Time: 11:53am
State of Being: trying to relax as much as possible
Song lyric in my head: paint with all the colors of the wind...
current desire: to be free from wal-mart
where am I?: in the bedroom lying on the bed
what's that noise?: Pocahantas. yup. that's right. It was a netflix option and i need a little Disney in my life.
So I guess the big news since July is my new job. Yup. I'm finally in the teaching field. I got hired as a teacher's assistant at a school called The Open Doorway. It's for special needs kids. I have children with autism to learning disabilities to medical needs to the "bad" kids who couldn't hack it in public school. I started off being an assistant to a girl named Brittany who taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Then two weeks later, they moved me to middle school, well the remedial kids. I have my own "classroom" which really isn't a room. It's just a section in the back with my own kids. Daniel is 19. He's autistic. He's like my gentle giant. He definitely has a mentality of a child, and talks like he's five. He's super tall. Sweet kid until he throws a tantrum. Which is weekly. But he gives awesome hugs. lol. I have Jocelyn. She's 17 with a learning disability. She can't read really at all. It's my goal to change that. By the end of the year I really want her reading. It's a challenge. There's E.J. oh E.J. He's a 12 (maybe 11) year old in 6th grade with an attitude. One of my biggest challenges. He randomly decides he doesn't want to work anymore, and walks away. And they let him go play his DS. ugh (that's another topic i'll get to.) Kyle is a 14 year old boy with autism in 7th grade. I just had my first parent teacher conference with his parents last friday. He gets his work done, but doesn't do well on tests at all. I have to really modify the work to his level and I'm still learning. K.J is in 8th grade. I'm not sure if he's still on of my kids. He got moved to the regular middle school area. He has an attitude problem, but never with me. Then Lemuel. He's in 7th grade. He's hilarious and goofy! I have to really remember my role as a teacher sometimes when he acts up more than he should. He needs more one on one help than most students, but he gets the job done. The kids are in my area, because they require more one on one help. It does get overwhelming sometimes. With kids calling my name every five minutes for help "Miss Melissa. I need help." But it is rewarding.
In the morning, the kids do their "morning work." Which consists of their core subjects and the assignment for that day. like Math page 157 1-20. English page 88 1-10. Science. Read page 374-376 and answer the questions. and so on with each subject. Then in the afternoon, I take my kids to the middle school area where they have their Real World subjects like Math, Vocab, Reading. It goes over real world stuff like rent, budgets, medicine, sale prices at stores, renting a car.. etc. It's pretty awesome and I wish I had subjects like that in school. There's also a Reading Group. I head my own reading group (where I read a book out loud) with the six and seventh graders. (and Daniel and Jocelyn). When I first started with my reading group, we were in the middle of Teacher's Funeral. The kids hated that book. Now we're reading Number the Stars. I really want to make this book awesome for them with lessons, vocab, ets..
I go back and forth with my feelings towards the school. It has its good qualities and not so good qualities. Teachers seem to up and walk out. Some not so quietly. There were two before I started, and one while I was there. I ended up taking over for the girl, Megan. She got fed up with doing the same job as a teacher yet getting assistant pay. And E.J. who gets to do whatever he wants. And I totally understand that. For now this job is strictly just to put on my resume. I can't see spending years here. I do love my students though.
Anywho...
I am still at wal-mart. blah. After school, I go do my pharm duties. Russ lost his job a few months ago, so I have to work both jobs for now. Just waiting for the day where he gets a new job. I can't wait to quit the pharm. Plus I'm always tired and crabby. Switching from trying to help kids from not becoming insentive ignorant adults, to kissing asses of insentive ignorant adults is really hard sometimes. Not to mention 14 hour days with one day off a week. ugh.
Well that's the nutshell version of my busy life. lol
Never forget to smile!
-mel-
12:22pm
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