Yesterday was a really stressful day, due to personal issues, body aches, and some teachers perhaps moving further ahead of themselves regarding technology than they should have. But I'm not going to rehash those. One of the best things I did yesterday was make a cheat sheet for case managers to post on or near the computer to help the users remember short cuts or other key info. They weren't even mine to begin with--I just put them into a nice publisher doc and made them look cute and appealing. But I could carry that with me--and know that I helped a bunch of case managers and in turn, many many children and teachers.
So, what's the point of telling you this? Focus on the positive. We're three weeks (or more) into the school year. The honey moon is probably over and behaviors are starting to come out. But it's important to not get bogged down in all the problems and paperwork. One of the things I always used to say is that I have a lot of fun in my classroom because I get to celebrate all the small sucesses. (Celebrate does not always mean have a party--it can be high fives, a good note/phone call home or talking with my assistants, fyi) As a teacher of students with significant cognitive disabilities, we don't have to wait for test results to know that our students are progressing--we can see it every day!
So my thought, and my hope, for your Friday is that you look for the positives, for all the growth, for all the progress your children have made this week and this school year.
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My 2 cents: remember that your paraprofessionals also have tough days, and you can do a lot to support them with just a small effort.
ReplyDeleteThe most stressful position I held at a school was working as a 1-on-1 assistant for a student with multiple disabilities who had severe behavior needs. The one thing that kept me going during tough times was my teacher. Almost everyday before I left, he made it a point to tell me something specific and positive he had seen me do that day and say, "Thank you for _____." "You did a nice job with _____." "That was a great decision you made when _____." (Kinda like we do for our kids, right?)
So keep up the positive attitude and share it with your staff too!