Therapeutic Preschool M, W 8:30- 12:30

Mon 9/26

Today was my first day at the preschool. I received a tour and I was able to observe 
the class I will be helping with fora little while. I learned that in the classthere is a 
teacher, an aid, a one on one person for one of the students, and often
a speech therapist. While there, I noticed that the boy who has a one on one aid 
was a bit difficult. I could really see why he needed one on one attention. I could 
see this in the way he talked with other students and the way he ran to 
the other side of the room. It was obvious that it would be difficult for the
teacher and aid if the one on one person was not there. 

Wed 9/28

Today was my first full day at the preschool. It went really well I observed a lot and really
got a sense of how the teacherruns the class. All of the children in the class have speech 
problems and it was very interesting and beneficial to see how the teachers worked to
 improve and stimulate speech all day. They did this in ways and at times that I found 
very beneficialfor example at snack time and breakfast time the children have to asked 
for whatever they want, they have to “use their words”. All in all the children were good 
not to say that a few at times did not get out of control. In these instances, 
watching the teachers really gaveme insight into how these situations are handled. 
The teachers really impressed mew with the way they look over the children and check to
make sure they are doing well. For example, one of the teachers noticed something on 
one of the girl’s chin they immediately looked her over and then took her to the nurse. 
They did this in a way that did not alarm the child. In the end, the nurse said it was not
contagious but that it may be a burn or just a normal childhood injury. This was disturbing to 
me because if it was a burn it could have been a cigarette burn and the idea that someone 
would burn his or her child really upsetsme. However, I was happy to see how the teachers
followed all the appropriate stepsin dealing with the situation. The day also provided me with
a lot of time to speak to the teacher one on one about the way she runs the class, about 
some of the children’s histories, and about things, they were doing to reinforce or to try to stop 
certain behaviors in certain children. The teacher also told me that since I am interested in 
social work that I should meet the social worker. They are happy to have her because she 
is going to be doing play therapy with the children in addition to the other types of therapy 
they children receive. The teacher really feels that this is a good thing because she said that 
when given the right toys the children are able to act outsome of their feelings etc…Finally 
the teacher and the director of the program mentioned that they would like me to try to 
come in for the afternoon session if possible. They believe that I would really benefit rom 
seeing the difference as the afternoon class has more language, is more advanced in what 
they are learning, and is at time more difficult to control. I agreed that this would be a good
 idea so hopefully I will be able to free up one afternoon a week in addition to my two mornings.

 Mon 10/3

Today was very interesting although a bit more chaotic. Evidently the kids regress a bit 
over the weekend and on Mon they are a bit more difficult. However I did not think things
 were going too bad. I was really able to interact and play with the kids more today which
 was so nice. I was at the music station with two of the girls giving them headphones to 
listen to music and every little while each one would share with me and have me listen,
 the only downside is the I left with wiggles songs stuck in my head. The other thing 
I really liked today was watching the kids interact with each other. For the most part 
they were playing together really well.  Two girls who were playing together at gym
 would ask each other if the other was ok if one fell and it was really uplifting to
 see these kids that don't speak that much checking to make sure the other was 
doing well. It gave me the sense that the work on feelings last week registered with them. 

Wed 10/5

Today was a good day there really was not anything out of the ordinary. The kids were great
and I am really beginning to enjoy interacting with them. Today I learned that the girl with the 
mark that could be a burn may have ringworm instead and that they are requiring a doctor's 
note before she can return to school. I also learned about the difficult homelife of a child there. It
is information that I am not to supposed to share so instead of trying to explain without saying the 
deatails I'll just say that CPS was contacted.

Wed 10/12

Today was another good day. I am really interacting with the kids more and I feel that 
by doing this the teacher has a bit more of a break because now there is another adult 
to help keep things out of control. I still have trouble knowing what I should say or do 
in certain situations so I let the teacher handle these situations. In other situations I just
try and act as the teachers and others act. Lastly today I was told that they feel that the 
situation involving one of the kids is looking better and that the teacher was going to meet
with the mother that afternoon so I am interested to see on Monday if things are really looking up. 
The teacher mentioned that the childs behavior has been less agressive etc.. so it will be interesting
to see if the homelife has really improved.  Oh and I've also noticed that the kids are making 
progress especially with speech. They are able to express themselves more and I can notice
a huge improvement from when I first observed. However this is not to say they are doing great
their speech is still a huge problem for them but it is nice to note that they are making progress. I
often wonder how many children recieve reinforcement at home and if not if this inhibits their progress. 

Mon 10/17

Today was another action packed day at the preschool. It's monday so of course 
the kids were a bit more difficult because they are coming back from the weekend.
The boy with the one on one aid was particularily difficult and from what I heard he
was this way most of last week. He is very angry, and a bit aggressive and its 
likely a result oh his homelife which of course is upsetting to see. He was yelling 
things like I'm going to hit you, I'm gonna puch your face, I'm going to put  you in jail, 
you're going to jail he even tried to bite his one on one. Unfortunatly if he is not able to 
overcome his various obstacles especially his homelife I worry how his life will turn out. It is 
unsettling but he has the potential to become another statistic. On the upside the teacher, aid etc.. 
are going to attempt to find out what at home could be causing this behavior which is good because
 I can see that this kid is a good kid. He is smart and he can be really nice he just has a lot of things 
 that keep him from excelling.
 Today I also played with a little girl who would say rojo instead of red and I was successful for the 
 time being at getting her to say red in english instead of spanish. However I could not get her to say 
 that green was green and not orange .
 Finally there was discussion about moving one of the boys to the afternoon class which is good 
 news because that class from what I'm told is more advanced. This means they think that
 he is at a higher level and that this afternoon class will benefit him. I played with him a lot 
 today and helped encourage him to use the teachers name which I was told was good of me. 
 This made me feel like I was beginning to pick up on the way things are done in the class. Also today 
 I talked with Don about Adding thursday afternoons so that I can get my hours in and see the
  difference in the classes.


Wed 10/19

Today was also a good day. The kids were fairly well behaved. One girl had a bad tantrum but the 
teachers follwed through and stuck to their guns and finally the girl complied and was fine. It was over 
something silly but it was important that the girl see that the teachers will follow through. Also the one
boy continued to have a difficult time. He wanted me to sit by him and I said if he was mean (hit, or talked nasty) 
I would leave and sure enough I wasn't even there five minutes. Evidently this boy is also acting and talking 
in sexual ways and the teachers think he may have seen something at home

Thur 10/20

Today was my first day with the afternoon class. This class has only 4 kids now
but 2 morning kids will be moving to the afternoon soon. This class talks a lot more 
and it is evident that these kids are more advanced than the morning kids. 
They were really nice and they modeled each other more than the morning 
class and their pretend play was more sophisticated.

Mon 10/24

Today was a little nuts. The kids were really wild. They weren't out 
of control however the one boy did yell at me in a way that shocked 
me so much that I can not even remember what he said. Later he also 
put his hand on my throat in a chocking way. He didn't squeeze and I took 
his hand off my throat. It was upsetting that a 4 year old would do this 
I told his one on one aid.  He did it because he was upset that I told him 
he couldn't have something. The teachers etc.. have been trying to ignore
his actoins in the hope he would stop because acknowleding them was
 making them worse. 

Wed 10/ 26

The kids were really good today. I can tell that they are getting used
to me coming and they are more comfortable with me. The boy who was angy 
at me gave me a hug and he seemed a little less aggressive today. Also today I 
found out that his mother is really religious which seems odd because he 
models some really bad things, evidently she claims he is getting the behaviors from the
preschool and he doesn't act out like this at home. She also believes that he doesn't need
books, toys, etc.. but only for his sister to read bible passages to him.

Mon 10/31

Today was a faily easy day. Two ofthe kids were moved to the afternoon class and one of the
kids was kept home because of Haloween (evidently her parents kept her in all weekend because 
they are fearful something will happen to her). We had four kids and that meant 1 kid per adult so 
things were pretty much under control. The one girl was a bit difficult because she is at a point where she likes 
to try and take things other children are using. Also the boy with the religious mother who has been showing 
a lot of aggression came back after 4 days and everyone expected him to be worse but to our surprise 
he was very well behaved. He said please and his angry words etc... were rarely heard. This was very surprising
maybe he is glad to be out of the home, maybe he had a good weekend, or maybe he was just in a good mood 
either way I hope he can keep it up. Other than that that the day went well nothing occurred 
out of the ordinarly besides for our walk outside to pick up leaves. I'm excited for next week when I 
get to go to the afternoon class because it will be interesting to see how everyone adjusts with the two 
kids coming in, also two new kids are supposed to join the morning class soon. 

Wed 11/2

The kids are really getting used to me and some are even remembering my name. They were really
 good again today. The one girl had trouble swallowing her milk and it was unsure if it was physical 
 or behavioral so the teachers etc.. are going to try and figure out. Also the boy who had been drastically 
 improved reverted to his old ways. He was singing rap lyrics, yelling the n word at others including 
 other children and he was a bit physical at times. He also yells I'm gonna eat that... here u can fill in 
just about anything.I was told that he used some language the teachers didn't like on Tuesday and 
that they ignored it and it went away. So today we tried to ignore it but its hard 
 to hear this kind of talk come out of anyones mouth especially out of a 4yr olds. The biggest issue is
 when he speaks directly to other kids like this. We try and distract them by saying something else or drawing 
 their attention away and although it usually works at time its clear that the other kids hear what he is saying to
 them.  

Mon 11/7

Today wasn't too bad. The kids were ok except the one girl seemed under the weather.
Also a mothertried to come in the class but she was quickly whisked away and eventualy left.
So things were a bit chaotic for a while. 

Wed 11/9

Today was fun as I am not comfortable with te kids and comfortable doing whay the teachers would 
expect me to do for the most part. The one thing that stands out is that the boy with the one on one
 aid slapped the little girl we were playing with. She was shocked and so was I. His aid took him away 
 and eventually he appologized and the two kids ended up playing nicely together. 

Thurs 11/10

Today was my first full day at the preschool and it was a crazy one. In the morning we had parents
come in with their son who will be starting on Wed. I dont know how to explain the craziness because
it wasnt overwhelming it was just extremly busy. The teacher mentioned to me how she thinks I do a good 
job with the kids and that she likes how I don't just sit and watch, that instead I interact, sit on the floor 
with them , and step in when there is an issue. This made me feel good and gave me confidence which was 
good because I would need it considering the chaos of the afternoon. after the morning class we had lunch 
and I learned about how difficult the afternoon class was last year as well as some unsavory information about 
one of the mothers. To mention one tidbit she has said that the bible says she can hit her kid so she doesnt care. 
In the afternoon the aid left for an appointment so another person came in for parts as an employee of the 
preschool is required to be there. However with this person there at times and not there at others and one 
sick kid that kept the teacher distracted I was really trusted to interact with the kids in the gym. The fact that
everyone felt hat I was a help and that it was a benefit having me there made me feel good. All in all it was a great day. 
After my first time with the afternoon class I was timid with them because they dont need as much one on one interaction  
at least not in the same way the morning class does but this time I knew two of the kids as they had been in the morning 
class and since the day was so chaotic I had to just jump in there and now I really feel comfortable with the afternoon
class.

Wed 11/16

Today was normal there was one kid absent and all in all things went as they usually do. We did get a new
kid and he is still adjusting to the routine etc... but the teachers are confident that he will be ok once he adjusts.

Thurs 11/17
Today was ok. We got a new girl in the morning so now we have two new kids. This girl was very quiet 
but before we knew it she became aggressive (hitting, hair pulling etc...). She just turned 3 so she is a little 
behind the other kids and she has some sort of problem with er mouth, or something that the speech pathologist 
is going to work on with her. The teachers think that she will probably get worse (more aggressive) as she gets used to 
everything so it is going to be interesting to see how it is all dealt with. 
The afternoon class was good today but they are getting a new boy on mon so it will be interesting to see how he fits in
with the kids. 

Mon 11/21

The most noteable thing about today was that CPS came in to talk with the teacher about one of the kids. There 
is suspected abuse and I found this upsetting. The longer I'm there the more I find out about the lives of the 
children. I like learning more about them but abuse, parents who don't care etc... can be very upsetting. This experience
is good because in social work and life things like this occur and it's good for me to be knowledgeable about these things. 

Wed 11/23

Today was great I stayed for the whole day to help out with the "feast". Each class had a thanksgiving celebration. I could 
tell that they were greatful for the help. I also told the teacher I would stay until the children's christmas break to make 
my leaving easier and more natural. Also the one boy eats his clothes and his mother said oh yeah I know (I mean zippers etc...).

Mon 11/28

Today the teacher was out and at first I was unsure as to how to act. With the teacher I'm given a lot of freedom with the kids.
It is evident that she trusts me ans knows that I utilize the methods she uses in class. However it has become so natural to me 
that I just did what I usually do. The new girl was there today and I pretty much stuck with her. She needs help adjusting etc...
she likes me and has really started to open up a bit (but still has a long way to go). Shes nice but its heartbreaking (her background
info etc...). She is picking up the concept of picking up after herself but is still stubborn when asked some questions . She likes to test
her limits. She did talk more by the end of the day. She doesn't interact with the other kids that much and in gym she sat with me for 
a good amount of the time, but she did smile and laugh which shocked everyone. It felt good knowing that my attention etc... is helping her.
Finally she does unzipper my jacket and try and take it off which coupled with her curiosity about the baby dolls and their underwear the first 
day has made us more vigilant as too other issues she may have. She does like to zipper the jacket especially since I explained that I
wear it because I'm cold. She is very smart her circumstances have just had negative effects on her. 

Wed 11/30, Thurs 12/1, Mon 12/5, Wed 12/7, Thurs 12/8, Mon 12/12

There really havent been any really new developmemts except the fact that one of the boys in the afternoon class
has come in with bad bruises. Needless to say CPS was called however they did not remove him right away (they didnt have
enough evidence) which was hard for me because the bruises were really distinct and horrible. However I found out today that 
he has been place in foster care as have the other three kids in his house. I am anxious to see him on thurs and see howe he 
is taking everything.