First of all, I really want to say how excited I am that ParaEducate will be at Cal-TASH 2015. We are honored to be presenting in Irvine, California. If you have never been to a TASH, I would highly recommend it.
In other more important news right now, I have spent the better part of the last few days coughing and sneezing. I’d take a picture, but you’re best spared the visual. On the plus side, I did not get grossly injured. On the downside I caught “the cold” or whatever latest bug is haunting my campus. Needless to say for three weeks my immune system valiantly fought off every major attack despite the layers of cloud induced cold and faithful hand washing in every class and between every class.
So I packed it in today. I just did not have the strength to make it to Friday. On Tuesday, after a nap when I got home from work, I thought there might be a chance, but alas, today I am worn out and my sub notes have been assembled.
We are very lucky in my district to have subs we can get on a moment’s notice. And then I know that some of the subs in the pool have many skills that may not line up well with the group of students I work with. So I leave them a letter.
Dear Sub,
Thank you for coming in today for me. My students may not know it, but I have been pretty sick all week. I have provided some tips here if something happens, please use my entire team if something comes up.
Some of my students have behaviors that are difficult to work with. It really honestly has taken me all year to gain their trust. Please try not to take it personally. Be assured that the office staff and everyone in the department are aware and are working hard for that student’s success.
The students are all working on different things at their levels. Some will need supervisions of safety, some will need emotional support. And others will need firm reminders to be on task.
All I ask of my students to try their best every day. There are a lot of different demands made on me and I don’t expect you to fulfill them all, but getting close enough will be a great assurance to me.
I hope the day goes smoothly. There is a section about emergencies just as a reminder.
Forgive me for being nervous about leaving the students I work with, but they are the highlight of every day. I hope you enjoy working on the campus.
Sincerely,
Pretty sick person who did not want to pass on more germs
Are you interested in participating as a Guest Blogger for ParaEducate? Do you have a question for us? Find ParaEducate online here, here, here and here. ParaEducate is company interested in providing materials, information, and strategies for people working in special education inclusion settings for grades K-12. ParaEducate, the blog, is published weekly during the academic school year on Thursdays, unless a holiday. ParaEducate shares their findings at conferences, through their books, and their academic adaptations.
