The Day I Became a Teacher

[deafgal001]

Outstanding read.

That's my world as well

Except I DO teach sex ed as well.

Middle School Science, English, Sex Education and High School PE.

Yipee-kay-yay!

I'm not allowed to post pictures with my students faces in them, but I can show that I haven't lost my whiteboard. Photo is of one of the many "volunteers" that transition through my classroom as part of their student-teacher learning experience.

My secret weapon? A guard dog! Can you see her in the reading corner?

She's a certified public dog from CCI. I also tell students that if they don't turn their homework in on time, I'll sic her on them! Needless to say, nobody turns in their homework late. I suspect it's mostly because of my reward system which includes doggy petting/hugging time though.


My super-duper back-up animal in case the dog's too busy being hugged? An octopus! In a house built by students with lego blocks...

-Paul

cool pictures

 

[GrendelQ]

Outstanding read.

That's my world as well

Except I DO teach sex ed as well.

Middle School Science, English, Sex Education and High School PE.

Yipee-kay-yay!
...
-Paul

Wow! (boy, do I agree with Deafgal) I want my child to take your class. Actually, I want to take your class.

 

[Dixie]

What a story, thanks for sharing! And thanks for sharing those pictures, they look awesome.

 

[deafdyke]

Was a post removed? I see a really nice comment from FJ acknowledging her amazing students and their resiliency.

No, this is ongoing. I mentioned my experiance with special ed/Resource Room kids in another thread, and faire joure thought I was talking about kids like the kids she works with.
I do know about those kids. I have friends who work with those kids (in specialized settings)
But I was not even talking about those types of kids. The kind of kids I am talking about are the ones who basicly fuck up public school special ed, for those who really need it.They don't even have any learning problems or emotional/tramatic background, but they're dumped in sped/Resource Room b/c some school admin thought it would be an awesome idea, since that worked a lot with kids with real issues.
All I can say is that you and faire joure are extremely lucky to have started out in Deaf ed, rather then the mainstream.

 

[deafbajagal]

Outstanding read.

That's my world as well

Except I DO teach sex ed as well.

Middle School Science, English, Sex Education and High School PE.

Yipee-kay-yay!

I'm not allowed to post pictures with my students faces in them, but I can show that I haven't lost my whiteboard. Photo is of one of the many "volunteers" that transition through my classroom as part of their student-teacher learning experience.

My secret weapon? A guard dog! Can you see her in the reading corner?

She's a certified public dog from CCI. I also tell students that if they don't turn their homework in on time, I'll sic her on them! Needless to say, nobody turns in their homework late. I suspect it's mostly because of my reward system which includes doggy petting/hugging time though.


My super-duper back-up animal in case the dog's too busy being hugged? An octopus! In a house built by students with lego blocks...

-Paul

Awesome!!! I'm totally taking your class!

 

[deafbajagal]

Great story deafbajagal. Are you still teaching at the same school? How have your students changed? Any student success stories yet?

I'm now in a different school (and in a different state)...I now teach at a residential school for the deaf.

The two years I spent at the first school (a treatment facility for children with severe behavioral disorders, sometimes compounded with psychotic disorders, too) completely changed how I saw the world.

One success story that comes to mind is a little boy (age 11 or so) who acted like he was a dog...literally. He would get on all fours and bark, growl, and scratch like one. He would ask to sleep in a doghouse and often wanted to eat a dog bone. At first I was like, wtf? When I read his file, it showed that he has acted this way for a long time. Probably because when social services found him, he was chained like a dog, in a dog house. He was only five years old. He ate dog food and drank water from a dog bowl. It was just appalling, and I'm really leaving out a lot of other details because I cannot stomach talking about it. This is the sugarcoated version. So after a couple of weeks of his behavior in my class, I finally couldn't stand it. I grabbed the pychologist and told him to stay with me during a lesson. At first he was hesistant (because it's dangerous to be in the classroom...what a concept!) but I didn't leave him an option. I got that kid and sat him right in front of me. I had pictures of many dogs in a picture album that I had made. What is this? "Dog." I elaborated and explained to him that dog's breed, etc. We went through about ten dogs. Then I had a new picture...of a boy. What is this? "Boy." After going through several pictures, I finally mixed them up. And then I pulled out a hand mirror (I had to fill out 12 sheets of paperwork to even have a mirror in my room because of restrictions of what objects can be allowed in the classroom). "What is this?" He looked and got very quiet. Then he looked at me and said, "It's supposed to be a boy!" "It IS a boy! YOU are a boy." He literally broke down, nearly clawing me in the face. I never moved or made a facial expression. The psychologist ran out of the room.

After a few minutes, he stopped crying and looked at me. "I'm a boy?" Then he affirmed it. "I'm a boy."

And he never acted like a dog again.

 

[shel90]

I'm now in a different school (and in a different state)...I now teach at a residential school for the deaf.

The two years I spent at the first school (a treatment facility for children with severe behavioral disorders, sometimes compounded with psychotic disorders, too) completely changed how I saw the world.

One success story that comes to mind is a little boy (age 11 or so) who acted like he was a dog...literally. He would get on all fours and bark, growl, and scratch like one. He would ask to sleep in a doghouse and often wanted to eat a dog bone. At first I was like, wtf? When I read his file, it showed that he has acted this way for a long time. Probably because when social services found him, he was chained like a dog, in a dog house. He was only five years old. He ate dog food and drank water from a dog bowl. It was just appalling, and I'm really leaving out a lot of other details because I cannot stomach talking about it. This is the sugarcoated version. So after a couple of weeks of his behavior in my class, I finally couldn't stand it. I grabbed the pychologist and told him to stay with me during a lesson. At first he was hesistant (because it's dangerous to be in the classroom...what a concept!) but I didn't leave him an option. I got that kid and sat him right in front of me. I had pictures of many dogs in a picture album that I had made. What is this? "Dog." I elaborated and explained to him that dog's breed, etc. We went through about ten dogs. Then I had a new picture...of a boy. What is this? "Boy." After going through several pictures, I finally mixed them up. And then I pulled out a hand mirror (I had to fill out 12 sheets of paperwork to even have a mirror in my room because of restrictions of what objects can be allowed in the classroom). "What is this?" He looked and got very quiet. Then he looked at me and said, "It's supposed to be a boy!" "It IS a boy! YOU are a boy." He literally broke down, nearly clawing me in the face. I never moved or made a facial expression. The psychologist ran out of the room.

After a few minutes, he stopped crying and looked at me. "I'm a boy?" Then he affirmed it. "I'm a boy."

And he never acted like a dog again.

Wow...you are one of a kind teacher. These kids are so lucky to have you as a teacher.

 

[deafbajagal]

I can say the same thing to you, Shel.

 

[deafdyke]

You know I just thought of something. Bajagirl and Aquaman, do you think a good idea might be for public schools with severe behavoirally disordered students to contract out placements and educational services to private schools that might be able to handle those kids better?
Also, do you think that residental placements might be helpful in some cases?

For starters, it was a ...special school for ...special kids. Kids with behavioral and/or psychotic disorders.

And yet, in so many of those kids are horrible stories which explains why they are they way they are.

 

[deafbajagal]

Yes and no.

No because there's a huge disadvantage of grouping these kids together, away from the "normal" stimuli of what a classroom is...they don't see true models of how kids cope with daily life and stress. All they see is ...well, kids who don't know how. We as adults do our best to model as much as possible, but the peers are the ones who really have the influence.

Most of my kids in that school were court-ordered to attend.

Many teachers and schools in the public/private school systems are simply not trained, equipped, or staffed to handle the needs of kids who have these kind of special needs...

 

[shel90]

I can say the same thing to you, Shel.

Thanks

 

[deafdyke]

Wow... you had a real life feral child in your classroom?!?!?! You really did work with unusual kids....like kids who had been severely abused or neglected

 

[deafbajagal]

He was not exactly feral, but close. Unfortunately, it's not as uncommon as some would think.

Every single teacher deals with children who have been abused. Many of us have kids who show up hungry, dirty, and abused...and yet we're supposed to teach them about Shakespeare when all they want is a warm meal and a bed to sleep in. So sad.

 

[deafdyke]

Many of us have kids who show up hungry, dirty, and abused...and yet we're supposed to teach them about Shakespeare when all they want is a warm meal and a bed to sleep in. So sad.

Yeah I know......and yet I got attacked when I suggested that maybe those types of students who are also dhh, or blind/low vision might be better off at a res school, b/c they'd have stabilty and professional child care workers to take care of them.
I mean yeah, it's great that kids who are middle class and who don't come from dysfunctional families don't need to be shipped off to res schools like in the old days.
But in some cases, going off to res school might actually provide the kid with stabilty...I mean res schools have all those services built right in.

 

[deafbajagal]

True. Some kids will fare better in a more structured environment. I sure wish I was placed in one.

 

[deafdyke]

You have a lot of experiance with residental schools right? I got attacked in another thread for wondering if a res school placement might be a good idea for some kids.: Again, idealisticly I think most little and young elementary school dhh kids should attend specialized day programs, and then gradually transistion to a dorm school if they find it an appropreate placement. Living in a dorm would be an awesome way to develop independent living skills for teens. One good thing about mainstreaming is that it created programs so little kids didn't have to go off to res school. But there ARE cases where little kids/early elementary school kids may need a dorm placement. It should be only used in really severe situtions.....NOT advocating that little kids go off to res school. But for example, say a little kid was in Appalachian poverty in the middle of now where (where even hearing schools weren't good) or the kids weren't getting good care. Not every kid has access to families that will advocate for them or even give them food and clothing.
I do understand that in the past they were Insistutions. Like basicly warehoused deaf students. But I do think that with reforms and rules and laws to prevent the stuff that happened way back when, a lot of the severe problems seen in the old days have been avoided.
Do you think that the res school dorm system has been changed a lot from the old days? And before I get attacked again, two of the people who insisted that I did not understand are from a different country. Again, most kids should start out in a day program or a day school... I AM NOT advocating bringing back wholesale "your only option is a dorm at a deaf school" days. Simply saying that in some cases elementary aged kids (third grade and up) might actually do better at a residental school b/c of the stabilty or resources. ...I do think that little kids if they need to go away to school should be placed with a local Deaf family.....Actually, at Colarado School for the Deaf and Blind they have a family system
http://www.csdb.org/Default.aspx?DN=5da57b81-1239-4d57-94f8-7db74feca71b
You
know...maybe a good idea might be to hire Deaf families for a system like that. That way they could have the advantage of being able to play and hang out with Dhh peers, but ALSO take advantage of family life. Again, not romantizing dorm schools, but just pointing out that MAYBE there might be some situtions where they might be helpful for little kids/early elementary. I know there were severe problems in the past....but what if those problems could have been fixed?

 

[deafbajagal]

One thing I do notice about the residential side of a deaf school...the family environment can be so artificial. Just because the placement is better than their home life doesn't mean it is the best placement. It really depends on the individual school/program and how it is run.

On the other hand, if the program is run the way it is supposed to, a residential program has lots of advantages...access to communication and language, role models, opportunities to do many things in the community, etc.

I've always wondered if there's ever been any studies on the psychological impact of living in a dorm has on deaf kids...I've never seen any studies but I'd love to read it if there's one out there.

 

[deafbajagal]

I'll say this...some of the best times of my life was spent in the dorms. I had SO MUCH fun living at my deaf school. It opened my world.

 

[shel90]

I'll say this...some of the best times of my life was spent in the dorms. I had SO MUCH fun living at my deaf school. It opened my world.

There are some people who would gladly see them shut down because they strongly believe that no child benefits from being in a dorm.

 

[deafdyke]

Yes, deafbajagirl that's what I thought. It really depends on the program.

some of the best times of my life was spent in the dorms. I had SO MUCH fun living at my deaf school. It opened my world.

I believe you. There is something about residental education that is so different from attending a neighborhood program. I never got to do deaf school or program, but I have done residental summer camp as well as lived at college. It was very simlair. With day programs there's no real sense of home. The community and sense of home at a dorm school can be AMAZING.

There are some people who would gladly see them shut down because they strongly believe that no child benefits from being in a dorm.

Oh yeah....the very same people who seem to think that the family is some sort of always perfectly functional grouping, and who shelter their teen kids, and who think that everyone has access to a middle class style education.
I do think that a lot of those parents are forgetting that a lot of teens could significently benifit from an independent living type of program. I also find it highly amusing that the very same parents who rail against residental education, wouldn't hesistate to enroll their kid in a boarding prep school.