Fourteen more days. Fourteen more days.
I keep chanting to myself the countdown mantra hoping that it just isn’t some magic number. I am all too aware of the upcoming events that mark the end of the school year: finals, text book turn in, last meetings, retirements, locker clean outs, and check out details. If it is overwhelming for me: it must be heart-stopping for my students.
Fourteen more days. Fourteen more days.
Unfortunately, my students see this as a relaxing time. Most of my students, being in their first year in secondary, this is typical behavior. “It’s not a problem until it’s due.” After all, isn’t watching Ms. Marquez rip out her unevenly grey hair out is pretty amusing.
Fourteen more days. Fourteen more days.
Amid all of this, there is the tiny voice as I deal with behaviors, testing schedules, and trying to find locker combinations to lockers never used by students, I realize there are still plans to be made for next year. Whether it is choosing to support students to their strengths with my strengths, avoiding uncomfortable situations, or learning something new, my skill set has evolved over this year. And whoever is in charge of schedules should be aware of that. With concerns of students, classes, how do I get heard? And who actually hears them? And most importantly: what will the students need next year?
Do the students coming next year need help with toileting or other health concerns, with behavioral, or with academics? What might the general look of our campus be? What will support classes look like? How will those classes be supported?
Fourteen more days. Fourteen more days. Fourteen more days. Wait, no. Thirteen! Thirteen more days!
Work on this year first, then next year, but I know that walking up to the new year will make the summer easily.
ParaEducate Blog had some technical difficulties this week. We will re-post old blog entries over the summer. If there is a specific entry you want immediately, please email us and we will get it up sooner. Thank you for your support this week. Next week is our last blog post for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Do you have a question for us? Find ParaEducate online 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. This year is ending quickly! ParaEducate’s last post is May 29th. ParaEducate shares their findings at conferences, through their books, and their academic adaptations.
