special education – Recipes from the Classroom

The joys of technology seem infinite. Emails, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Skype……. I’m sure that there are many others, but I did not grow up in the generation of ultimate technology. When I started teaching, we had to write our report cards with cursive print. We did not write a great deal of detail and often the words we used were “fluffy.” Yes, it’s true. The computers that were in the classroom had floppy discs and were generally big and bulky. Needless to say, as a teacher we went through many changes over the years and learned many lessons about the pros and cons of technology. I will share one story about technology and the reason it should be stored in a safe place.

Flip Phone Flip Out

In my special ed classroom, there is not a great deal of space so I do not have a “ teacher desk” I have a student desk for my day book and a few personal items. Today has been a very busy day and I have carelessly left my flip phone on my desk. There are approximately 10 students in my class ranging from grades 2-6. At the present time, students are working at various learning stations and I am walking around to help them with their individual work. Do not assume that they are all sitting and working diligently, some get up and walk around to talk with others. Some need constant redirection and support. Some need support to pick up their pencil and some just need a smile. While I circulate around the class I suddenly hear a noise coming from my phone. At first I think I’m hearing things. “ 911, 911, can we help?” The students are now laughing and I’m looking around the room in shock. I walk to my desk and pick up the phone. I open the flip and I step with one foot in the hallway and one foot out. I talk into the phone.

Hello, can I help?

This is 911, did you call?

What? What? No, I did not call. I think one of my students used my phone to call.

Well,Ms. I would say that you need to be more careful. This is not a laughing matter. If this happens again we will have to send the police to charge you with mischief.

I’m sorry, but a student must have taken my phone from my desk and called. I know that it is not a laughing matter, and I will do my best to make sure that it does not happen again.

I am rather surprised that the 911 dispatcher is so angry with me, since I am apologizing for something I did not do. As I am talking I notice that Jumpster is looking at me with a guilty smirk. The other students are not really interested in what I am doing, but he is pacing and looking at me to hear the conversation. I hang up the phone and talk with him.

Jumpster, did you call 911?

Yup.

Thank you for being honest Jumpster. Why did you call 911?

I just wanted to see what would happen.

Jumpster, they were really mad at me and I am disappointed that you did that. Do you like it when other people touch your things?

No.

Well, I do not like it either and you should not have touched my phone. Do you understand?

Okay.

That is all you can say?

Yup.

I do not want to escalate Jumpster, so I drop the issue and tell him that we will talk about this with his mom and dad when they come to pick him up. Jumpster does not seem too worried and he goes back to work. I put my phone away. Out of sight, out of mind. I then continue doing my circulating and the day goes on as usual. At the end of the day, I talk with his dad and we chuckle over his 911 call.

This seems like a rather mundane story and in many ways it was. It is a lesson to remind you to put away all of your personal items. I’m visualizing a new invention in the future for personal items. It is called The Teacher Box. The teacher locks themself in the box and uses a microphone to talk and direct the students. Ahhh, that would be awful.

The 911 phone incident was interesting and I probably would have forgotten it completely if it hadn’t been for the fact that Jumpster’s parents did not respond in a nice manner. Dad had chuckled with me about the incident and made an Academy Award performance telling Jumpster that he should not have called 911. However, that is not how the story ended. They did not walk home into the sunset and remind their son to keep his hands away from things that do not belong to him. They claimed that the whole incident was my fault because I did not put my phone away. Yes, I forgot to put my phone away because I had a call from my dad about my mom and I was a little out of sorts, so I forgot to put it away. I was not Super Teacher of the World on this particular day because I was thinking about people outside of the school. Jumpster’s parents decided to take the matter further and requested the principal meet with me to, “ Tar and Feather” me. I found this out when I received an email from the principal. I basically sent her an email to let her know that I had already taken care of the matter. Yes, I avoided personal contact and sent her a polite, crisp email. If you knew my principal at the time, you would have understood my lack of caring. Let’s just say, she was very forgetful.

So why did I share this story? Basically to let you know that sometimes the strangest things will happen when you are teaching. Be careful and keep your personal items in check and do not be surprised when you are blamed for things that are not your fault. You can’t be Super Teacher everyday because you are human and humans are not perfect.

Try to Fit In

Have you ever played with the plastic shape sorter ? Or perhaps you have watched your own child try to figure out which piece goes where? At some point in time the wrong piece is getting jammed into a shape that does not work. You feel the tension for the person doing the jamming, but have you ever wondered how the shape felt. Do not worry, I’m not going to give you a writing assignment involving personification, but I think we need to consider some of our students may feel like the shape being jammed into the wrong space. Life should not be like the shape sorter, but unfortunately for some, that is what happens. People get placed into categories to make things simple. We are not shapes with fixed dimensions. You can argue with the physical facts, and claim that humans can mold themselves into different qualities when forced. True, but just like the shape sorter, frustration and anger will likely be the final result. This story is about a student I taught in my fourth year of teaching.

Meeting with the Principal

The principal has asked me to consider moving from teaching grade one to teach a grade ⅚ class. Part of his reasoning is because he thinks teachers should continually challenge themselves and gain experience teaching different age groups. I think the real reason is because I am the “newby teacher” and the other staff do not want to teach the split grade. I am eager to gain experience in different areas and I am happy to take on the challenge. I know a few of the junior aged girls who attended a dance club I organized. I also coached volleyball, and track and field, so I have some understanding of what the students will be like in class. The principal thinks it will be a great experience, so I agree and begin to plan a few things over the summer.

All About Kevin

The week before school I get a call from Kevin’s parents. I have named this student Kevin to reference the movie Home Alone. Kevin’s parents inform me that Kevin has Tourette Syndrome. He is taking medication to alleviate his tics and he has many different types of tics. There are head tics that cause him to constantly shake his head like he is saying yes. There are leg shakes, swallowing, eye tics and verbal tics. His parents give me a pamphlet with a phone number, because at this time there is no www… internet for information and they suggest that I consult with someone who has experience with special education. The first day of school is in 4 days.

Fear of Failure

It is now the first day of school. I have done my best to prepare for the day and I have read the information in the pamphlet, called the phone number and asked for help from the board Special Education Consultant. As I reflect, I know that my biggest issue for this situation is fear of failure. I am afraid that I am going to fail at helping Kevin. I feel incompetent and not ready. That is because I am not ready. The students have entered the class and we are going through the typical first day activities to get to know each other. There are 33 students in my class and I calculate 20 of them have reported to me that Kevin has Tourettes. Their bond with Kevin is amazing and nice how they feel connected to him. Unfortunately, some of the students do not want to sit next to him. Their actions have shown me this because I have allowed them to choose their own desk. There are three extra desks near Kevin and they are empty. While people are working on a task, I quietly ask Kevin if he would like to move closer to the group, but he says that it is better if we just leave it the way it is. He whispers, “ Sometimes my tics get loud.” I nod my head like I understand, but I really do not. He then asks to go to the washroom. I say go ahead and let him know that if he ever needs a break he can leave without permission, just give me a visual wave. I learned that at a professional development session.

Throughout the day I am getting to know the class and becoming more aware of Kevin’s tics. His head is continually moving up and down, he sometimes makes a guttural noise, and at times he looks exhausted. I am taken aback when Kevin makes a verbal tic that sounds something like f….. Witch., but those are not the words used. What is remarkable is the fact that the students do not flinch. They look at me and are waiting to see how I will respond. I do not say anything, but I am pretty sure that my face said something. I have a problem with keeping my facial expressions blank. Kevin repeats this phrase for approximately 8 times and then gives me a wave and walks out of the classroom. While I continue to teach, I’m also thinking, “Wow, did he just call me the b word? I may be moody, but I’m not that.” ( laugh please) Yes, it was a challenge. I learned to continue teaching and tried to keep my facial expressions blank when lessons were peppered with ticks. Kevin often left during lessons, so this would not happen and then I or another student would let him know what he missed when he returned. I left detailed notes for supply teachers and tried to avoid being away. Quite often my notes were not read which meant Kevin was sent to the office and then the principal sent him back.

Lessons Learned

Over time I have got to know that Kevin is an amazing boy dealing with many life challenges. Kevin is not Tourette Syndrome, he has Tourette Syndrome. He is a talented artist with a witty sense of humour. I have had sharp words with the French teacher who claims that the boy is possessed. With the parents help, we have brought in staff from the Tourette Syndrome Society. https://tourette.ca/about-tourette-syndrome/questions-answers/what-is-ts/

I have tried to do my best to help Kevin, but I have continued to hear about his challenges. He has been beat up by kids who do not know him and do not know that his verbal tics are not intentional. He has been laughed at and has told me that he wishes his tics would go away. I have done my best to learn about his needs and have definitely eliminated homework from his worries because he is generally exhausted at the end of the day. What I have learned from his parents is that he tries to hold tics in throughout the day, but when he gets home they have to be released.

I may not have been the most educated about Tourette Syndrome when I taught Kevin. What I do know is that I tried my best. I listened, and I tried to be a support for him when he needed support. I think I learned more from Kevin, than he learned from me.

Category: special education

Phone Alert

Tourette Syndrome