Yes things have finally calmed down and I've just finished my busiest week--had 4 IEP meetings in 3 days and all were transfer students. I've figured out what my biggest problems are and that's trying to teach more than one subject during a class period. I am the only HS sped teacher on campus so I have no choice and I have no TA. During 3rd hour I have a life skills class with 7 students, 1 math student, and 1 comm arts. I'm having a heck of a time getting this class straightened out. No discipline problems to speak of so I"m lucky there, but at least one, the math student, isn't getting nearly what he needs. He seems to learn quickly but by the time I'm finished explaining his assignment, everyone else is off task, no matter what I gave them to do. I mean, I give them a bellringer, but these kids are all old friends from way back and they'd rather do anything else but school, and again, they're not being bad but they talk and they're kind of low so they need more help. Then the kid from comm arts is a joy but he has AD/HD to the max and can't keep his mind on an assignment without me sitting by him and he wants to use my class to catch up in his other classes, which I let him do if he finished my work but it takes him forever and he's up and down out of his seat which I let him do b/c he's like a caged tiger. Also, he is very emotionally fragile right now. 7th hour is almost a repeat of this except that I have the added complication of a kid who comes in for math and has no desire to do anything. We get along well but he'd rather sit and draw. He will do his work if I sit with him, but I have a whole science class to teach at the same time. Today we both got frustrated and he asked me when I was going to get him math that he can do and I said that I still have no idea of what he can do b/c he never does his work so I can't see where he's at. Or other times he will whip thru an entire assignment going 90 mph! I'm just having a major time figuring out where he's at but he says he wants to learn. I believe him to be quite bright but very discouraged and he did not get along well with the last sped teacher and I've heard from the teacher next door that the teacher said some cruel things to him. (He is a handful, that's for sure but no excuse for what the teacher said to him.) I'm one of those people who is very flexible but this is stretching me to the limit. Anyone else have this and how do you work it?
Oh yeah, meant to add that I'm trying to get the lone math student transferred into a gen ed class or possibly a half and half b/c he seems to be able to do anything I show him and he could be learning much more quickly than what I'm able to teach. That would be a huge help but may not be able to do this till Jan.
I can't even imagine trying to do all that. I wish I had some advice for you. That sounds like a really unfair task. How can it be that you have 7 life skills kids, but no other SPED teacher, or at least an IA?
stepka~I was going to suggest maybe moving that math student in 3rd period to a math class for instruction, and then maybe he can come to your room to do the work. That way if he did come across a stumbling block then you would be there to help. As far as your comm arts student, is there a way that you could incorporate movement into his assignment to keep his interest? Now for 7th hour, I might work a deal out with the math student that if can get x amount of problems done in a given time period, then he will have x amount of time to draw, but the work must be completed first, he has to give his best effort, and you have to check it before he draws.
I think the reason is because we got 7 last minute transfers into the SD and the school was not prepared. They've been sending the secretary from the sped office over for 1st and 2nd hour to work with my really low girl but I need a lot more help. I sure did let them know but I honestly don't think that help is forthcoming. I have also begged for a smartboard b/c of course we have no textbooks and the internet is my friend. Funny you thought of that b/c that's exactly what I have in mind for that math student. We'll have to wait till Jan though b/c of the way classes are arranged but we're going to do that and he can get a better deal and I'm going to write it into his IEP. As for the comm arts student, yes I do let him move around and I thought of something. He's a senior and is planning to go to college. I'm going to sit down with him and have him decide where his problems are and what he needs to fix and just work on that stuff. The kid in 7th hour? I can't get him to do anything and one thing I'm not doing is being demanding. Teachers have tried that and it doesn't work with him. I'm still trying to figure out what does but he's a tough little nut to crack. I love him dearly--he really is a great kid but he has just shut down entirely about school and holding out drawing for later is not going to work b/c he will draw anyway. Sometimes if he's in a good mood he'll turn out a bunch of work all at once and then nothing else for days so I try to take advantage of those moments but as you all know, I'm overstretched. Part of the problem is that he'll do work as long as I stay with him and tutor him but as soon as I go to the other group, he's off drawing again. Today I had to laugh though b/c he begged to finish up the reader's theater play we were working on and then said it was stupid. I just laughed b/c I knew darn well he loved it.
