July 5, 2005
Tuesday
8:00am-2:15pm
Today was my first day interning at a local elementary school in my home town, Elmira. I will be working in a ASD
6-1-1 classroom with Autistic children in a summer school program. The meeting first thing in the morning
introduced new staff members and going through emergency procedures in case something comes up this summer.
Michelle Kelley, the special education teacher I will be working with for the summer, has been working with the
children we will have this summer all year long, so she informed me of all of their behaviors and the different things
they have done throughout the year to reduce their behaviors. We set the classroom up today because the class
moved to a new room for the summer. We went over their daily schedules and set stations up for the kids. Each
one of the children has their own clipboard with their own schedule on top, with the exception of one. Canyon has
a picture schedule because he does better with words rather than numbers. There is a blank space next to each
task and after each task is compleated they put a check next to it. Canyon has velcro pictures and takes the
picture down and places it in a tray instead of checking it off. Some of the different tasks they have to do
throughout the day are reading, math work, computer work, working with water or sand, work sheets, free time,
heavy work, OT, PT, or Speech. The kids are 6-8 years old and tomorrow is my first day with them. I'm pretty
excited, although I don't really know what to expect!!
July 6, 2005
Wednesday
8:00am-2:15pm
Today was the first day of summer school. I got to meet all of the kids, we have a classroom of
5 kids, all boys. One of the boys that was in the class during the school year has moved so we
are down one person. They are all compleatly different, but a lot of fun. I mostly just observed
today, because I have never worked with autistic children before I didn't know what to expect or
do. They were a little wound up because it was their first day back for the summer. During the
morning group Mrs. Kelley went over things that were different in the class now from the regular
school year. She did this so the kids can feel more comfortable and know what has changed from
a few weeks before. I was one of the things that was "different". It was really cute when she
introduced me to the class as being their new friend for the summer, and I melted when RJ came
up to me and put his hand on my shoulder and said to me "Hi Mary Beth, we really appreciate you".
It was so cute! They all got along until playground time came, then there were some
behavior problems (keeping hands to themself, not following rules, not listening, etc.).
After the playground one of the kids, Canyon, also had a listening problem and did not join in on group
activities because of it (he couldn't pay attention and would act out towards the other kids).
Each of these kids has a very different personality, so it will make for a very interesting summer!
Over all, I think today went very well.
July 7, 2005
Thursday
8:00am-2:15pm
This morning I waited for the kids to get off the bus. Preston got off the bus this morning
making cat noises and repeating lines and acting like a cat, Sassy, from the Homeward Bound
movie (just like yesterday morning). The kids came in the classroom, put their things away, and
they all checked their schedule and did what they were supposed to do. Some eat breakfast at
the school and the others have free time. As soon as the boys walked in the room Canyon
started making comments to DeJuan when DeJuan wasn't doing anything to him at all. He said
things like "I don't care what you say DeJuan, I'm not your friend. I hate you. I'm singing this song
if you like it or not. Don't look at me" and other things also. Because he was acting out like this
his play time before group was taken away. He then started hitting Mrs. Kelley and acting out
even more. DeJuan became very upset and started crying and ran out of the room. I walked out
and asked him what was wrong. DeJuan said to me that he didn't like it when Canyon said those
things to him. I told him whenever he gets upset then he can take a walk with me down to get a
drink of water. I also told him that when Canyon is being mean to DeJuan (Michelle told me that it
is a normal thing) he doesn't have to listen. When we walked back into the room DeJuan was in
a better mood and went along playing with his toys. Canyon was at his desk area and yelled
across the room "I hate you DeJuan you're not my friend and you never will be ever again!" and
DeJuan kept playing and said "I don't have to listen to you Canyon". After breakfast there was
group discussion where they all like to share their stories, ask questions, and add their own
comments. There is a different helper every day that gets to write the date on the calander and
report the weather. One of the boys also came up with the idea that the helper can be the line
leader for the day, however he has the hardest time following his own rule because when he isn't
the helper, he still wants to be the leader. During one of the groups today Canyon would also yell
at people to stop staring at him- even though they weren't. He became very upset and ended up
leaving the group and sitting under his desk with a box over his head. When it was time to pack
up and go home, Canyon went into another fit and started hitting and kicking Mrs. Kelley again.
She explained to me that this isn't uncommon for him to do that, and it just makes it harder when
parents don't follow through at home with what they are doing in school.
July 8, 2005
Friday
8:00am-2:15pm
This morning I waited for the kids to get off the bus again and then walked them to the
classroom. Preston acted like the "Sassy Cat" again this morning (just like the past two) I think
that this is probably going to be an every day thing for him. Canyon didn't show up right away
this morning, so there weren't any problems between him and DeJuan, but as soon as Canyon
walked into the room he started making mean comments towards DeJuan again. I started to really
see where each individual child really excelled today. I led the reading group with Christian and
DeJuan, Christian is a very good reader! We read a chapter out of a book they had been working
on and then they were asked to answer a couple questions. One of the questions started off by
saying "Why do you think...?" It was a little difficult for them to answer because it took them a
while to understand there was no right or wrong answer, it was just what they thought. The rest
of the day went really well. I helped with Preston and RJ's math group. They had numbers from
1- 100 cut out and they had to put them in order. It took a while but they did good for the most
part- they only needed a little help. RJ made me hold his hand while he circled it around in the air
trying to find the right number. All thoughout the day he was saying it was "hug day" and he
would give hugs. He does pretty well socially its just when things change and his schedule is off
is when he has problems. You can tell when he's really trying to think, too because he'll stop and
be quiet. I was told today that DeJuan has a very high IQ. He just has social problems and none
of these kids really have the reasoning capability that a normal child would (thats understandable
though considering they are Autistic). There were no problems on the playground and no
problems getting everyone ready to go home. Even though it was a short week, I think everyone
is ready for the weekend!!
July 11, 2005
Monday
8:00am-2:15pm
I've sort of taken the responsibility of getting the kids at the bus stop in front of the
school in the morning. (Again, Preston acted like Sassy!) DeJuan was so excited to tell everyone
that he would be leaving for vacation on Wednesday the 13th and wouldn't be back until the
25th. I was told that DeJuan has a really good memory for special dates and birthdays. At
morning group Mrs. Kelley was explaining how everyone was going to make a bank and depending
on their behavior throughout the day, they could earn money to put in their bank and save up for
a treat at the end of the week. In order to get $0.05 at the end of the day they would have to
earn a smily face in the morning and a smily face in the afternoon. It didn't take long before
DeJuan lost his chance for a smily face though. Something little made him upset and he started
screaming and jumpping up and down throwing things in the air. This lasted for the entire
morning. After morning group I went next door to observe their classroom. They are an older
group with more profound Autistic children. One of the children in that classroom, Andrew, really
surprised me and did very well. He's only 10-11 years old and he is at a 6th grade reading level. I
enjoyed watching them sing songs in their group and everyone participated singing Bingo, Old
McDonald, and other songs. It was really cute. After that I went down the hall to watch and
observe the pre-school autistic children. I watched as they all checked their schedule and sat
around the table. (All of the pre-school children go by a picture schedule so they know where
they are supposed to be). When they sat at the table they all had a name tag and they had to
say "Hi my name is __" and they went through different things like numbers and the alphabet. It
seemed to be really hard for all of them to pay attention. After their group was over, I went back
to the classroom and then went down the hall with Rebecca for RJ's speech time. They went
over different emotions such as scared, sad, happy, crying, laughing, etc. and RJ would have to
act out the emotions. Also he had to read a setence and answer a question about the setence
he just read. He answered all of the questions right and Mrs Sayers said that it really surprised
her because normally when RJ reads something he will read it, but he won't pay attention. At
lunch when I left he was still upset, and when I got back he hadn't joined the group on the
playground. When he started to do his work at his desk during his "work time" he became upset
again and started crying. He crumbled up his paper and threw it across the room along with his
pencil. Because of this he couldn't go swimming in the afternoon, and he didn't earn a nickle.
When Mrs. Sayers had group social group in the afteroon I joined them. She had RJ, Canyon, and
Preston. It didn't take long for Canyon to quit the game and go to his desk. He got mad because
he only rolled a 2 and his player was in last place. Mrs. Kelley said that DeJuan probably was
acting out today because he knows he only has one day before he goes on vacation. Hopefully
tomorrow will be less crazy!
July 12, 2005
Tuesday
8:00am- 2:00pm
Again, I picked the kids up in front when the bus let them off today, and again Preston acted
like Sassy. He seems to me to be pretty good socially, but he doesn't communicate very well
using his words. He will speak, but he usually speaks with short words and small setences.
He also recites all of the songs from Sister Act all throughout the day. He'll sing it while he's
doing his water time, his work sheets, or just walking down the hall. DeJuan came in with a note
from his mom this morning saying that he should be on his best behavior and if he doesn't get two
smily faces he may not go on vacation.
July 13, 2005
Wednesday
8:00am-2:00pm
No DeJuan today, he is gone for a week and 1/2 on vacation (must be he got his two smily faces
yesterday). Canyon got along with everyone and they because they were all good they all got to
go on the playground and they all got to swim in the pool out in back. Nothing much really happened today,
everything went very well. During math group with Preston and RJ, its tough to
keep their attention. They are learning about money right now and Michelle is going to plan some
things for them to get a chance to work with money themselves (the A+ Mini-Mart is one of
them).
July 14, 2005
Thursday
8:00am-10:30pm
This morning started off pretty well, I left early for the day because I wasn't feeling very well.
All that the kids have on their mind is going to Park Station tomorrow. Christian got here this
morning before I did and was a little nervous because I wasn't here yet. He started pacing back
and forth because I wasn't there yet to help him with the Carmen SanDiego computer game that
he plays every morning! But- he felt much better when I walked through the door. He does pretty
well socially, he just isn't very good with change. Also- you can tell every morning when there is
a chance of a thunder storm he is very nervous. He hates thunder storms and loud noises- he
becomes very paranoid when there is a chance for one.
July 15, 2005
Friday
8:00am-2:00pm
Park Station today! They were all wound up when they came in this morning. At group they went
over the rules for park station and for the bus. When we got to the park we went straight to the
water- Christian and Canyon ran right in and right under. Preston warmed up to the water- but
RJ would only put his feet in and sit down where it was only up to his ankles. He was really
scared that fish would come up and bite him. They all had a really great time running around on
the play ground and playing in the water- none of them wanted to leave! Canyon had a hard time
following some of the rules in the morning though- he had to sit out for a while on the bench with
Mrs. Kelley. She said he was making a bunch of comments while they were sitting like how he
wanted to rip the heads off of bugs and he hates everyone and kept going on and on.. He really
has some social issues but it is also hard because his parents don't reinforce what he is learning in
school at home. They were so tired on the way back that Preston fell asleep. When we got back
they watched a movie and then headed home for the weekend. I hope our next trip to Park
Station goes as smoothe!
July 18, 2005
Monday
8:00am-2:00pm
Today was a very good day! Everyone seemed really tired from the weekend though. We didn't
have any behavioral problems at all- well- maybe a little one after dinner. They all just seem to
have an issue with who is the line leader and budging and pushing eachother (hands to self
seems to be a tough thing for them to follow). There is a list on the board with all of their names-
next to each name is a velcro spot. There is also a box of different pictures on a shelf next to
the name list. The pictures have words written underneath them to describe the picture- some of
them are hands to self, not listening, raising your hand, talking, tattling, refusing to work,
screaming, mean... ect. This is used so at the end of the day the kids know if they behaved
poorly earlier in the day. After a warning a picture will go up next to their name. This also
affects their end of the day evaluation and if they get a smily face or not. The board only had
one picture on it at the end of the day, next to Canyons name was a refusing to participate picture.
In the afternoon when we were doing a group game together Canyon refused to play.
But one mark on the board at the end of the day is very good, considering some days the entire
board is almost full. Hopefully tomorrow will go just as well as today went!
July 19, 2005
8:00am-2:00pm
Tuesday
Right away this morning things started up with Canyon. As soon as we walked into the room he
was yelling at Preston, refusing to share, taking toys right out of Prestons hand, and not listening
at all. He got his play time taken away from him. I was grading one of Canyons math papers this
morning and I think he might have dislexia, his 4's, 3's, 6's, 9's and 2's are all written backwards.
This probably has a big thing to do with his inability to read. I said something to Mrs. Willette
(Ray, the aid) and she said that they were looking into it and that this is the age that this
problem normally comes about because they are just learning how to read. Canyons dad seems to think that
they can mainstream him as soon as he learns how to ready, but he has such a social
problem I don't see how it can be possible. No mainstream school teacher would put up with the
things that he does. During group this morning Christian went into another room to do group with
them, and Canyon did 1-1 group with Michelle. Ray and I did group with RJ and Preston. We did
a listening project where a tape was playing and you had to follow the directions and draw on the
paper what the tape said. The tape would say things like "Draw a box above the car" or "Draw a
flower in the flower pot". They did pretty well on the first one, but the second one they had a
little more problems with because it was two directions at once. It said things like "draw a red X
over the cake". They would usually get the red part right, or the X right but not normally both.
July 20, 2005
8:00am-2:00pm
Wednesday
This morning went by quick. During morning group Canyon had 1-1 with Mrs. Kelley and Christian
went across the hall to Miss. Woodwards room. They are getting used to her room because next
year she will be his teacher. Ray and I did morning group with Preston and RJ. We did more of
the activities where you listen to a tape and follow the directions while drawing what the tape
says onto the paper. They only did one work sheet, and didn't have as much trouble with it
today as they did with it yesterday. Then we started talking again about the grocery store and
going over some grocery vocabulary because tomorrow we are taking a walk to the Sugar Creek
so they can see how you buy something at a store (some of them have never been to a store before).
Zachery from the pre-school kids came in this morning in the last part of our group, he
will be joining Mrs. Kelley's class next year. He doesn't talk very much and has a tough time
saying the words he does know. He was pretty distracted this morning, it was probably because
he was in a new room with all new people and new things. After that was over I did Canyon's and
Christian's math group. We talked about time and what am and pm meant. Then I told them
different times of the day and asked if it was am or pm. After that we talked about different
names for 12 o'clock in the afternoon (noon) and 12 o'clock in the middle of the night (midnight).
They did pretty well with it. When am and pm were understood we moved on to talk about a
dozen. We came up with different things that had a dozen in them, egg cartons, months of the
year, inches in a ruler, etc. I then gave them their work sheets to do together with me during
math time. Canyon was giving me a hard time and wouldn't correct his wrong answers. I warned
him about not listening, and when he continued to not listen I put a not listening mark next to his
name on the board. He finally finished one paper and then moved onto the second. Mrs Kelley
came over to correct his first paper with him and he crumbled it up in a ball and wouldn't listen to
her either. She put another not listening next to his name on the board and he sat at his dest
during music time until his paper was compleated.
July 21, 2005
Thursday
No Christian today, he went home sick yesterday. The day started fine and all was well until
play time after lunch. The kids went to the "Blue Room" (the wrestling room) instead of going
outside because the heat is just too much sometimes. Canyon refused to leave and wrapped
himself around a pole. He just doesn't like to listen! He likes to get the other kids going, too. But
he will be on vacation soon for two weeks so I'm guessing things may run smoother when he is
gone. We will see!
July 22, 2005
8:00am-2:00pm
Friday
Today we went on another field trip, to the Science Center. It was a lot of fun and the kids
really enjoyed themselves there. Canyon wasn't here and what a coincidence we didn't have
any problems at all. There were a bunch of different hands on things for the kids to do at the
science center. The only thing that could have been a little better was the bus ride, 45 min. is a
really long time for them to be on the bus. There was one part with a scream machine, it
measured how loud your scream was. They LOVED that! They didn't really understand why some
of the things worked the way they did, but they had fun anyways. They even got to pet a snake
and see some frogs and turtles. It was cute because there were two clown fish in a tank and
they all thought it was Nemo and his dad!
July 25, 2005
8:00am-2:15pm
Monday
Canyon's gone on vacation, but DeJuan is back. He's such a sweetheart though, hugging
everyone and telling them how much he's missed them all. Today in group DeJuan got to go to
Mrs. Woodwards room because he will be in her class (along with Canyon and Christian) next
year. RJ did the sleep over bag this morning, but he doesn't seem to get the concept of giving
clues and having other people guess what his item that he brought in is. He just said "OK guess if
its a toy, or is it SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" and of course they guessed Sonic the Hedgehog. It was
funny though. This week we are talking about the Post Office, so we went over post office and
mail things. They all got to lick an envelope and see how it makes it sticky. After that was over
Mrs. Kelley said a statement and asked them a question about the statement. For example- she
woud say "RJ, The mailman delivers the mail. What does the mailman deliver?" and sometimes
they would get it right, but sometimes its hard for them. They listen, but its just hard to grasp it.
RJ and Preston had a math test today, they get their +'s and -'s mixed up. At lunch today there
were problems on the playground. I've never heard RJ be mean before, but he had a pretty big
attitude towards Mrs. Willette because she yelled at him for pushing Preston. This afternoon
there was a game activity with Christian and DeJuan. Christian wasn't happy because he couldn't
do what he wanted so I gave him the option of playing the game with DeJuan and I or sitting at
his desk, he sat at his desk for about 5 seconds and then decided to play with us. Thats it for
today, Christian goes on vacation for a few days tomorrow so it will just be three of them. Should
be a pretty quiet day!
July 26, 2005
Tuesday
7:50am-2:15pm
Only three boys until Friday- DeJuan, Preston, and RJ. DeJuan went over to Mrs. Woodwards
room for group and I joined him. They are doing a week of fish during group over there. They
read a story about manaties but it was kind of long and detailed so it was hard for the kids to
stay attentive. Bradford, one of the kids in Mrs. Woodwards room, has a really tough time staying
still, paying attention, following rules, and keeping his hands to himself. He has to have a 1-1 aid
with him. It was interesting to see how Mrs. Woodward did things different from Mrs Kelley.
She's not as strict and seems to let things pass by easier than Michelle. Thats going to be hard
for the kids next year that are going into her class because in order for Canyon, Christian, and
DeJuan to follow rules and do their best they have to have someone who will not let them get
away with bad behaviors.
**85Hours**
July 27, 2005
Wednesday
8:00am-2:15pm
Today was a very uneventful day. Not much to report, everyone behaved well and there
weren't any bad behaviors. We're still going over post office stuff and mail man things as part of
their summer program to introduce the kids to things and people who work in the community. I've
been putting together little one on one games for Michelle that deal with different math problems
like subtracting, small fractions, money things and stuff like that- and thats almost all done. I
really don't have anything else to say! I wish every day went by this quick and this smooth!
July 28, 2005
Thursday
7:45am-2:00pm
We went on a field trip today to the movies. Its only a couple blocks away so we walked- and it
was the perfect day for it! Not too hot, and not too cold! We saw Rebound, each of the kids got
their own drink and their own small bucket of popcorn. They laughed and had a good time. Earlier
in the week they wrote letters to their parents and addressed the envelopes themselves and put
a stamp on it also. The post office was right across the street from the movie theatre so as soon
as the movie was over with we walked over to mail their letters. The lady at the post office had
been expecting us and talked a little bit about what the post office is there for and what postal
workers do. Then they each gave their letter to the woman and she put the date on them and
got them all ready to be mailed out. On the way back to school we stopped at a park and
Rebecca (Mrs. Sayers-Koski) brought us pizza. The kids had a really good time running around
after they were done eating and I walked to the store on the other side of the block and bought
them all ice cream sandwitches. On our way back to school we saw a mailman delivering mail- it
was perfect for our community theme for the week! He stopped and talked to the kids about his
job and showed them his mail bag with all of the mail in it that he delivers. When we got back
they made paper bag mailman puppets. Really, the day couldn't have gone any better!
July 29, 2005
Friday
8:00am-2:15pm
Today DeJuan had some behavioral problems. It started right when he walked in, on the
calendar it said that we were going to fo to Park Station, but that was wrong because we aren't
going until next week. He was really upset by that, and after group when he was walking down
the hall he just threw himself down on the ground and went into a fit. RJ was supposed to have
1-1 work but DeJuan was being so loud and screaming that it would have been tough to do
something in the classroom so I took him outside and we read a book together. When that was
over we came back into the room and DeJuan was still upset but it was time for everyone to go
for a walk. DeJuan had to finish his work before he could move on to the next thing on his
schedule. By the time he was done everyone had left for their walk so Michelle and I took him.
He was pretty grumpy the whole way and kept saying he was at 100% on the anger chart. By
the time we got back he said that he was down to only "15% mad". Things were fine from that
point on. No more problems for the day!
August 1, 2005
Monday
8:00am-2:15pm
There were some more behavioral problems with DeJuan today, it started first thing at group when
Christian guessed what was in Prestons overnight bag and DeJuan didn't. He immediately went to his
work station and closed himself in and started throwing a tantrum. This week the kids are learning about
the hostpital so they went over some doctors office flash cards during group. After, they just continued
with their schedule but DeJuan continued to chose not to participate. After about an hour he told me he
was going to check his schedule, so then we just picked up right where he left off- and I went over the
flashcards with him and he joined Christian in his math group. I did Preston's math with him today
because RJ wasn't here- so we just reviewed what he had already know. After lunch we walked to the
fire department and saw some zoo animals- the kids really enjoyed seeing the snake and the other
animals. They got some stickers and a bike helmet from the fire department and because everyone was
good in the afternoon we stopped at the store and got ice cream. By the time we got back it was time
to pack up and head home.
August 2, 2005
Tuesday
8:00am-2:00pm
This morning I went to Boces with Kara (a 1-1 with a deaf child, Josh, in the summer school program
here). Every Tuesday she takes him to the hearing impaired classroom so he can interact with other
hearing impaired children. I really enjoyed it there today! It gave me a chance to use sign language,
which is something that I rarely get to do but really love doing it. As soon as I walked in the classroom,
Hunter started waving his arms and hands to get my attention, and then he signed "I love you come
here!" and I walked over and he gave me a big hug! It was so cute! Then he asked my name and I signed
it for him, and I asked his and he told me. Whenever we left the classroom he would want to hold my
hand and walk by me. I got to observe the teacher and how she interacted with the deaf kids, although
not all of them were compleatly deaf- some were only hearing impaired. It was a really good experience
and I am really glad that I got the chance to go.
While I was gone DeJuan had another tantrum. It was during this morning when Rebecca's brother came
in to talk about the doctors office with the kids. We are supposed to go to Park Station on Friday and
Michelle told DeJuans mom that he has one more chance this week and if his behavior isn't good he won't
be able to go on the field trip with us. The rest of the day things went well, the day went by really fast.
August 3, 2005
Wednesday
7:45am-2:15pm
The day started out really well, I brought in breakfast for a treat for the kids today. The morning went
by fast with no problems at all. In the afternoon things started up though. RJ was very wound up after
lunch, it may have been because they didn't get a chance to burn off some energy on the playground.
We visited the nurses office so the nurse could talk about what her job was and what happens when you
go to the nurses office. All of the kids got their hight and weight, they got to hear their own heart beat,
and they got to take home a baggie full of bandaids and a toung depresser and that type of stuff. They
also could check their eyes. When it was RJ's turn he didn't want to and kept telling everyone "they
were fired" and became really aggressive. When we got back to the classroom he was really upset
because he didn't get to "read the letters" and get his eyes checked. Rebecca got out the anger
thermomiter and he wouldn't answer how angry he was. After a while he calmed down but Christian came
up into the room from swimming in the pool and said that DeJuan and Christian had to get out because
they were having attitude problems and that DeJuan was screaming downstairs. Mrs. Kelley went down
to get DeJuan to move him into the classroom and by this time he was in a full blown fit hittind and
screaming, jumpping up and down, etc. I got the kids out of the room (RJ and Preston's turn to swim)
and Christian went to chance. DeJuan threw chairs and was jumpping all over Michelle and the furniture
so someone else had to come in and help Michelle control DeJuan. Since that was DeJuan's third tantrum
this week he isn't going on the field trip with us on Friday. Canyon still isn't back yet so only three kids
on the trip! Should be a good day. Tomorrow we have a majic show planned so it will be interesting to
see how the kids are behaving then.
August 4, 2005
Thursday
8:00am-2:00pm
Only two kids today, DeJuan and RJ. DeJuan went to Mrs. Woodwards room for group this
morning so I did group for RJ. We went over the date and the whether. Then we wrote a thank
you note to Mrs. Gee (the nurse) for her tour yesterday of the office. After that he had one on
one work with me anyways so we just went over a work sheet. It had three pictures. He had to
write first, next or last under the picture in the correct sequence and then make up another
setence for what happened next. Then he read some short (6 page) books to me with only a few
setences on each page, he did a good job. After lunch we went to the majic show- our kids were
the most behaved kids there! There were summer cohesion kids in the gym watching also but they
wouldn't sit still and weren't behaving at all. DeJuan and RJ were getting antsy after a while so
we took them out and let them go swimming. That was it today, tomorrow Park Station.
August 5, 2005
Friday
8:00am-2:00pm
Park station today- it went really well. The kids had a good time swimming in the water and
there were no behavioral problems at all, besides RJ throwing rocks but he stopped after we told
him. DeJuan stayed back with Rebecca Sayers-Koski today because of his tantrums earlier in the
week. he had a good day though with no problems. Next week Canyon comes back, and its the
last week of summer school. It should be interesting..
****134.5 Hours****
August 8, 2005
Monday
8:00am-2:00pm
No Canyon today, he didn't show up. Plans changed for the rest of the week so I'm sure that the
rest of summer school will just fly by! We will be going to Park Station again tomorrow and on
Thursday. Friday there is a field day planned at the middle school a few blocks away. DeJuan
came in this morning and said that if he didn't get 10 smilie faces by the end of summer school he
couldn't get a new spider man backpack- so hopefully this will put him on his best behavior with
no tantrums! He did very well today. This week we are talking about manners. I tought Preston
and RJ's math group today. We learned about time and clocks. They did good with it but couldn't
remember a digital clock for the life of them! RJ had a little attitude after lunch but Mrs Kelley
quickly ended that. The kids are swimming now and the day is almost over. This summer really
went by so fast!
August 9, 2005
Tuesday
8:00am-2:00pm
No Canyon again today. We went to Park Station and had a great time. It was beautiful and a
perfect day to be at the beach. No bad behaviors, everyone was really good. They just swam all
day and played on the playground a little also.
August 10, 2005
Wednesday
8:00am-2:00pm
Once again, no Canyon. He won't be back until at least friday, if he even comes back at all.
Today Michele and Rebecca had to do student behavioral support plans for the boys that are
moving on next year to a new classroom. So, I did 1-1 with RJ where he wrote setences that
went along with a picture. Then, I ran DeJuan and Christian's math group where we talked about
pizza slices and fractions. I also did a reading/writing group with DeJuan and Christian. They all
went really well! I had to tell RJ to focus a few times but it wasn't a problem at all. I really enjoy
running their groups with them.
August 11, 2005
Thursday
8:00am-2:00pm
Field trip to Park Station.
August 12, 2005
Friday
8:00am-2:00pm
Today we went to Edison (the highschool a couple blocks away) to play some games. There were
different stations that the kids went to but they had the most fun playing with some empty large
boxes that were off in a corner of one of the rooms! It was a pretty hot walk but they did good.
When we got back we had a pizza party for one of the other teachers because it was his
birthday, and also because it might be my last day if I have jury duty on monday and tuesday.
I've had a really good summer and a really good experience working with these kids over the
summer. I've learned that different approaches and different teaching techniques will work for
different kids, and just because they are diagnosed with the same disorder doesn't mean that
they will learn the same way. How they retain information and their reasoning skills are very
different from that of children without this disorder. Overall, I've really enjoyed this summer. Its
really got me thinking about what type of career I want to get into after canisius.
August 15, 2005
Monday
8:00am-2:00pm
August 16, 2005
Tuesday
8:00am-2:00pm
These last two days of school just consist of packing up and "fun time" for the kids.
****164.5 hours****