I have been offered a job at a high school teaching life skills for fall 06. I took the positon am still waiting for my official offer from HR. I am comfortable working with students 0-elementary age. I have heard that I will be getting a job offer at an elementary school. Has anyone else wonder if they did the right thing by taking the first offer? My husband tells me if I get the other offer I can back out of this. I told him I don't feel that is morally right to do. A little background info Teaching is a change of careers I am almost 50. I am totally at a lost on what to plan for these kids, because my experience is with the younger kids. Any suggestions my kids appear to be severe MR and 2 of them are in hospital beds and medical food using feeding tubes. It is my understanding no one is potty trained. When I visited my class it seemed to be more of a babysitting situation and I don't want that for my kids. But to give the teacher benefit of the doubt I could be wrong I was only there a couple hours. I plan to go back for another visit. Again any suggestions
I'm an LD/ED teacher and don't see students this severe. I would recommend looking at their IEP's from the last school year to see what skills were being addressed and build from there. It may be as simple as letting you (or an aide) know when they need to be changed. It may be for them to learn various assisstive technology to identify their needs. For higher level students that I see, it is menu planning (balanced meals), hygiene, finances, etc. Some lower level students that are in my building have worked on things like selecting appropriate clothing for occasion/weather conditions, learning how to cross the street, cooking, washing clothes, etc. Good luck, it sounds like a difficult job. It certainly requires a good team. If you have serious misgivings about this position, you need to have a straightforward conversation with those who hired you and explain that you may not be as qualified and comfortable as they feel you are. They may also be able to give you more resources and training.
I have worked with children with the needs you describe in residential aged 3-26. My class now in the public school system is grades 2-4, so some of what we do is heading toward what you would do in HS life skills. Looking at their IEPs and what they have done in the past is a start. What you want to identify is where the students are functioning, what basic skills they have, and what you can realistically work on. Communication--maybe as basic as making eye contact when spoken to. Do they have or need to work on/develop a method of communicating "yes" and "no" (eye gaze, nodding, gesture, picture symbol choices)? Motor skills--talk with your OT and PT--are there any grasp/release skills they can work on, increasing ambulation or tolerance of weight bearing? Perhaps just tolerance of hand-over-hand assistance. Independence--is there anything you can do to teach them to move forward to be more independent in any area of their life, or even to be more involved. What you are REALLY working on will be this kind of skill. This type of skill can be honed in the context of all kinds of multi-sensory, age-appropriate content. You check your district's curriculum. You take the topics your students' age-peers are doing, and you modify and simplify them. And by high school, you start to drop some of the "pre-academics" not yet mastered--if a student does not know colors by the age of 16, maybe there are more important things to focus on. Being age appropriate can be a challenge. Cooking is probably THE best activity, as you can incorporate SO many types of skills--motor, communication, following directions, depending on your students they could read directions, follow pictures symbol directions, verbal directions, or just hand-over-hand participate. If they are able they can do the measuring, etc. And it's always age-appropriate. Hopefully if you get a lifeskills class you'll have access to a stove/oven. When I worked with my "kids" who were older, and had more involved care and more severe disabilities, I learned a few things. Never underestimate what seems to be a small accomplishment. Also, you never know how much a student is getting out of an activity, so it's worth it to try new things. Give them the chance to experience it in whatever way they are able to. Despite our product-oriented society, in this place what matters is the process, NOT the product. It may be 100 times easier to do it yourself, but try not to give in. Also, the pace of absolutely everything will be slower. This is ok. If you are uncomfortable with any of the medical stuff, I would advise you to ask as many questions as possible. Talk to the nurse, the OT, and the PT who work with the kids. Find out the whys and hows of the equipment. Most of it is not as scary as it looks. Often the kids who look like they have the most "stuff" attached to them (feeding tubes, braces, oxygen, trachs, whatever) are some of the most resilient. And Lisa's right--it requires a good team. You'll need good communication with your aides and therapists, and clear definitions of responsiblities within the classroom, and to clearly delineate the attitude you expect toward the children. Let everyone in the room know that you are there to create a positive, multi-sensory learning environment that is curriculum-based and attentive to the needs of the individual students--whatever those may be. Sorry this is long. Good luck in your decision, and if you decide to go for it, keep us posted!! Bethany
If you get the second offer, I'd go for where you know your stuff. It will be the best for you and the students. That's my two cents. Good Luck and Best Wishes
