Samantha+Brooks

Thank goodness it is almost Christmas break! It has been a long semester. I am not sure how I have survived. I love my students but there have just been so many challenges this year. My biggest daily challenge has been dealing with my new student Brooke. It takes all of my energy to just make it through each day with a positive attitude. I am just not sure how I can be positive anymore. There have been no improvements since that first long day of school! I have prayed and prayed Brooke would miraculously begin to speak and respond to me. This has not happened nor has she spoken to any of the other students. She certainly has made her presence known though. She tears up her papers, she stomps at her desk, and her sporadic wailing can be heard all the way down the hall. I have no idea what to do anymore. I am lost.

Questions?

Record your thoughts and feelings so far? What seems to be the issues/problems in this story? How do you believe these issues/ problems should be addressed?

Special Education websites http://www.aasdcat.com/AASD/departments/resources/speced.htm [] []

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Extra Resources: I found some books the other day and added them to our link__Russell is Extra Special__ by C A Amenta, MD (1992, Magination Press) This book is illustrated with black and white photos, showing a family with an autistic child. It describes a boy affected by autism and uses this as a jumping off point to describe some other aspects of autism. The family clearly cares for their autistic son and his siblings. __Andy and his Yellow Frisbee__ by Thompson (Woodbine Press, 1996) This illustrated book is aimed at elementary school aged children. It describes a playground situation in which Andy, an autistic boy, his sister and a new student interact. The author draws some parallels between Andy's autistic self absorption and the new girl's anxiety about a new school. Andy's older sister observes the new girl trying to interact with Andy. (When a child reads this book, an adult should be available to discuss the points it illustrates.

Wiki Reflection

I really had never worked with Wiki until this assignment. I had no idea of what Wiki was except for a site that would always pop up when I was googling someone. I have learned a lot about Wiki the past few weeks though. I have learned it is a very good tool for teachers and students. It has allowed my classmates and me to work collaboratively together and learn a lot from one another. I think as teachers we always need to be looking for ways to incorporate technology into our classroom, and this is a great way to make that happen. It is also a very fun way to get students involved. Wiki gives students the freedom to be creative; which is very important. Wiki allows the students to insert pictures, videos, and etc and make their picture their own. Also I think it is a great tool because a lot of different age groups could use Wiki. All in all its been a great way for me to learn more about SPED and technology. It also was a good way for us to get to know our other classmates, and communicate with them. I enjoyed the assignment and was glad to be a part of your study. 