. I can't say there isn't a hint of truth in any of those assertions, but it doesn't mean that bullying is harmless, and it certainly shouldn't be tolerated by anyone (especially adults). Fortunately, times have changed, and people are not starting to wise up to how damaging bullying can be. Since I started my career as an educator a couple of years ago, I have always had a zero tolerance attitude towards bullying in my classroom. Mitchell's story has only renewed my commitment to stand up to bullying.
Like so many others, I was bullied growing up. I wasn't bullied or assaulted in the same fashion that Mitchell was (although I did take my share of physical abuse from peers). And I am straight, so I was not picked on for my sexual orientation (although I was called words like a "queer" and a "faggot" on several occasions). I was simply a social awkward young man who was trying to fit in where I could. Middle school was the most miserable three years of my life because of bullying. I remember it being a good day at school when I was only called a "faggot" once, and maybe flicked in the ear a couple of times.
Oddly enough, a number of the students who bullied me I considered friends for the longest time. For a while, I thought that beating each other up and calling each other hurtful names were how friends treated each other. By the time I left middle school, I figured out that wasn't how friends treat each other, and I had almost no self-esteem left. Suicide never crossed my mind, although I was probably really close to that becoming an option in my mind. I do remember thinking that no one would ever love me and my life would never amount to anything. There was very little I felt I could do about my own bullying at the time, although if I had to do it again, I would have probably tried to seek out help from school counselors.
When I entered high school, I decided I would keep my mind and energy focused on getting good grades so I could go to college, and get a fresh start. The bullying situation, for the most part, got better for me as high school went on, although I know that for so many others, the torment of bullying gets only worse. One major regret I do have is not standing up whenever I saw other students get bullied. I didn't stand up because I didn't want to get singled out myself. I was afraid I would somehow divert the attention of bullying to myself. I now wish I would have stood up and said something.
I ended up graduating high school and going to college. I have done so much with my life since then. This includes graduating college, starting my career, having lots of great friends, and getting married to a wonderful wife. While I won't say I don't ever think about all those years I was tormented with bullying, I now know that my teenage years, as hard as they were, are only a small part of my life. For anyone reading this post who happens to be in school now and is being bullied (regardless why you are being bullied), I want to let you know that IT DOES GET BETTER. Know that no matter how hard it feels right now, it will not always be like this.
I would like to add something else, and I know this may be hard for you to do if you are being bullied. Do not look at your bully with hate. At my current position, I work with students who have sever behavior and conduct disorders. The students I work with frequently bully other students. One thing I can tell you about such students is that they aren't bad people, and they aren't naturally prone bullying others. Often times, they come from broken homes, and lives of dysfunction. They may even be the products of bullying themselves, except the bullies in their lives may not be peers, but members of their own family. By no means am I trying to justify their actions, and I would not go as far to say that you shouldn't take it personally. Just know that generally, bullying comes from a place of pain and torment on the part of the bullier.
If you are having trouble dealing with bullying, there are a number of great outlets that you can go to and get help. For starters, there is your school counselor, but there is also the National Suicide Prevention Hot line (1-800-273-8255), as well as stopbullying.gov. Please, don't hesitate to get help if you need it.
Above is a picture of Mitchell Wilson. Mitchell was an 11-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy in Ontario, Canada who committed suicide after being beaten up and robbed by another student. Mitchell was the previous recipient of bullying, and after the assault, he was so terrified of going back to school and running into that student that he took his own life. More details on Mitchell's death can be found here, but there is so much to be disturbed about this story on so many levels. It is more than just the fact that he was a young man who was bullied, and committed suicide. It is the fact that Mitchell was so young (not even a teenager), the fact that he was physically disabled, and the fact he wasn't merely teased or pushed around, but violently assaulted. There have been very few stories in my life that have made me as sick as this one.
Certainly, bullying is an all too frequent part of school growing up. Traditionally, adults have taken a nonchalance attitude towards it. Some will say it's merely a case of "kids being kids". Others see it almost as a right of passage, or it will make someone a stronger person in the long run. I can't say there isn't a hint of truth in any of those assertions, but it doesn't mean that bullying is harmless, and it certainly shouldn't be tolerated by anyone (especially adults). Fortunately, times have changed, and people are not starting to wise up to how damaging bullying can be. Since I started my career as an educator a couple of years ago, I have always had a zero tolerance attitude towards bullying in my classroom. Mitchell's story has only renewed my commitment to stand up to bullying.
Like so many others, I was bullied growing up. I wasn't bullied or assaulted in the same fashion that Mitchell was (although I did take my share of physical abuse from peers). And I am straight, so I was not picked on for my sexual orientation (although I was called words like a "queer" and a "faggot" on several occasions). I was simply a social awkward young man who was trying to fit in where I could. Middle school was the most miserable three years of my life because of bullying. I remember it being a good day at school when I was only called a "faggot" once, and maybe flicked in the ear a couple of times.
Oddly enough, a number of the students who bullied me I considered friends for the longest time. For a while, I thought that beating each other up and calling each other hurtful names were how friends treated each other. By the time I left middle school, I figured out that wasn't how friends treat each other, and I had almost no self-esteem left. Suicide never crossed my mind, although I was probably really close to that becoming an option in my mind. I do remember thinking that no one would ever love me and my life would never amount to anything. There was very little I felt I could do about my own bullying at the time, although if I had to do it again, I would have probably tried to seek out help from school counselors.
When I entered high school, I decided I would keep my mind and energy focused on getting good grades so I could go to college, and get a fresh start. The bullying situation, for the most part, got better for me as high school went on, although I know that for so many others, the torment of bullying gets only worse. One major regret I do have is not standing up whenever I saw other students get bullied. I didn't stand up because I didn't want to get singled out myself. I was afraid I would somehow divert the attention of bullying to myself. I now wish I would have stood up and said something.
I ended up graduating high school and going to college. I have done so much with my life since then. This includes graduating college, starting my career, having lots of great friends, and getting married to a wonderful wife. While I won't say I don't ever think about all those years I was tormented with bullying, I now know that my teenage years, as hard as they were, are only a small part of my life. For anyone reading this post who happens to be in school now and is being bullied (regardless why you are being bullied), I want to let you know that IT DOES GET BETTER. Know that no matter how hard it feels right now, it will not always be like this.
I would like to add something else, and I know this may be hard for you to do if you are being bullied. Do not look at your bully with hate. At my current position, I work with students who have sever behavior and conduct disorders. The students I work with frequently bully other students. One thing I can tell you about such students is that they aren't bad people, and they aren't naturally prone bullying others. Often times, they come from broken homes, and lives of dysfunction. They may even be the products of bullying themselves, except the bullies in their lives may not be peers, but members of their own family. By no means am I trying to justify their actions, and I would not go as far to say that you shouldn't take it personally. Just know that generally, bullying comes from a place of pain and torment on the part of the bullier.
If you are having trouble dealing with bullying, there are a number of great outlets that you can go to and get help. For starters, there is your school counselor, but there is also the National Suicide Prevention Hot line (1-800-273-8255), as well as stopbullying.gov. Please, don't hesitate to get help if you need it.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Highlight of the Day: 9/26/2011
Two other paras and I are sitting in a classroom today trying to get students to do their work, which they wouldn't do. One of the paras kept going up to one of the students every 30 seconds and asking him to start his work. This particular student was on the computer looking for music to listen to on his headphones, and insisted he would start his work once he found the right music. This para continued to harp on him several times over the course of the class period. Finally, the para walked over to the classroom next door (not once, but twice) and tried to have the teacher there get him to work and threaten him with punishment. By the end of the hour, the student had received an office referral for arguing with her, and never started his work.
Now, was the student was avoiding his work with the use of the computer? Of course. And this particular para was correct in trying to get him to start his work. However, she was doing it in a way that only aggravated him and made him not want to do his work even more.
If I were a supervising teacher, I would have pulled her to the side and told her "He didn't start his work when you bugged him 30 seconds ago. What makes you think he is going to start at this moment?" I would have also told her that she should ask him to start his work, walk away for about 3-5 minutes, come back and try to get him to work then. If he hadn't started his work then, give him a warning, go way for another 2-3 minutes, and then give him a consequence if he hadn't started. But since I was a fellow para (and one that has only worked there for about 3 weeks), I kept my nose out of the situation and let her dig her own grave. My suggestions may or may not have worked, but what she was doing damn sure didn't work. Also, the classroom teacher who she went and grabbed was not pleased being interrupted with her plan time.
I can empathize with this para, and most paras like her, who want to jump right in and get the students to do their work when they aren't doing it. But as someone who has supervised paras in the past, one problem I feel needs to be addressed is that sometimes, less is more. This is especially true with students who have behavior problems (as all of the students in our program do). For a student that isn't complying, but aren't disrupting or hurting anyone, it's not very complicated: instruct the student; give them the warning; come back later, and if they still aren't complying, then give a consequence. Simple and effective.
Now, was the student was avoiding his work with the use of the computer? Of course. And this particular para was correct in trying to get him to start his work. However, she was doing it in a way that only aggravated him and made him not want to do his work even more.
If I were a supervising teacher, I would have pulled her to the side and told her "He didn't start his work when you bugged him 30 seconds ago. What makes you think he is going to start at this moment?" I would have also told her that she should ask him to start his work, walk away for about 3-5 minutes, come back and try to get him to work then. If he hadn't started his work then, give him a warning, go way for another 2-3 minutes, and then give him a consequence if he hadn't started. But since I was a fellow para (and one that has only worked there for about 3 weeks), I kept my nose out of the situation and let her dig her own grave. My suggestions may or may not have worked, but what she was doing damn sure didn't work. Also, the classroom teacher who she went and grabbed was not pleased being interrupted with her plan time.
I can empathize with this para, and most paras like her, who want to jump right in and get the students to do their work when they aren't doing it. But as someone who has supervised paras in the past, one problem I feel needs to be addressed is that sometimes, less is more. This is especially true with students who have behavior problems (as all of the students in our program do). For a student that isn't complying, but aren't disrupting or hurting anyone, it's not very complicated: instruct the student; give them the warning; come back later, and if they still aren't complying, then give a consequence. Simple and effective.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Highlight of the Day: 9/8/2011
I thought I would be spending the whole day with the students, but that didn't quite work out well. I got a call from the HR department at the school district I'm working and was told I must turn in some additional paperwork before I can work. Fortunately, the teacher I am working with was understanding and said to take my time. So, I spent the first half of the day taking care of more paperwork.
During the afternoon, I got to meet some of the students, and we went on a short field trip to a job site as part of their class on vocational skills. Currently, I am standing back and doing a lot of watching, so I didn't interact with many of the students. With many education positions, it can be a good thing to just jump right in. With this job, it is different. As my assigned classroom teacher told me, you don't want to start telling these students what to do too soon. One bad first impression and you may never be able to regain their trust. Indeed, when I start trying to correct misbehavior, I want to make sure I already have a good rapport established.
A couple of other notes:
-To the other students, I am considered another teacher. While I am not considered a main classroom teacher, in the eyes of the students, I have as much authority as any other staff member. This is extremely reassuring. In too many classrooms, when a para tries to tell a student what to do, the student will reply with something along the lines of "You can't tell me what to do, you are just a para." They even refer to me as Mr.and my last name. Paras went by their first names in my last school district.
-I saw a lot of behavior from students that at other schools would be addressed with detention and office referrals. Specifically: cussing, name calling and making threats. At this program, these are met with verbal warnings, looks of disapproval and points being taken off on behavior charts. This is definitely a whole different ball game I am dealing with.
During the afternoon, I got to meet some of the students, and we went on a short field trip to a job site as part of their class on vocational skills. Currently, I am standing back and doing a lot of watching, so I didn't interact with many of the students. With many education positions, it can be a good thing to just jump right in. With this job, it is different. As my assigned classroom teacher told me, you don't want to start telling these students what to do too soon. One bad first impression and you may never be able to regain their trust. Indeed, when I start trying to correct misbehavior, I want to make sure I already have a good rapport established.
A couple of other notes:
-To the other students, I am considered another teacher. While I am not considered a main classroom teacher, in the eyes of the students, I have as much authority as any other staff member. This is extremely reassuring. In too many classrooms, when a para tries to tell a student what to do, the student will reply with something along the lines of "You can't tell me what to do, you are just a para." They even refer to me as Mr.and my last name. Paras went by their first names in my last school district.
-I saw a lot of behavior from students that at other schools would be addressed with detention and office referrals. Specifically: cussing, name calling and making threats. At this program, these are met with verbal warnings, looks of disapproval and points being taken off on behavior charts. This is definitely a whole different ball game I am dealing with.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Highlight of the Day: 9/7/2011
Today was my first day at my new paraprofessional job . . . sort of. Most of the day was spent in orientation meetings. Learning about benefits, professional development, going through paperwork, watching training videos, etc.
The last hour of the day, I got to meet the teacher I will be working with most of the time, and another para that will be in the same classroom as me. I also got to see the classroom I will be spending most of my day in, and learn a little bit about the students I will work with. I don't get to work with any of them until tomorrow, but let's just say I will be coming home with lots of interesting stories. I didn't think that would be possible compared to my last job, but this just might have me beat.
For instance, she let me look at a student's behavior notes for the day. Several times I saw in the notes where he called the teacher "bitch" and said "fuck you", and had to be escorted to the cool down room (and this was considered a good day for him). I am also told I am going to be the brunt of a lot of profanity and verbal abuse from students, and there is very little I can do to help the situation. These are students who have been taken out of their regular classrooms so they can work on behavior modifications.
Right now, I should be sweating bullets and freaking out, but I am actually excited. Perhaps that will change, but right now, I'm ready to go.
The last hour of the day, I got to meet the teacher I will be working with most of the time, and another para that will be in the same classroom as me. I also got to see the classroom I will be spending most of my day in, and learn a little bit about the students I will work with. I don't get to work with any of them until tomorrow, but let's just say I will be coming home with lots of interesting stories. I didn't think that would be possible compared to my last job, but this just might have me beat.
For instance, she let me look at a student's behavior notes for the day. Several times I saw in the notes where he called the teacher "bitch" and said "fuck you", and had to be escorted to the cool down room (and this was considered a good day for him). I am also told I am going to be the brunt of a lot of profanity and verbal abuse from students, and there is very little I can do to help the situation. These are students who have been taken out of their regular classrooms so they can work on behavior modifications.
Right now, I should be sweating bullets and freaking out, but I am actually excited. Perhaps that will change, but right now, I'm ready to go.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
My New Job
Tomorrow, I start my new job as a paraprofessional. As I have mentioned before, I will be working with teenagers who primarily have Behavior Disorders. For those who are not involved with public education, you may be asking yourself a couple of questions: First, what is a "Paraprofessional"? Second, what constitutes a "Behavior Disorder"?
To begin with, a paraprofessional is similar to an aid or a teacher's assistant. Often times, they work with individual students or in small groups with students who have special needs (legally, those who have an IEP).
While not always the most reliable source for information, Wikipedia has a pretty good description of the typical duties of a paraprofessional (or "para" for short):
As for students with Behavior Disorders, there are a couple of ways to look at it. First, there is the official definition of IDEA (the official federal law outlining what special education is). It is technically called "Emotional Disturbances":
Secondly, there is the broader version of students who have "behavior disorders". To the best of my understanding, I will be working with more than just students who fall under the legal definition under IDEA. They can have any other disability (or multiple disabilities) outlined in IDEA, but they have difficulty functioning in a regular classroom. For more information on Behavior Disorders, I found education.com has a solid and thorough overview.
By the way, if you stumble across this blog and find that I misstated something about the nature of behavior disorders (or paraprofessionals for that matter), or that I should add something, please don't hesitate to comment or contact me on Twitter. I want to make sure I am as accurate as possible. In addition, I will let you know more specific details of my job in the next couple of days once I have actually started working. I'm ready to go!
To begin with, a paraprofessional is similar to an aid or a teacher's assistant. Often times, they work with individual students or in small groups with students who have special needs (legally, those who have an IEP).
While not always the most reliable source for information, Wikipedia has a pretty good description of the typical duties of a paraprofessional (or "para" for short):
Paraprofessional educators generally assist teachers in the classroom, supervise students outside of the classroom, or provide administrative support for teaching.[2] Job duties range from filling teaching positions to supplementing regular classroom curriculum with additional enrichment activities for students. Other positions include classroom aides, special education aides, school library technical assistants, and tutors.
Some paraprofessionals work directly with students, in which case they may listen to students practice reading aloud, help students understand and complete their assignments, or assist students with special needs.[2]
Many paraprofessionals are assigned to supervise groups of students who are eating, playing outside, or on field trips. They may be assigned to perform clerical work for a teacher, in which case they may grade assignments, type up records for attendance or grades, set up equipment, and help prepare materials for instruction, e.g., by making photocopies of worksheets.[2]
Many teacher assistants work primarily or exclusively with students who have special educational needs. Their duties vary according to the needs of the student, and may include physical care for students who are unable to care for themselves (such as feeding, lifting, moving, or cleaning), behavioral management, or academic assistance.[2]
The role of the Paraprofessional Educator is constantly evolving. Today, more than ever, paraprofessionals are teaching lessons, working with small groups for remediation, leading extracurricular clubs/sports and are no longer simply the "Teacher's Aide" of the past.
As for students with Behavior Disorders, there are a couple of ways to look at it. First, there is the official definition of IDEA (the official federal law outlining what special education is). It is technically called "Emotional Disturbances":
"(i) The term means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors(ii) The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance" (CFR §300.7 (a) 9).
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Secondly, there is the broader version of students who have "behavior disorders". To the best of my understanding, I will be working with more than just students who fall under the legal definition under IDEA. They can have any other disability (or multiple disabilities) outlined in IDEA, but they have difficulty functioning in a regular classroom. For more information on Behavior Disorders, I found education.com has a solid and thorough overview.
By the way, if you stumble across this blog and find that I misstated something about the nature of behavior disorders (or paraprofessionals for that matter), or that I should add something, please don't hesitate to comment or contact me on Twitter. I want to make sure I am as accurate as possible. In addition, I will let you know more specific details of my job in the next couple of days once I have actually started working. I'm ready to go!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Back for Good (for now anyways)
Photo from NewsLetterTree
The last time I published anything on this blog, I had recently found out I lost my high school teaching job, and I was starting to look for a new teaching position. I promised that I would try to keep my blog going, but given that my last blog post was five months ago, I guess that didn't quite work out. I can tell you that the last time I posted, I was feeling pretty optimistic about my future.
But I can only spend so much time feeling sorry for myself. A short period of self-pity is quite necessary, but overdoing it is not going to help me be a better teacher, or find me a new job. So, I dove headfirst into the job hunt, and I have been there ever since.Turns out the job hunt was more difficult that I thought it would be. I had numerous job interviews in the past five months, all of which got my hopes up, but only to lead to disappointment when I didn't get it. Sometimes, I didn't interview as well as I would have liked to. Sometimes, I gave a good interview, but someone else did better. I even had one interview at a charter school in Kansas City that was combative and quite bizarre (I will share that story another day). The point is, with education cuts being what they are in these times, the amount of teachers looking for new jobs is pretty astonishing, and makes for a difficult job hunt (even in special education where there is always a need). That new teaching job never came.
Not only did my self-pity return, but it became a chronic condition. At times, I grew quite bitter and depressed. I was already out of shape with little to no exercise, a poor diet, and constantly stressed before my job loss. I added the habit of smoking to my "healthy" lifestyle (I have now mostly quit). I was not only worried about my future financially, I began to wonder whether I wasted my time and money going back to school a few years back to become a teacher. I knew I love what I did, but was all this an indication that I'm not a good teacher, or that I don't deserve to teach?
When I talked to one of my supervisors shortly after hearing the news about my non-renewal, I promised that I would try to stay positive and not let this effect my job. She said that while I had a good attitude, that would probably not last. At some point, the reality of the news would hit me, and I might need to take a day for myself. To some extent, she was incorrect. I never "took a day for myself", and there wasn't an exact moment where the news "hit me". As for the work in my remaining time at the High School, I never really faltered in my duties as a teacher or case manager. I knew the responsibilities of my job (and to my students) were too important. However, I got very lax in some of the ways I approached different rules set out for teachers (dress code, showing up late, leaving early, etc.) I always told myself the same thing: "what are they going to do, fire me?" For the most part, the point my supervisor was trying to make was correct. Slowly, the reality of my situation did get to me.
I decided shortly after my last blog post, whenever the feelings of depression and self-pity started occurring more, I did not want to continue posting for a while (certainly while I didn't have a new job lined up). I did not want my personal problems and negative attitude to be the focus this blog, which it would have been. I started using my Twitter account again a couple of months back, and expressed some of my frustrations there (in the form of 140 characters or less). But that is not what I want this blog to be about. I vowed to myself that I would stop blogging until things in my life were a little more in order. I made no announcement of this, I just stopped.
Well, as this post indicates, I'm starting again. About a month ago, I started doing math and reading tutoring at a company in Overland Park, KS a couple nights a week. It doesn't pay much, but the fact they wanted me to work there gave me a major boost of confidence that I hadn't felt in months. Then, a couple of days ago, a technical center in Northeast Kansas hired me as a paraprofessional. I start next week, and I will be working with high school students who have Behavior Disorders.
Granted, I would much rather have a regular teaching job, but for now, I am happy with this job. For starters, I get to work in a really excellent school district that could lead to something better in the future. Plus, since I don't have to plan lessons or work on IEPs, I have more time to do other things I like (exercising, reading, hanging out with my wife, and blogging of course). More importantly, I will continue to do what I love: educate and help young people with special needs (just in a different capacity). Financially, things are still up in the air. The pay cut I get with this job is pretty significant. However, my wife recently interviewed with a company that pays pretty well, and will hopefully be hired there pretty soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
These past few months have been some of the most difficult and stressful months of my life. This whole experience has probably been as demoralizing as anything I have ever gone through. Sometimes, an experience like mine provides some type of life lesson, but I haven't found any yet. All I know is that I am as positive about life and the future as I have been in months. As far as this blog goes, I hope to continue to write about a variety of issues surrounding education, politics, and other topics of interest. There is so much I have missed writing about these past few months that I regret not writing about. These include the SOS March, the GOP Presidential Campaign, the death of Osama Bin Laden, and the continuous uprisings in the Arab World. I can't promise I won't ever go on hiatus again, but for right now, it feels good to be back and writing.
By the way, I want to update you on a student that I talked about in March who I was trying to help graduate.
One student, in particular, will make me especially proud if he can get to graduation. He has spent the past year largely absent from school. He comes from a very at-risk background full of poverty and crime. Our biggest worry at school was that he was doomed to drop out and eventually go to prison. Now, after a couple of times going through juvenile imprisonment, he has had a sudden change of heart. He is coming to his classes, doing all of his work, and taking extra courses through credit recovery. Suddenly, he is on track to graduate in May. He has promised to get back on track before, only to fall right back off track. But it does feels different this time: his attitude is more motivated, and his positive behavior is more consistent. I just hope he can keep doing what he is doing for a couple more months. A high school diploma will by no means ensure a secure future for him, but it does significantly increase his chances. If he walks across that stage with his gown and gap, and receives his diploma, it will certainly be one of the proudest moments of my career.For a while, he missed a few classes, and started slacking again. But in the final few weeks of school, he got his butt in gear, brought his grades up, and I am proud to say he walked out with his diploma in May. What happens from here on out is up to him, and I do worry that he may fall into a lifestyle that will wind up with negative consequences. But I also know that a student like him, without the support he received from myself and others, would likely have dropped out at other schools. I am so proud that I got to leave my job with that accomplishment. It is something I will never forget. I will end this post with the words I ended in that post.
These are the reasons why I love what I do. I can only hope that my next job will provide these same types of opportunities.
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