I am physically and mentally spent. Today was a hard day -- I was tired, kids were anxious to go home, and overall morale was low.
Then, I found out who my new kids are. One has special needs. I don't know the extent of her needs yet, but I do know that she has a hard time staying quiet and she can't count above 2. The other is an infamous child. The younger half of a dynamic sibling duo. I think that she will be ok, once I get her roped in, but I'm not happy about starting three days late with her.
Because of the shuffling, two great kids were taken from my class in exchange for three very challenging children.
In addition, N continues to exhaust me. He's not defiant, but his body will not allow him to stay still for more than 10-30 seconds. He's constantly touching, rubbing, and laying on everything in the room. I literally have no idea what to do with him.
I hate days like this. I have no energy to write my lesson plans for next week, which are due tonight.
Looking at the changes in a different way. You are such a good teacher and your reputation has preceeded you. Perhaps parents have gone to the school and complained because their kids didn't get you for a teacher. ;o)
ReplyDeletel,g
Have you thought about a textured seat cushion for N? Sometimes the teachers at my daycare give them to children who have a hard time being still. There are inflated cushions and also "chair mats". I find the inflated cushions give you more input but I'm sure it varies person to person. It can help children feel like they're moving by providing the similar sensory input they get from wiggling and moving around, all the while remaining still. The seat cushions range from around $13-$45. It might be worthwhile to see if you can try one out (with magical money, of course). Here's a link to a quick amazon search: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_ex_n_0?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asensory+seat+cushion&keywords=sensory+seat+cushion&ie=UTF8&qid=1345824106
ReplyDeleteJane, Thank you so much. I am definitely going to order one of these cushions. I also tied a rubber band to the legs of his chair so that he can kick while he sits and not hurt anyone, and I put velcro under the table for him to feel. In the hallways I have a sensory ball for him. If you think of anything, please feel free to pass it along. Again, thank you!
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