So far, this year has been going ok. Remember those terrible kindergartners from last year? Well, now they are terrible first graders. I have had my hands full dealing with a couple of severe behavior problems. One of these students has Down's Syndrome and has a para with her at all times. Her behavior problems, however, have nothing to do with her disability. With uneducated parents at home, she has been running the household with no discipline for 7 years. She is at the level of a 3-year-old, which means temper tantrums and pouting when she doesn't get her way. For a first-time para, this is a difficult task. The para is not picking up on it very quickly, and cannot control this child.
My other student has some psychological issues that go far beyond the classroom. I try to keep in mind that I can only control what goes on within these four walls, but it is difficult when I know what goes on at home. I have tried everything I can think of with this student. We have made a behavior plan for her. She is no longer running away from the classroom when she gets in trouble (a HUGE step up from last year and the beginning of this year). I have created a "Safe Place" for her, under a table with a tablecloth. She knows that when she goes under the table, she has 5 minutes to cool down. When the timer goes off, she must come out without me asking her. If she doesn't, she knows that's when she gets in trouble. She also has to fill out a piece of paper while she's there, explaining how she feels, etc. I'm trying to get to the bottom of it! I also have created a feelings chart on her desk with magnets. If she feels sad, she chooses the magnet that says "sad" and places in the box. There are about 8 different feelings, and it's her secret way of communicating to me. There is also a behavior chart on her desk. The day is broken down into 4 time segments. She has 4 chances to get a sticker throughout the day, with a reward after each. This way, if she messes up first thing in the morning, she still has three chances to get a reward. She had two weeks in a row that she got all her stickers, so this week we moved it down to only two time segments. I was so excited to see that she still got all her stickers! She is making so much progress, and I can't wait to see how she grows the rest of the year.
Other than these two students, I think I have the rest of them under control! In the beginning, it was very difficult, but I feel like we've made a lot of progress. I was told by the music teacher that last year everyone would have said I deserved teacher of the year. I was confused because no one had ever said anything to me like that. So I asked who would have recommended me for that. He said, "Everyone. All the teachers. They all recognized what you did with that group of students." Then he went on to tell me that even this year, there is an obvious difference in the way my students act when compared to the other two first grade classes. He also told my husband that these students last year were awful, and no one knew what they would do with them. He said that he's impressed with what I've done with such a crazy group of kids. I guess it's hard to see the progress when it's gradual and you see the same students every day. But for a teacher who sees all students, K-6, I felt very honored that he could tell the difference.
