Class Observations

When the Dr gave us the assignment where we should attend at least 8 periods in a class with a specific teacher, I thought that it would be a piece of cake. But after finishing 7 observations, I found out that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Observing how a teacher manages a normal class was really helpful. I liked the teacher a lot, she was really good and patient.
Observing the teacher allows us to study her moves, and then reflect on them.
When it comes to me I don't like someone observing me while working, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't know what other teachers think or feel about this, but I think they feel the same.
Two weeks ago, the Dr asked us to observe a cooperative lesson in the class. So, I asked the teacher when she's going to do it, but she told me that she already did it. I was lucky to observe the last period of the cooperative lesson. And I was surprised to see that it was a role play where students are put into groups and each group of five has to act the story out. I assumed that the only thing they learned was how to act!!! I didn't notice that there is an academic objective, and also the teacher graded students individually. But I noticed that she did guide her students and gave them clear instructions. And when all of the groups finished their performance she asked students about what is the things they liked and disliked about every group.
Cooperative learning is group work, but not every group work is cooperative!!

Sharing Child Assessment Results With Parents

This webinar was presented by Dr Laura L. Balet, who is a licensed school psychologist, she shared her perspective on child assessment and how to convey results with authenticity and confidence to parents.

Assessment is a process of gathering information systematically and interpreting it to plan educational activities going forward. We should be aware that it is not a diagnosis or an indication of the child's entire future, it provides a snapshot of the child's current skills and helps determine if instructions are having a good effect. 

We all as teachers face some barriers when it comes to share the assessment with parents. Sometimes we fear sharing because we don't know how they would react, or maybe because we don't know how to start or finish.

Dr Laura gave us some tips that can help us prepare for the conversation. We should plan what we will say and how, have a written document to guide us, start with  the child's strength and be kind, honest and family-friendly.

Teachers should emphasize that the child's development is a shared responsibility between home and school. And assessment is not a long term indication. Sometimes parents get teachers wrong so they should pay attention to what they say.

A Glance at Last Year

The first student which teaching him was challenging for me was Ahmad. Ahmad, an 11 years old boy who was in grade 4 last year. I couldn't have him speak or even smile, it was pretty frustrating to me at the beginning. But with time, I found a way, I discovered something he adores "basketball". 
One day I asked students what they want to be in the future, Ahmad's answer was a basketball player. So, I glued a picture of a basketball player on the back of his chair. And after a while and a lot of attention and care I managed to build a good relation with him and made him feel secured. 
Ahmad changed completely academically and socially, he was improving rapidly. I was very happy and content with the results.
After succeeding in communicating with Ahmad, he started sharing with me all of his bad experience with other special ed centers, teachers and even his peers. It was really a bad experience which shows how ignorant they are. And for the centers he told me about, they were messy and the most important thing is that their main concern was money.
After two months of hard work, Ahmad was able to read and write. He improved a lot and surprised his parents after they were desperate and thought that their kid will never improve. 

Anything But a Teacher!

"Anything but a teacher" was my answer to anyone who ever asked me what do you like to be in the future. And what's really funny is that I've been teaching for four years and I'm only 23. I guess God had other plans for me, and these plans made me find my real passion. It turned out that teaching is my passion and special education is where I feel content. Although it was a new and a different experience to me, I managed to hold myself together and do my best.
I think my hard work last year actually payed off , the coordinator specifically assigned to me the responsibility of  teaching the elementary classes. It's pretty hard and complicated as I'm working with different levels and different problems (ADHD, Autisim and Dyslexia..) at the same time. 
Sometimes I feel that my head is all over the place, but the good thing is that I always have a backup plan and I'm good at improvising.
The one thing I can never describe is the way I feel when I see my kids improve. Seeing them glowing up is what keeps me motivated.