hi, everyone! my name is zahra shairi and i'm a junior here at Canisius. i'm from Yemen, a country in the middle east (which explains the weird name!). i have a profound desire to change the world one child at a time. i know, that sounds really corny, but it's the reason i want to be a school psychologist. our schools are so screwed up right now and it scares the s#@$ out of me (pardon my French!). i know i can't change the entire system, but hopefully i can eventually change at least one child's life. after canisius, i want to pursue a masters degree in school psychology at UB, and perhaps a doctorate as well (i'm still undecided!). right now i'm working at Monarch Little Learners Academy (which is where i did my practicum). Monarch is experiencing some major changes in that beginning september 2006 all of our classrooms are going to be integrated. that means each room will house typical students as well as special needs students. each room will also house a regular teacher as well as a special education teacher and a teaching assistant (which is what i am). i hope to continue working at Monarch in the future as a school psychologist.
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Spring2005
The following 1 pages belong to ZahraShairi:
Practicum Information/Log
Psy498PracticumLog
site: Monarch Little Learners supervisor: Janet Osland
Activities: Tuesday, March 15 8am - 2pm
Today was my first day on site. i am a teacher's aid who assists in the special needs class. the ages of the children in the class range from 20 months to 3 yrs. one of my students is autistic, another has a sensory disability, and a third has a speech impediment. the daycare does a wonderful job of having these special needs children intermingle with children without disabilities. they recognize the benefits of having these children interact with each other. during lessons, which include story time, arts and crafts, and playtime, there is usually two therapists that are present: one who aids the child with autism, and a speech therapist who stays for half the time, then leaves. i have found it very easy to connect with the children on a one-on-one basis, and they already seem very comfortable around me. i was especially surprised that even though the child with the sensory impediment did not seem to acknowledge me or anyone else, his ability to comprehend what is going on i!
n his environment is evident in that he often sings songs that he's learned in class.
Thursday, March 17 8am - 1:30 pm
i'm much more comfortable with the daily routine since my first day on site. today, the teacher asked me to wait for the children's bus to arrive, so i sat in the waiting room with two children who had been dropped off by their parents. i was amazed at the speaking ability of the 20-month-old. although she speaks only two or three word sentence, she has the uncanny ability to repeat every word you say perfectly. there was also an arabian boy waiting with us who has really taken a liking to me, probably becasue i remind him of his mother, who also wears a scarf. however, since i've been at the daycare center, i've learned how insignificant my nationality is to the children. one of the girls in my class even copied my look by putting the hood of her jacket on, exclaiming "Look, i look like you!" One of the things i love about children is how nonjudgemental they are.
today, i found out that the autistic boy was finally diagnosed with the disorder, and if everything works out, may be transferred to another facility more adept at fulfilling his needs. however, if he does stay here, he will need extensive one-on-one attention.
the teacher i work with showed me the daily reports that have to be completed for each child concerning their behavior. she also informed me of the lesson plans, which she said i can contribute to by suggesting activities that pertain to the theme of the week.
my main job for the day was to assist the child with the sensory impediment. i basically stayed by his side throughout the day's lessons to make sure he stayed on track. during art time, i helped him glue pieces of shattered green paper on his shamrock, and he seemed to get the hang of it. during the lesson, the children were each given a paper shamrock, either big or small, and told to put it in the folder with the big shamrock, or the folder with the little one. the child got it right, and i realized that every child is capable of learning, no matter what disability they may have.
Tuesday, March 22 8:00-2:00
today i decided to focus on a child who was receiving speech therapy. i wanted to see if i could get him to talk to me and his other classmates. during playtime, i sat next to him and read him a story. i pointed to the pictures hoping that he would learn some new words. towards the end of the book, he was pointing things out to me himself, saying things like "look, ball" and "he's eating". i also made sure to help him with his socialization skills by including a couple of other students in our playtime. while we played with the blocks, he pointed to a red one that another girl had. i encouraged him to say her name as well as "red" and "block" to indicate that he wanted it. obviously, he couldn't say "can i have the red block" but at least it was a start.
i learned more about the boy with the sensory problem from the teacher that i work with. she told me that when he started, he couldn't handle loud noices,and would scream or run away when the other children became too loud. also, they would have to rub his back to calm him down. now, she said that he's making great progress in that he's not as sensitive and he even sings along with the rest of the class.
after the class was over, i stayed on to help another teacher who teaches the parent-child group. basically, ten children are accompanied by their parents and partake in various activities, such as storytime and playtime. my job was to help the kids stay on task. during playtime, i decided to play with a boy who was very shy. i taught him how to play these toy drums, and by the end of playtime, he was really comfortable and open with me. his mother came up to me later on and said that i should be flattered that he played with me because he's usually very weary of strangers. needless to say, that made me feel very fulfilled.
thursday, March 24 8:00-1:00
one of the girls in my class is extremely shy. she often plays alone and never speaks, except to say "please" during snacktime, and even then she uses sign language, which the teacher has taught the children to do as an alternative to verbally speaking. although most of the children have speech and socialization issues, she seems to be the shyest.during playtime, i encouraged her to play with me and another girl to help her break out of her shell. she became very comfortable, but still refused to speak. when the children went in the room with the bikes and balls, she seemed more active than usual. as i finished reading to another girl, she came up to me with a book and gestured that she wanted me to read it. i felt really happy because it was the first time that she had come up to me and initiated an activity.
i continue to be amazed by another little girl. she is twenty months old, the youngest of the children, yet she is one of the most talkative. she's like a little parrot, repeating everything she hears. the first thing she does when she arrives in the morning is go straight to the fish tank in the waiting room. while we are waiting for the other chldren to arrive, she points to the fish, and says things like "big fishy" and "fishy sleeping". the latter comment concerned a fish who was mysteriously still at the bottom of the tank. of course, he was dead, but i didn't let her know that! you can tell that she receives a lot of stimulation at home from her parents because she is so verbally expressive and intelligent, compared to other children, like another two-year-old student who was left in a playpen for the majority of his life. he doesn't speak and can barely walk. we definitely have to work hard at getting him to his appropriate developmental level.
tuesday, March 29 8:00-1:00
the boy who was left in the playpen for the majority of his life is often absent from class, like today. this makes me very angry because he needs so much help developmentally that he should be here everyday, let alone two days a week. he never speaks, waddles and stumbles when he walks, and during snacktime, he couldn't drink or hold his cup correctly. he also has no concept of rules or discipline since he often gets up during storytime or during our songs to play with toys. he refuses to sit in his seat during these activities, and i often have to sit next to him and hold him down, and try to get him involved and interested in class. it just seems like his parents aren't as dedicated to helping him as we are. maybe i'm being unfair or naive, but i truly believe that they should make an effort to bring him to class on the days he's supposed to be there, and they should also reinforce what we teach him at home. it's not enough to just enroll him. i guess this is one of my first tastes of irresponsible parenting.
on the flipside, i had the opportunity to help another teacher with her parent-child group that meets when my class is over. i got to witness great parenting at work, my spirits lifted seeing mothers take an active role in their children's education. the moms sang, helped their kids with art projects, and played with them during playtime. just the fact that they're there with their kids is enough to compel the children to learn and have fun. there is even a mother who barely knows english, and yet even she is involved in her daughter's educational development. it proves that there is no excuse for passive parenting.
thursday, March 31 8:00-1:00
today we took the kids outside to play. you could see instantly how excited they were once we told them that they were going to be able to go outside. it's important every now and then for them to be in a bigger, wider environment than the classroom for their own sanity. however, once we went out, we saw that the older kids, who were at the center because of easter break, were in the courtyard. consequently, we had to keep the kids on the porch because we aren't allowed to intermingle the younger children with the older ones. i could tell that my class was getting bored with staying on the porch and drawing with chalk, not being able to play ball or run around. i decided to initiate a few activities, like "ring around the rosy" and "patty cake", but the kids soon got tired with that as well. the teacher decided that she would have a talk with our supervisor about creating a schedule for the courtyard. so, what was initially a fun idea turned out to be a disappointment.
after my class was over, i went over to another class to help put the kids to sleep for naptime. i thought it was going to be an easy feat, but i soon learned that getting kids to sleep isn't as easy as one may think. if someone put me on a mat and told me to take a nap while soothing music was playing in the background, i'd be out like a light! but two year olds are a different story. once all the kids got what they wanted--including pacifiers, toys, blankies--i realized that rubbing their backs was an effective mechanism for getting them to sleep. it took awhile, but eventually they surrendered. i never realized how important naptime was in regards to children's minds and bodies until recently. for them to be able to take a break from the hectic schedule of class is extrememly important in maintaining their mental dexterity. it would be nice if elementary schools implemented "naptime" or even some sort of "quiet time" for kids.
tuesday, April 5 8:00-1:00
this week is the week of the young child at the school, and all the children have been asked to decorate a paper person with their parents help. these paper people have been hung all over the hallways, and it's entertaining to see the creative ways children have decorated theirs. it's disappointing, however, that only three of my students have brought theirs in. i would have thought that it would be an enjoyable activity that both parents and children could do together. hopefully we'll get more on thursday, but i doubt it. i hope i'm wrong, but i'm beginning to think that many parents enroll their children just to get away from them for a couple of hours, instead of doing it for educational reasons. i don't want to be completely negative, though, because there are many parents who are dedicated to their children's development, and they are the ones that i am inspired by.
i previously mentioned the extremely shy little girl who hardly ever speaks. well, today she completely took me by surprise. maybe it was the presence of her occupational therapist, who has never visited the class, but she was much more verbal and active than usual. during snacktime, i often have to pry a "please" out of her, and even then it's a very quiet one. today, however, she said it all on her own. also, during playtime, she actually looked like she was having a lot of fun, smiling and running like the other children. i don't know what the therapist is doing, but i hope it continues. it just shows how important these types of services are for children who need that extra help.
thursday, April 7 8:00-1:00
i was really surprised by the boy with the sensory disability today. he seemed more engaged in the classroom activities than usual. already, i have seen a change in him since i started working. today, he actually spoke a coherent sentence. usually, he just sings songs that we sing in class on a daily basis, or he'll make meaningless noise. during playtime, i heard him say "i want this one" which made me do a double take. it was the first time i had heard him speak. another thing that surprised me was that he ran up to me and gave me a hug. i always thought that he didn't even acknowledge my presence, but i guess i was wrong. the more time i spend with him, the more i learn that he's capable of more than i give him credit for. this is a really important lesson for me to learn before i get into the school psychology profession, which is why i'm so glad that i'm working with children with psychological problems.
another thing that i realized today was that one of the little girls has a real problem interacting with others. although many of the students need help with their social skills, this girl is probably the most difficult in that she's extremely stubborn, can be very shy, and doesn't like to share. she only likes to play with me, and when i try to bring in another child, she becomes angry and inhibited. also, she hates to share her toys with anyone but me. i definitely have to work on getting her to open up more to other students.
tuesday, April 12 8:00-1:00
the speech therapists that visit our classroom to help a couple of the students are really excellent. i already mentioned the quiet girl who opened up the day her speech therapist came to class, and now it's happened again with a little boy. he never used to talk at all. he'd only point to things and grunt. once his therapist started coming to class, he gradually opened up. she usually takes him out of class into another room to work with him. once he comes back, he's usually very outgoing and talkative. he even initiates conversations with the other children now. Monarch already does a wonderful job getting kids to speak to express themselves, and with the help of these therapists, the children are getting even more help.
i learned something very helpful today concerning the boy with the sensory problems. if you show him a picture of the table, he'll know that it's time for snacktime. if you show him a picture of a paint brush, he knows it's time for art. it's really amazing that even though he can't carry on a conversation with you and may not understand the majority of what you're saying, he is still capable of learning and taking directions.
thursday, April 14 8:00-1:00
one of my students, the two-year-old boy who has a difficult time keeping his balance when walking and sitting because he's spent too much time in a playpen, still misses many days of class. since there is a waiting list for my class, the school has sent two warning letters home to his parents saying that he must attend class in order to stay in the program. of course, the father brings him in after the second letter to avoid being expelled. he even has his own therapist now to help him with his motor skills, which i've observed to be extremely helpful already. hopefully he continues to come to class because it would be a shame for him not to retain what he's learning. also, if the parents aren't serious about his attendance, they should pull him out of the program in order for another child to take advantage of our services. i understand that parents have many responsibilities they need to deal with in their everyday lives and may not always have the time to take their child to school, especially if they have many other children, but this particular family was told that they could have a school bus pick up their child, although i could understand if they were concerned with putting a two year old on a bus. i guess my point is that this child needs a lot more help than what he's getting right now, and there's only so much that we can do. i hope his parents realize that and take the necessary steps to improve his development.
tuesday, April 19 8:00-1:00
not much really happened today. i occurs to me that i really haven't explained what my schedule is like at Monarch. first i come in, and they put me with any teacher who needs help with her students. then at 8:45, i wait with the teacher i work with in the waiting room until our students' buses arrive. we take them back to class and they have playtime. this lasts about a half hour, and me and the teacher are always there to help them engage in productive play, or play that teaches them something (for example, a lot of times i play with a couple of kids in the pretend kitchen where i show them how to set the table and cook food on the toy stove). then we have art time. the teacher usually comes up with a theme for the week. this week's theme is "flowers", so the kids made a sunflower, and pasted scraps of colorful paper on them. then we have snacktime. today's snack was graham crackers with juice (yum!). then the kids go to the big room where they're able to run around and play with bigger toys, like little bicycles and mats. after that, it's time to get them ready to go home. unlike the other classes, which last all day, our class only lasts for two hours because it is the special needs class. after this class is done, i help another teacher with the parent-child group, which lasts an hour and only meets on tuesdays. after that, i have to clean my classroom and help other teachers.
thursday, April 21 8:00-1:30
after my class was over, a couple of teachers had me relieve them while they went on their luch breaks. the first classroom i went into was the six-year-olds class, and it was naptime. a couple were already asleep, but three little boys refused to go to bed. one of the boys had to go to the bathroom, and didn't come out until fifteen minutes later. the teacher's aide informed me that this was a daily occurrance. when he got back to his cot, i tried to get him to sleep, to no avail. he insisted on talking to me. and then he insisted on trying to remove my hang nail on my thumb! the lengths kids will go to not to get some rest!
in the next class, all but two little girls were asleep. i went over to one and started rubbing her back, since it often soothes them to sleep. she fell asleep fifteen minutes later. the other girl was a different story. she refused to go to sleep, so we read a book together instead. i figured reading would be better than just having her sit there bored. sometimes you have to adapt your methods in order to keep the kids occupied.
tuesday, April 26 8:00-2:15
during the parent-child group, one of the kid's grandmother came in with a baby goat and two baby foxes. she works at an animal shelter and thought that the children would get a kick out of seeing the baby animals. i'm not the biggest animal lover, but i was brave enough to hold one of the foxes (which, by the way, look exactly like kittens--that helped!). once i petted the goat, however, he immediately started running away. one of the parents teasingly told me that i should've grabbed it, but it took enough of my courage just to pet it! it was really cool to see how excited the kids were to see the animals, especially since they were able to feed the baby goat. it really complemented the farm song and activity that we do in the beginning of class where the kids sing a song about animals, and they are then given stickers of animals that they have to match on the board. it was a great example of hands-on learning.
thursday, April 28 8:00-1:30
i was faced with an important question today, a question that all adults who must deal with children on a daily basis come across. what do you do with a child who refuses to do what you want them to? do you give in, or stand your ground until they follow your orders? of course, the answer is the latter, but today i learned that that is much easier said than done. i was in the two-year old classroom trying to help put the children to sleep since it was naptime. i usually don't have too much trouble doing this, but today there was a new little girl in class who simply refused to lie down and go to sleep. i tried everything: i read to her, gave her a doll to lie down with, put her in my lap and rocked her, but she would not give in. to make matters worse, she cried and screamed, so most of the other children could not go to sleep either. i finally decided to take her out of the room into a vacant room with rocking chairs, hoping i could try rocking her to sleep. she still kept on crying and screaming for her mother, but eventually she did go to sleep. i was really proud that i was able to resist giving in to her demands and maintained my strong front. i knew that if i gave in to her, she would never want to take a nap, and she would expect to get her way every time she threw a fit. some children just don't understand or like structure. obviously she's never had a naptime, and didn't understand why she couldn't go and play. hopefully she now understands what is expected of her, although i think its going to take awhile before she fully decides to follow the rules.
Tuesday, May 3 7:00-1:00
today i found out that the child with the sensory problem really has autism, but not the extremely severe type. he is able to somewhat comprehend what you are telling him, although it seems difficult for him to pay attention to you. usually, in order to get him to sit down at the table, we will show him a picture of food if it's snacktime. if we want him to sit down for art, we show him a picture of a paintbrush. this tells me that he has a great capacity for learning even with his disability. also, i've noticed that he's been repeating things that i say a lot. this is extremely surprising since when i first started, he would only make grunting noises. i'm amazed at how far he's come. one thing that's bothering me, though, is that his mother is considering transferring him to a facility that houses only autistic children. i don't think that this would be a wise idea considering that i firmly believe that he's really learning from the typical children in our classroom. what can he learn from students who have his disability? i hope she lets him stay at Monarch.
thursday, may 5 7:00-1:00
when i come in to work in the morning, before i go to my regular classroom, i usually help the teacher in the two year old room with her kids. one of the children has a serious behavior issue. he's overactive and extremely aggressive towards the other children. he'll take toys away from them, even after we've repeatedly told him not to. recently, i've witnessed him throw a toy at a child's head, showing no remorse whatsoever. he doesn't follow directions at all, and has no respect for authority figures. i believe that the child may be showing early signs of oppositional defiant disorder. if he remains as defiant as he is now during his childhood, then ODD would be a fair diagnosis in my opinion. i believe that he's beyond the point of normal toddler-like defiance, which is evident in the fact that a meeting had to be set up with his parents. it's extremely frustrating to have a child like that in a classroom filled with rambunctious two-year-olds. it's even more difficult when other parents complain about the problem child. that happened once when i was present. the mother pointed to a bite on her child's back and said that he bit her child and to make sure that he didn't go near him. i'm not sure if the child is getting any sort of behavior therapy since it's too early for an official diagnosis of ODD. i guess we're just going to have to deal with him ourselves.
tuesday, may 10 7:00-1:00
today i decided to do an alphabet puzzle with one of my autistic students. his autism isn't severe since he is able to repeat things that you say, and sometimes he understands what you are telling him. i was pleasantly surprised to find that he was very good at putting the letter pieces in their correct places. he was actually better than the other students at completing this particular task. more and more i am learning that just because a child has a disability, doesn't necessarily mean that he is unable to do things that other children can do. he may need a little extra help on some tasks, but sometimes he can totally surprise you, even though i really shouldn't be surprised. he has also begun to tell us the day of the week when we ask it during circle time. he's usually the only one to get it right.
thursday, may 12 7:00-1:00
i've noticed a significant improvement in most of the students in my class since i've been working at Monarch. however, one student in particular seems to have digressed in his speaking ability and behavior. in the beginning, he used to say words like "cat" and "ball" and he was very well behaved. but over the past couple of weeks, he's been getting out of his seat a lot and he won't listen to directions. also, he hardly ever uses his words, choosing to point at things and tap on you when he wants your attention. myself and the other teachers are constantly telling him to use his words, and we don't understand why he's misbehaving so much. i've realized that he's one of those children that needs to get his own way or else, but i've refused to give in to him. one time, at the end of class, i had to physically hold him down in his chair after i repeatedly told him to sit down. although he was whining and squirming, i held him down until it was time to go home. his speech therapist told me that at home, he is given whatever he wants. he's gotten even worse, and has resorted to pushing other children in the playground. we definitely need to be firmer with him as far as discipline, and someone needs to teach his mother better disciplining techniques.
tuesday, may 17 7:00-1:00
i'm getting a feeling that one of my students is getting bored with our daily routine. he's three years old, is a typical child (does not have any disabilities), and speaks very well for his age. he has especially started to become restless during circle time, rarely participating in singing the songs. when we sing the "hello" song, in which the teacher goes around the circle and greets the children, asking how they are doing and if they want to give her a high five or a low five, he seems very bored. he is probably the smartest child in our class, so it is understandable why he would become a little bored. i try to make things as interesting as possible for him by initiating conversation and playing games, which seems to work well. hopefully, i can continue to maintain his interest!
thursday, may 19 7:00-1:00
one of my students, a little girl, is pure entertainment. she's just shy of two years old, yet she speaks like a four year old. her vocabulary is very advanced for her age. today, she seemed to be on a religious kick. one of the teachers had a cross on her necklace, and the little girl pointed to it and said "Jesus"! we couldn't help but laugh at her comment. during storytime, when the teacher flipped to a page in the book with song notes, the girl exclaims "hallelujah"! again, we couldn't contain our laughter. she must have gone to church recently or her mother must have spoken to her about religion for her to say those things, and since she's a little parrot, repeating everything that is said to her, she must have had religion on her mind.
tuesday, may 24 7:00-1:00
today i tried something new with one of my autistic children. usually, when we sing songs, he'll sing along, but he doesn't complete the hand movements. today, i sat right behind him during circle time, put my arms around him so that they were in front of him, and i did the movements. suddenly, he put his hands on mine, and followed my every move. later on that day, during free play, i caught him doing the hand movements all on his own. it's amazing what he can pick up after only one try. i think that hand movements and gestures are especially important with autistic children, since most of them are unable to communicate verbally or at all. i'm definitely going to try to use more hand gestures when i communicate with him.
wednesday, may 25 7:00-1:00
today is my first day participating in a monday, wednesday, friday class. since i'm now going to be working every weekday, i'm going to have to get to know a whole new set of children. i met another autistic boy today. that makes three that i've had the pleasure of working with. it's amazing how much variety exists among autistic children. some are capable of speech, some aren't; some show signs of understanding what you say, some don't. i guess i've always thought of autism as being a specific disease with specific symptoms, but i'm quickly learning that it is a vast disease with many symptoms, and not everyone exhibits the same ones. this boy is more like the boy who sings along with our class songs than the one who seems more severely autistic. i also met a little girl who doesn't walk. she has an amazing vocabulary, and speaks very well, although she seems a bit delayed for a three-year old. i met another boy, who supposedly has speech problems, but i guess they've been working with him for awhile because he sounds fine to me. i guess i was afraid at first that they would not embrace me like my other class did, but i definitely think that i got through to them, and made them feel comfortable around me.
thursday, may 26 7:00-1:00
i just found out that a little three-year old boy that i usually see in the mornings was diagnosed with autism, which i'm surprised about. i knew that he was somehow developmentally delayed, but i had no idea that he'd be diagnosed with autism. his must be a very mild form since he is more cognizant than my other autistic students. i always thought that his only problem was that he was not able to communicate verbally because he has virtually no vocabulary. another one of his problems has to do with his behavior. i can't count how many times he's refused to wash his hands and sit down at the table for breakfast. whenever he throws one of his fits, i immediately put him in time out. then i ask him if he's ready to sit for breakfast. he usually nods his head, and continues to be defiant. when he does this, i put him back in time out until he gives in, and sits at the table. i don't know if he acts out because he doesn't like to eat (since he hardly ever does) or because he's frustrated that he can't communicate his thoughts. i guess the only thing i can do is try to give him as much attention as possible, and talk and play with him as much as i can.
friday, may 27 7:00-1:00
one of the speech therapists that visits our class told me that i should become a speech therapist because i communicate well with the children. it's not difficult for me at all to connect with the kids or to talk and play with them. i don't know if it's because i've been around small children before, or because it's an innate thing that you either have or you don't. i've always been able to get along well with children, and i've always cared about their growth and development, which is why i want to be a school psychologist. now i'm beginning to wonder if i should get into speech therapy as well. i think it would be an interesting and rewarding field to get into.
Psy395Fall2005
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