Life Skill Lessons

Last week when we came back from our 2 week vacation, the bomb was dropped that we were going to have to catheterize an 8^th grade boy. It took a little over a week but we finally felt that we had this figured out. Plans were in the works that should be comfortable for everyone.

This past Wednesday, I’m off campus all day for a training, Thursday morning I have the most emotional triennial IEP meeting I have ever had (all of us were in tears ~ some happy, some sad), and then I walk into my classroom ½ way through 1^st period. I get into routine with the students and start to check my email and there it is…New interim placement student for you. As I read further into the email, I’m starting to get worried. Like I said, my staff has just caught their breath from our last mountain climb and now we need to get ready for a new student (and let me tell you it’s not just any new student). To top things off, he’s supposed to start Tuesday, we are off campus on Friday, I am short one paraprofessional on Friday, Monday is MLK, Jr. observance day and it’s almost time for the students to go to PE which is when I leave for my District position. So, everything must get put into HIGH gear. I have my paraprofessional get the IEP from the District office so that we can see his levels, so that we can get ready today.

In the email it also gives me a little information that will be so very important… There are many behaviors including elopement from the classroom as well as the campus.  He has a Behavior Intervention Plan as part of his IEP but it does not specify the emergency procedures.  We’ll need to talk about this.  A 1:1 aide will come to assist.  He will also need an aide on the bus. As we read through the IEP, we notice that he came from a non-public setting where he had an 8 ½ hour 1:1 aide. This sent up a big red flag for me. My district only assigns 1:1 aides for no more than 6 hours and this student was in a non-public setting with 8 ½ hours of aide time. How is my classroom going to be LRE?

The best part of all of this is how great my team is, we were 75% ready for him to come by the time I got to school on Friday morning. I did a few other things that got us to 90% ready and then the email came… HOLD on new student. We all took a huge deep breath and relaxed a little. This hold did not mean that he isn’t coming to my class, just that he isn’t coming on Tuesday. His CASA (court appointed special advocate) had spoken to my school psychologist and did not think that he should be on a public school campus. She agreed to come look at my classroom this Thursday, which would mean that his first day would not be before Friday if at all.

I’m willing to give this a try but we went through this last year with a student whose behaviors didn’t belong on a public school campus and it took so much out of us. It took us weeks to regain our footing that I’d hate to go through this again if we can avoid it. The CASA has been with him much longer than any of us, I think we need to hear her out and hopefully she’ll know if this could be an appropriate placement for him.

So Monday was our first day back and as I walked in the front door the nurse stopped me to tell me my student who wears pull-ups now needs to be catheterized each day.

Problem 1: He is 8^th grade

Problem 2: IQ in the 80s so he is socially aware

Problem 3: No male aides

Problem 4: We are not medical personnel

Problem 5: Nurse is only on campus twice a week, so after 2 days we need to do this on our own

I thought that my paraprofessionals would have to do this no matter what. I found out that they can choose to be in charge of this job. If they choose to do it they will get a 7.5% raise.

Problem 6: Neither of my paraprofessionals will do it

Next option is to ask other paraprofessionals on campus. I said that I would be trained to do it and asked if I would get paid a stipend (just curious). I was told no but then I realized that if I am the one to do this it would be during my prep period and then according to our union I would be working during that time. So I think I have a case to get paid for my prep.

Problem 7: I am very squeamish and don’t know if I can do it, plus I leave campus every day by noon to do my district level job and this has to be done no earlier than 11:30 (so I wont always be able to do this every day I have to leave to get to meetings by noon)

Problem 8: no paraprofessionals in the severely handicapped classroom was willing to do this either

Now we need to ask the Mild/Moderate paraprofessionals to do it. I asked my coordinator what will happen if no one on campus is willing to do it.

Problem 9: they will swap out one of my paraprofessionals (who have been with me for 4 years) with one from another campus who is willing to do it (i.e. I will loose my aide)

Hopefully Monday will bring some good news that one of the M/M paraprofessionals is willing to do this and/or my stomach can handle the job (although I still don’t think I should be the primary person in charge of this but more of the back up).

What a way to start back to school!

Every morning my students go with one of my paraprofessionals to the lunch tables to eat breakfast with the rest of the school. When the bell rings for 1st period, I usually go unlock the classroom door and open it for the student to pile in but not this Friday.

This Friday, I walked to the door and just stood there (it’s probably important to know that it is a glass door). A few students walked up to the door and looked at me, I waved at them. They waved back. Their faces showed their confusion. I continued to wave. At this point about 3 students were at the door, one said “Let’s go around”, which meant that they could go to the other teacher’s door as our classrooms are connected in the middle and they could get through. They started to walk around but continued to look to see if I would open the door. I again waived at them and smiled.

A few more student came to students came to the door. This time after a few minutes, one said “If we go out the gate, she’ll have to open the door and follow us” our classroom is right next to an exterior gate that leads to the street. He started to walk to the gate but again continued to look to see if I was coming after him. He smiled and laughed, I continued to smile and waive.

The final group of kids was at the door. They were all asking each other what was happening. The earlier group told them that I wasn’t opening the door. I continued to smile and wave at the students as they looked at me. A different student suggested, “let’s go get Oscar, he’s got a key”, Oscar is our custodian.

Finally, one student who had been standing by the door almost the entire time looked at me and said “Ms. Rice can you open the door?” I opened the door.

I was so very proud of them. For students with IQs below 70, they came up with 4 great ways to problem solve how to get in the door. It was such a fun way to start a Friday. I still am not sure why I decided to do this but it gave me great insight into their problem solving abilities.

I love teaching!

’cause yesterday you really ticked me off

– Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, French critic, novelist (1808-1890)

I had to write up one of my para a few weeks ago. The good news is that she was already on an improvement cycle. So, when the HR department came out to talk to her about her improvement plan for this year, they gave her my letter (that I wrote in the 3rd person so that it was in my principals words and his signature). At the end of the meeting she left for the day for a doctor’s appointment, that I knew about before hand. That night I got a phone call from her that she’d be out for 2 weeks according to her doctor’s note. At the end of that 2 weeks she came with another note for 2 more weeks. That was up on Friday. I haven’t heard from her but I’m crossing my fingers that she has another note. It’s been easier for myself and my other two paras to be without her than to have her there. Sad isn’t it.