Keeping on schedule.... what a concept. I am a fly by the seat of your pants, that sounds like fun woman. This works well a lot of time with a well developed lesson plan/schedule. However it all falls apart when I have fewer children to teach. It feels then like I have unlimited time to work with, which we don't. Things fall apart, things (sometimes important things) get forgotten.
Therefore: it is my opinion and my experience that it is vital that we follow our class schedule/lesson time even if we only have one child. Then that particular child gets the best day ever with total individualized attention and nothing he/she needs gets missed. When we throw out the schedule because of fewer children it is that much more difficult to get back on task when all children attend.
About Me
- MARI
- When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. -- Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
On keeping communications open with your a paraprofessionals:
It is vital that you keep everything clear and professional. It is very easy to let feelings get into the mix. Begin with the premises that 1. Everything is for the good of the children. 2. Health and safety of parapros and all staff are important.
One of my paraprofessionals and I had a disagreement that was starting to get heated at the end of the school day. I told her we needed to put it on hold and discuss the problem in a meeting on Tues. p.m. Do not put a meeting off, but allow time to let tempers settle as well as set a definite time to meet.
I had difficulty not confiding in my other parapro, but I told her to remind me that we will be having this as a group discussion, if I start to discuss the topic before the meeting. This parapro also came up with the idea that we should all write down our thoughts about the issue before our meeting. In addition, notes for our meetings are always written on our whiteboard. Each person is welcome to write anything we want to discuss during a class meeting.
At the time of the meeting we had the agenda we hadwritten on the blackboard. I brought up each point, some of which needed little discussion . The major point was our class schedule and how much time it takes to finish up one activity, set up the next one and fit in changing, lifting and feeding on time. It's difficult not to plan more activities than are feasible during a 6 1/2 hour day when you have all of these vital activities to complete during school hours. Working up a better schedule resolved our argument. We also agreed that at times , I can amend the schedule during the day if I feel that this is the correct thing to do.
At the end of the meeting we agreed that it is best that we make sure that we check the schedule for feeding, diapering, therapy, stander and gait trainer times before getting overly spontaneous and adding to what has been planned. We also decided that we need a minimum of a 30 minute time period if we are to put the children on the floor in order to allow time for transfers. We also placed transfers (physical lifting of the children) into the time frame of diaper changes in order to lessen the physical stress on the staff.
Before this meeting we had been discussing issues at least one time per month in a sit down meeting. The rest of the month we had been discussing problems during the school day when we encountered them. We have decided to have a weekly meeting instead of discussing issues on the "fly". This way we have an agenda and enough time to discuss anything that needs a more serious discussion.
It is vital that you keep everything clear and professional. It is very easy to let feelings get into the mix. Begin with the premises that 1. Everything is for the good of the children. 2. Health and safety of parapros and all staff are important.
One of my paraprofessionals and I had a disagreement that was starting to get heated at the end of the school day. I told her we needed to put it on hold and discuss the problem in a meeting on Tues. p.m. Do not put a meeting off, but allow time to let tempers settle as well as set a definite time to meet.
I had difficulty not confiding in my other parapro, but I told her to remind me that we will be having this as a group discussion, if I start to discuss the topic before the meeting. This parapro also came up with the idea that we should all write down our thoughts about the issue before our meeting. In addition, notes for our meetings are always written on our whiteboard. Each person is welcome to write anything we want to discuss during a class meeting.
At the time of the meeting we had the agenda we hadwritten on the blackboard. I brought up each point, some of which needed little discussion . The major point was our class schedule and how much time it takes to finish up one activity, set up the next one and fit in changing, lifting and feeding on time. It's difficult not to plan more activities than are feasible during a 6 1/2 hour day when you have all of these vital activities to complete during school hours. Working up a better schedule resolved our argument. We also agreed that at times , I can amend the schedule during the day if I feel that this is the correct thing to do.
At the end of the meeting we agreed that it is best that we make sure that we check the schedule for feeding, diapering, therapy, stander and gait trainer times before getting overly spontaneous and adding to what has been planned. We also decided that we need a minimum of a 30 minute time period if we are to put the children on the floor in order to allow time for transfers. We also placed transfers (physical lifting of the children) into the time frame of diaper changes in order to lessen the physical stress on the staff.
Before this meeting we had been discussing issues at least one time per month in a sit down meeting. The rest of the month we had been discussing problems during the school day when we encountered them. We have decided to have a weekly meeting instead of discussing issues on the "fly". This way we have an agenda and enough time to discuss anything that needs a more serious discussion.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
This blog has been left alone for too long. I have moved along with my students. Some of them have moved to new teachers and I am learning all the time.
New things in our classroom: Less stuff. We are down to 1 teacher desk, which we rarely use and 1 table for feeding, crafting and things. We now have a Tap-it which is is 44 inch smart board on a frame that interfaces with a computer. I am learning to use this. I am able to get the computer hooked up with an enabling button so the students can turn pages. Because their arms are so short and their aim is uncertain, I am not very successful in getting them to tap even small but not very demanding applications. They seem to need to be able to tap more accurately. http://www.teachsmart.org/tapit/ This is one of the research projects I am doing for myself. I will also be making a application using powerpoint for the Tap-it which will allow the children to use a switch to turn pages on a book that I have downloaded.
I have observed in one program and one teacher and our physical therapist have been trained in Project Move. I have always maintained that children should be on the floor, but this modality starts with the premise that children should be upright, using normal chairs if possible and moving on their own--using gait trainers, physical assist, whatever is necessary to get the children upright and using their own muscles. I am beginning this program and have 3 children who are put in gait trainers and standers 2X each a week. We have also begun to use an electric lift for our heaviest child who weights about 70 lbs. This has eased up our workload a lot and my back does not hurt after work. We always use a 2 man lift when not using our electric lift.
http://www.move-international.org/
New things in our classroom: Less stuff. We are down to 1 teacher desk, which we rarely use and 1 table for feeding, crafting and things. We now have a Tap-it which is is 44 inch smart board on a frame that interfaces with a computer. I am learning to use this. I am able to get the computer hooked up with an enabling button so the students can turn pages. Because their arms are so short and their aim is uncertain, I am not very successful in getting them to tap even small but not very demanding applications. They seem to need to be able to tap more accurately. http://www.teachsmart.org/tapit/ This is one of the research projects I am doing for myself. I will also be making a application using powerpoint for the Tap-it which will allow the children to use a switch to turn pages on a book that I have downloaded.
I have observed in one program and one teacher and our physical therapist have been trained in Project Move. I have always maintained that children should be on the floor, but this modality starts with the premise that children should be upright, using normal chairs if possible and moving on their own--using gait trainers, physical assist, whatever is necessary to get the children upright and using their own muscles. I am beginning this program and have 3 children who are put in gait trainers and standers 2X each a week. We have also begun to use an electric lift for our heaviest child who weights about 70 lbs. This has eased up our workload a lot and my back does not hurt after work. We always use a 2 man lift when not using our electric lift.
http://www.move-international.org/
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Music Therapy by Larissa Woitulewicz MT-BC
Music therapy is not music lessons. It is not just listening to music. It is not just the introduction of a variety of musical forms to a student.
Music therapy IS an established health care profession along the same spectrum as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapies and other creative arts therapies. It uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of ALL ages. Music therapy improves the quality of life for persons who are well and meets the needs of children and adults with disabilities or illness... American Music Therapy Association, 2009
In music therapy sessions, music is the primary tool used by a qualified practitioner to hep students achieve individualized non-musical goals and objectives. At our school, the music therapist primarily addresses the unique cognitive, physical, communicative, daily functioning and social needs of the students to help them achieve and maintain maximum levels of functioning.
Music therapy sessions are designed to create fun, successful, process-oriented experiences that can motivate students, while offering a unique and interactive medium for the students to develop skills that may be more difficult for the student to achieve using other approaches.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Finding cheap therapeutic items around the house
One of the amazing helpful items I use with my students is the stretchy shelf liner that can be found at a Dollar Store for $1.00 per roll. This can be cut to size and placed under items on a table, desk or wheelchair tray in order that toys, dishes, bowls, etc. do not move around when someone is trying to utilize them.
Another helpful feeding item for an older child or adult with poor motor skills is a corning ware baking dish. This dish has sides so food does not escape. It also has enough weight that it does not move around when a person with poor coordination pushes at it too much. This tip was given to me by my mother-in-law who is caring for her husband who has had strokes and parkinsons disease.
Another helpful feeding item for an older child or adult with poor motor skills is a corning ware baking dish. This dish has sides so food does not escape. It also has enough weight that it does not move around when a person with poor coordination pushes at it too much. This tip was given to me by my mother-in-law who is caring for her husband who has had strokes and parkinsons disease.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
For those parents who tube feed
As we all know accidents happen. Sometimes the "button" that connects to a child's stomach pulls out or pops out. Sometimes it needs to be completely replaced. A lot of doctors, hospitals or pediatricians may not carry the same style or size of g-tube button that you need. It is very important that you keep an extra or several extras on hand in case of emergency. Just a reminder to those of you who know and to those of you who didn't realize, it is good information. I just came across this information in a book about children with Rhetts Syndrome.
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