Are you a special or gifted education professional who loves to
write? Want to share your stories with your colleagues?
CEC is searching for members to chronicle their teaching experiences on
Reality 101, CEC's popular blog for new teachers. With Reality 101 acting as
your online journal, your stories will give readers a chance to get to know
you, offer advice, cheer you on, and share their own stories.
Please e-mail your completed application,
including your resume and a photograph, to Andrea Elkin, andreae@cec.sped.org, by June 18.Applications will be accepted by e-mail only.
Last week, was a very busy and exciting week for me. I hope that
everyone enjoyed their Teacher Appreciation Week and had the opportunity to celebrate
Exceptional Children’s Week with their students. Aside, from indulging in the
goodies at my school, I had a wonderful opportunity to participate in a round-table
discussion at the U.S. Department of Education. Yes, it’s true the U.S. Department
of Education. I was so very excited.
This is truly one of the many benefits of being an active member
of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). I had recently received an e-mail
from CEC inviting special education teachers in the Washington, D.C. area to participate
in a “Reform in the Classroom: A Conversation
with Educators of Exceptional Children” at the U.S. Department of Education. The
invitation only allowed for 15 teachers to be recommended to participate. I
immediately replied and hoped that I would receive a confirmation to attend and
what a blessing it was when I did.
I love lists. I make
them for tons of reasons, and, yes, I am one of those people who add things
that I’ve already done just to cross them off. Recently, I was reflecting back
on my past two and half years of teaching and an interesting list started to
come together in my mind.
There have been many
things over the past couple of years that I never dreamed I would be doing,
hence, my “Top Five Things I NEVER Thought I Would Do as a Special Ed Teacher”
list.
I am not a morning person by any stretch. I have been a night owl for
as long as I can remember. In college I could do all-nighters regularly, but
waking up for an 8 a.m. class was impossible. My morning routine often
consisted of staying in bed until the absolute last possible minute, rushing
through the shower, throwing on the first outfit I came across and running out
the door to get to work on time. I’m never late, but it certainly wasn’t a
foundation built for a successful day.
I recently read an e-book by Laura Vanderkam called What the Most
Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your
Mornings—and Life. The book was extremely helpful for me, and I highly
recommend it if you are unsatisfied with your hectic morning routine. In the
book she suggests three things that should be done before the rest of the world
is awake: nurturing your career, nurturing your relationships and nurturing
yourself. I have applied these three categories to my morning routine and have
found them to be very beneficial.
Transitions, transitions and more transitions! That word best
describes what it has been like for me the last couple of months since my new
position. I think somewhere in there I might have lost track of the days of the
week. I'm overjoyed and excited in my new role, but I have to admit it can be
exhausting starting over in the middle of the year.
I'm not only in a new location but my teaching role has completely
changed from being primarily a resource teacher and co-teaching to now working
in a self -contained classroom. It is so much fun being with my kiddos all day
long, but it has been hectic adjusting to the planning changes and demands.
Remember
Theresa? She wrote for Reality
101 in 2011–12. She was in her third year as a special education teacher in the Chicago area, working
with third- and fourth-grade students with a vareity of disabilities in a resource classroom setting.Reality 101 is circling back with
her for a Reality
Check
to get her perspective and sage advice for new teachers.
Oh, what a difference a year makes! It’s hard to believe
that it’s been almost a year since I was sharing my classroom, struggles and
successes with Reality 101. During my last blog, I shared that I would be
leaving my beloved 4th grade for another grade level, and I could not have
predicted what a change was in store for me.
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