Care don't stare

We made the news!!! Click here to see!!!!!

We (two assistants, the teacher next door, and I) decided to do a special project for our students this year. On facebook the teacher next door posted this picture:

Who this little man is, I have no idea. When she posted this picture it instantly sent my mind into inspector gadget mode. I googled on 3 different devices and one time to find out more about these costumes and where or if I could buy some for my students. I was sadly disappointed when it appeared that these costumes were no where in sight to buy.

The next day I took this picture to school to show my assistant. She loved it and like I, asked where we could buy them. When I broke the bad news that I couldn't find anywhere to buy them, our amazing wheel chair tech from A&A home health, Frank Maxcy, told us he had a ton of boxes at the office that we were more than welcome to and he would deliver them as soon as he could. I looked at my assistant, she looked at me, and we decided to go for it. Worse case scenario they sucked and we would throw them away before anyone would notice ha-ha. I spoke with the teacher next door, whose facebook this project originally stemmed, and she was game for the challenge as well! We got a lot of picture examples of home made wheelchair costumes and asked the students which costume they would rather be. Now with our students this proved to be a challenge in itself. we took pictures two at a time and asked the children which costume would they rather be. Some could respond with shaking their head yes or no, using eye gaze to look at the one they wanted, turning their head at the one they wanted, or by touching the picture of the one they wanted. This way each costume got to be not only for the kids, but let the kids choose their own character. It let them know that they were in charge.

First we made a fire truck to test out the waters:

Then a horse so a boy could be a cowboy: 

 An army tank for a very special soldier

 And what gang of lads is complete without a pirate and pirate ship!

While my OCD ran a muck with non-straight lines and the lack of symmetry on both sides I decided to just let it go and focus on the students. We are still working on Cinderella's Carriage, A queen bee hive, and of course a DJ booth! ha-ha Are they the best in the world, no but they are good enough that the children have smiled every step of the way and that is all that matters. If people want a reason to stare we can give it to them lol.

My students are people too!

As most of you know my students are pulled from two surrounding counties to be in my classroom. The teacher next door and I have a total of ten children. All with multiple severe and profound disabilities. Two students in the class room can walk. Those are the only two out of ten. Our children are considered non-mobile and non-verbal.

A few weeks ago I was asked to attend a conference. This speaker was supposedly the best of the best and had taught everything in the book. I was so excited to FINALLY meet someone else besides myself and the teacher next door who taught our types of students. I was in for a rude awakening. During his speech I became more and more curious about his experience with multi-handicapped special education students. After many attempts, I finally got my turn to speak with him during a lunch break. I asked him if he had any advice or activities he knew of for teachers of multi-handicapped special education teachers. His response "Oh you mean those with dyslexia and ADHD?" My heart sank and I knew this was not headed in a direction that would be pretty. It may be my first year teaching, but I am very passionate about my students in almost a motherly protective way. Little did I know his next student would slap me with a reality check so hard my head would spin.

As I tried to explain to him no my students have a multitude of disabilities all rolled into one and began to name off their situations I was abruptly stopped with seven words that sent chills up my spine. "Why aren't your students in a home?" And by "home" he meant a live in facility instead of being aloud to a regular classroom where we can work on things that help them grow to be strong adults that would be OK in society when they "graduated."  As I heard these words I could feel my face getting warm and red. I knew that my mama bear instincts wanted to rip this guy to shreds and display them for all to see. Letting all who would dare say my students should be in a home instead of a classroom see what would happen to them. How dare he try to say that just because my students don't learn like other students that they belong in a home...yeah my head was spinning with the how dare he's and who is he to say.  I just tried as nicely as I could to excuse myself and return to my chair to collect my thoughts before I went into bear mode.

As I sit in my chair fuming it hit me, this poor speak whom I have just mentally ripped to shreds and displayed the left over parts didn't say that sentence because he thought my job as a teacher was null and void and my students should be shunned away to a dark dungeon, it was because he had never seen or experienced a classroom for children such as these and was unaware of the great advantages to having children in our environment. I lost a great opportunity to bring awareness of what we do, and for that I have been kicking myself everyday.

It's time for me to stand up and roar and let these people know just how amazing these ten individuals are, and the remarkable affect they can have on you if you just take the time to really know them not just stare.