Kids...

I have to say that I really like the kids I have this year... I like all the kids I have worked with, but this year I have lots of favorites. Too many to share... but there is one kid who is in one of my math classes. Everything is hard for him... everything... when he physically leaves school, he mentally leaves school. He 'forgets' to do assignments and I believe it is because it is so hard for him that he has learned to separate his life outside of school which I think he feels good about, and his life at school, which he knows he struggles with... anyway... the last two days in class he has done so well... we are adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators and he is getting it... truly getting it! He is so proud of himself and has been telling everyone that he is a great math student. It's great! Another kid... makes up nicknames for people and depending on how much he likes you, the more often your nickname changes... we have had some fun exchanges. Recently, in one of my math classes, I had the kids practice their multiplication facts on this website called www.freerice.com. For every problem the kids get right, 20 grains of rice is donated to people in the world who need it. He is so addicted to that site, so I am now calling him "stir fry." He likes it. I enjoy him a lot. Then there is the girl who I am so worried about. She has anxiety higher than any student I have ever worked with... if things don't change I think she would be at high risk for suicide as a high school or college student. We are working on some daily things to try to help that and while we have only been implementing them for a couple of days, I think it helps her. She is a perfectionist and her anxiety relates mostly to academics. So in the morning she and I meet and set a non academic goal for the day and she also has to say something positive about herself to start the day. This is hard for her. We also try to predict possible successes for the day and possible events that could cause anxiety, like a test or a specific teacher, etc. We write down some strategies for how to deal with those situations as they arise. Then mid day we touch base about her goal and about her level of anxiety. We meet again at the end of the day and discuss how her day was, what she needs to do at night, and she has to say something that she did well during the day. Today she was happy that she didn't completely fall apart when a teacher reprimanded her.... This kid has talked to me a lot about her anxiety and how much she wants help, wants to feel better. When I started introducing strategies for us to use, I swear she wanted to just hold onto something that may make her feel better. I can't imagine having that level of anxiety as a kid... I was so lucky. Another kid that i have is an interesting character... I think that this student is struggling with some gender identity/sexual orientation issues, but I don't think that this student even realizes that this student's mood and depression is because of those issues... but I think that realization will happen soon. Another kiddo is one that reminds me of me... he is a big kid, bigger than all of his peers and even kids who are older than he is. There are a lot of issues with him, but...he is making some really bad choices...so I gotta do something. I think that when he skipped out on lunch detention with me and I went to the cafeteria and sat with him in front of his friends was a good first step. (He was mortified!) Another kid wants to be more independent and move away from special education a little bit... and I think that's a good thing... then there is this other kid that cracks me up... he is all about trucks and 4 wheelers and today had found a truck that he wants to buy. (He is 13.) He thinks it's awesome and asked my opinion on it... too funny!

I do love what I do... I love getting to know the kids and seeing what makes them tick. Today was a good day... even though it was hectic... I felt like my math kids were really understanding the math today... and I feel that I am at the point where I know my kids... it always takes me a while to know them, but I feel like that initial getting to know them phase is over. Thankfully!

It was a good day. Why the elephant picture? Because I saw it and it made me smile.