Summer Learning Place 2014 Evaluation

At the end of our program each year, I have the parents fill out a survey to help me make the program better each year. I usually have a small number of surveys that get returned but this year I had about 50% of the surveys returned. From the comments I received I’m very happy with the results and am thrilled that the parents felt it was worthwhile. I wanted to share the comments with you and hope you enjoy reading them!

 

Summer Learning Place 2014 Week 3

Week 3 went smoothly and I think we are all getting in a rhythm that is working. The beginning of the week was rainy which kind of threw everyone for a loop. Some of the children were lethargic and I have to admit that the rain made me feel the same way. Our meltdown boy made it to the last 10 minutes of the day and the teacher walked him to the car.

Again, I saw some great lessons such as:

· Writing letters in shaving cream to practice letters and sounds.

· Jumping on the number line on the floor in order to add numbers.

· Learning to identify fact and opinion and practicing in learning centers.

· Learning how to ask questions about our reading.

· Older children learned to identify idioms and similes in their reading book.

· Older children learned about variables in an algebraic equation.

I have to say that I think the teacher’s blogs have been fantastic! I love reading their thoughts about the week and how their lessons go. Some reflections have been so insightful and thought provoking. I hope they continue to blog after the program ends because I would like to keep up with them and how their school year is going.

If you get a chance, please check out the teacher’s blogs and leave a comment for them.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Summer Learning Place 2014 Week 2

Last week was another great week at Summer Learning Place and I’ve learned a lot of new things from my teachers. I love observing their lessons for getting new ideas. Here are some of the activities I saw:

· Using goldfish on a number line.

· After reading the directions, students were making sand castles with pudding, crackers, and sprinkles.

· Another group used learning centers which I always think is fun.

· One teacher taught writing skills using a flow map.

· The older students started reading a graphic novel (The Invention of Hugo Cabret) and it made me want to find a copy to read.

· The older ones worked on line symmetry and also made origami animals and wrote a poem about their animals.

The week started off great but on Wednesday one of our little ones had a major meltdown and I had to call his dad to come get him. Unfortunately when we went to take a break (allowed when sensory overload occurs), a spider with tons of babies dropped out of the weighted blanket. It freaked him out and there was no consoling him after that. The great thing was that on Thursday he arrived and the first thing he said was that he was going to have a great day.

Another day one little one cried and didn’t want to get out of the car. Apparently he forgot to brush his teeth and that threw the whole routine off. The teacher took him by the hand and calmed him down in the classroom. By the time we started the day, he was fine.

On Thursday, the brother of the first boy was having difficulties. We haven’t seen this side of him the past 7 days so we were surprised. The teacher and I talked about how on any given day, anybody could have a bad day. No two days are alike. (That’s the fun of teaching special ed!)

My teachers have done a wonderful job and we completed the first week of observations and lesson plans. They seem open to suggestions and constructive criticism. I’m hoping that this whole experience is meaningful to them and that they will remember this as a worthwhile time out of their busy lives.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Summer Learning Place 2014 Week 1

Our summer program called Summer Learning Place has started. There are 6 teachers and 23 children ages 6-14 who have learning or behavior problems. The teachers are really my students taking a practicum in order to earn a Master’s degree in Special Education. They are having to teach reading, math, writing, and social skills to their class from 8:30 – 11:30 each day for the next four weeks. This course is the final course necessary for them to complete their degree. By teaching actual students, they are able to demonstrate all that they have learned up to this point. This course is instruction by real life experiences and assessment of past learning for the teachers.

I love this program each year because I see it as a challenge. Even though some of the children may return, they have matured and changed over the year. The new students have their own challenges and we hope to help them learn strategies that will help them in the next school year. I also don’t know what to expect from my teachers. Each one comes from a different background and teaching experiences so they may have different ideas of how the classroom should be developed. It is through this experience that they can see that not every situation can be taught in a lecture or textbook.

The first couple of days were spent assessing the child and finding out their present levels of performance. The teachers will use the results to come up with goals and instruction for each child. Every Thursday the parents receive a report about the week and how their child is doing.

On Monday the teachers set up their rooms. It was interesting to see how well the teams got along right off the bat. Sometimes in the past, some teachers’ personalities were so different that they sometimes didn’t find their rhythm until a week or two had passed. This is normal but since we have such a short time to work together, it can sometimes be a strained relationship.

On the first day with children, we had one boy have a major meltdown. He sat in the office with me until he calmed down and then I returned him to class but he had another meltdown so I had to call home. His aunt came to pick him up and asked if he was allowed to return the next day which was fine. Sometimes the first day is really hard for students with disabilities because they are in a new situation with a new routine. After some thought, I decided to move this child to the other classroom where they have two breaks instead of one and the other children seemed more on his level. We also had parents of a girl with epilepsy leave medicine in case she had a seizure. This was in the form of rectal gel! There is no way my teachers or I would be touching any child’s private parts so I called the parents and explained to them that there was no nurse on duty and we would not administer any type of medication.

The second day started off well and I returned the medication to the girl’s parents. The dad didn’t think we needed training to administer it but I insisted that policy insists that training be given when administering medicine. He signed a paper stating we should call 911 if she has a seizure. Then the boy who had the meltdown did well until 11am. Since it was so close to the end of the session, I didn’t call home. The teachers with him did an awesome job. Ms. M took him out and walked him around to calm him down but then tried to return him to class where he threw a major tantrum by throwing his shoes, the trash can and other things, as well as ripping papers taped to the door. Ms. L. did a great job with reassuring the other children in the class and continuing with teaching the class. Ms. M. took him outside and I went out to support her. When he tried to go out the outer door, I had to tell him that was a safety issue and if he went out the door he could not return at all. He stopped but Ms. M. talked him into calming down by counting to 10 and taking 5 deep breaths. When he put his shoes on, she walked him to the car and talked to his aunt.

On the last day of the week, the boy’s dad came in and gave his teachers and me some valuable information on dealing with him. I just wish he had done this on the first day or even emailed me some of this info before we started it. The dad was worried that we would see it as criticism but this was important information!

Over the first three days with children, I would walk past the classrooms and listened to all the interactions going on. I worried that with the major issue going on with the one child that I was neglecting the other teachers but I couldn’t help that. I tried to be visible so they knew I was available for help if they need it. The children were engaged in activities and the teachers were enthusiastic about teaching. I look forward to the next 3 weeks with this group.

Original photos by Pat Hensley