A bit tired, but content...

Today was the second day of school and I got to know my kiddos even more. I talked about procedures I missed yesterday and those I need to reinforce daily. I managed a difficult day with my child with autism. He told me that he went to sleep late and woke up late this morning. If I've learned anything about children and especially children with disabilities, it is that they need structure and routine! When he went to sleep late and woke up late, his routine and structure were shot for the day. This meant that everything was difficult for him, including the daily things that shouldn't affect him very much (making a lunch choice or putting his backpack away). This is definitely a learning experience for me and we just work day to day.

If you've read my blog at the end of last year, you will know what I mean when I say, "My mama said..." Well, she's back! Yesterday I mentioned that I have her sister in my class this year. I was hoping that the sister I currently have would be different and not deliver messages from her mom by way of "My mama said...", but my hoping didn't come true. So here's the first of the year. "My mama said...she is going to send medicine for my hand. She said she would send it with my sister so that it would be in the nurse when I need it. Well, I don't know if she's going to send it today, tomorrow, or the next day. But she said she's going to send it."

What I look forward to most is the year continuing on in the manner in which it started, which is very polite, hard-working kiddos with great attitudes about school!

GREAT BOOK FIND:
This book is for a bit older kids (3rd-5th) because of the humor and play on words, but they love it! It's a fun way to talk about manners and at my school, Life Skills. We joined neighboring classes for this activity because in the book, the neighbors are otters. We read the book aloud and then divided the kids up to brainstorm ideas of how the manners that the neighbors would like to see in "otters" could be displayed in our classroom and school.
The kids worked COOPERATIVELY in order to draw or write how you should treat "otters". They did a great job letting everyone contribute with their ideas and drawing/writing abilities. They presented them at the end of the day and did a fantastic job. The kids also liked getting to work with our neighbor class so early in the year. Developing the community in our portable is almost as important as just in our classroom. It was definitely at least a 4 out of 5 star lesson!