Lesson Plan: Survival

The average special education teacher lasts five years, I have been a special education teacher for 16.  This probably means one of two things: I'm either a very dedicated educator, or I'm a little slow on the uptake.  If I'm being honest it's probably a little of both!  I have a PhD and the certification to teacher regular education and be an administrator, which according to some people makes be a little over qualified for my current career.  I teach cross categorical special education, which means that students with health impairments  mental health issues, intellectual disabilities, behavior issues, autism and learning disabilities come to me for assistance with learning, or their behavior.

I have a soft spot for bad ass little boys who can't control their anger and will cuss anyone out in a ten mile vicinity, which is probably not a surprise to many people.  I also have a soft spot for little girls that will do the same, but there not at prevalent!  I have a deep appreciation for people that struggle within the norms of society, which probably is not a surprise either.  I usually enjoy what I do and I have been very successful at it, which is a surprise to some people.  I know that I'm good at what I do because two of my former students are now teachers themselves and have told me I was a great influence in their decision.  I have had countless parents stop and tell me thank you for getting their kids through high school.  Now that I have been teaching for almost twenty years, I even have some former students who ask where I'm teaching so that they can make sure that their kids get me as a teacher.

As experienced and good as I am, the nature of the week before a break is SURVIVAL!  Don't believe me?  Ask any teacher and they will tell you that children lose their minds the week before break!  Kids don't feel compelled to work, they are antsy to get out of school and in case you are wondering....teachers are too!  If all hell is going to break out is is going to be the week before a break.  That's the kind of week that I'm having and so are many of my other co workers.  Girl drama, verbal altercations, tardies to class, medical emergencies, lost work, crying for no apparent reason, tests, major projects due that students wait until the day before to finish....these have all been part of my week and it's only Tuesday.

Today I was observed, in the midst of assisting one of my students in calling a parent for the fifth time to come pick up her kid who wasn't feeling well.  My administration came to see me teach the week before a break, unannounced! I didn't have essential questions or what we were doing on the board yet because I had spent the first period sorting out a behavioral mess with an assistance principal and second period sorting out some girl drama and tending to the ailing student.  Did I mention that my room is a mess due to having to relocate all the volleyball equipment for construction?  My students were great, just needed reminders that yes we were indeed going to write a four paragraph essay of Africa.  All things considered I think everything went smashingly well.  Then the email hit asking for a lesson plan for today. Really?  I need to find this during survival week?  I haven't sat since I walked in the door.  I appreciate the fact that administration was willing to wait until after 5pm to receive the documents (all 49 pages of them).  The professional in me turned in the plans.  The person with a soft spot for bad ass little boys and girls wanted to put some colorful commentary on the top of it, but knew it wasn't part of my behavior plan!  After all, the learning objective of this week is SURVIVAL UNTIL SPRING BREAK!  Even a student a little slow on the uptake knows that :)

Sunday Best Running

My Sunday Best Running Outfit

So this weekend I had a nice 6 mile run.  The rain held out for an hour and a half, I was able to avoid most of the puddles, and while grey and chilly, I had the road to myself.  I even found a dollar on the sidewalk at the one mile marker.  I ran without my customary knee strap.  Things were going as good as can be expected on a chilly, damp Sunday long run, until an hour and 15 minutes into the run, somewhere around mile 5ish, a young couple passed me with a rude comment about my outfit (which is pictured above minus my orange and purple stripped skull cap).  They were in their early 20's and passed me without a word on a downhill stretch.  Scared the snot, literally, out of me and then I heard the comment.

"Someone obviously got dressed in the dark.  That outfit doesn't even match!" said the girl.
"That's probably why she's walking down the hill!" said the boy.

And with that they jogged up the hill!  The girl with her capri pants, clean white shoes and a grey yoga sweater.  The boy with his grey tee shirt, black tube socks and basketball shorts.  Who the hell are these people to comment on my running gear!  It goes against the inclusive nature of the running community!  I was wearing high tech, dry fit, performance running gear!  So what if it didn't match!  At least you can see me instead of blending into the grey, gloomy sky!  As mismatched as this outfit is, I paid a lot of money for it!  It wicks, it reflects, it resists odors, it damn near does everything but run for you! Who the hell are these two kids.... Then it hit me!

I have become a keeper of the sport!  One of those runners who is happy that you're out there no matter the pace, or the outfit.  One of those runners who appreciates the front of the pack for their athletic proneness and the back of the pack for sticking in there and finishing the race upright!  The urgent need to educate these two rude, young people on the inclusive, supportive nature of our sport was overwhelming, but the two young people jogged up the hill. I wish I had been a little quicker so I could impart some wisdom on those two young, able bodied joggers, but I'm not quick and as loud as my outfit was I wasn't in any shape to holler after them after 5 and a half miles!

So here's what I would of said if I could of caught them up the hill (damn bone fragments and hills don't get along so I walk them). Hey, able bodied young people, enjoy that quick pace now, before kids, and family and job demands interfere with your training schedule.  Enjoy the fact that your joints allow you to run in cheap no brand running shoes and that you won't have to ice those abused joints from those cheap running shoes in say, about five years (when you hit thirty and your body decides it doesn't have to recover quickly, or burn calories at a rapid rate).  Enjoy the fact that the only thing you notice on a weekend run is an older lady in a loud, mismatched outfit instead of enjoying the city sweeping the sidewalks so you don't trip over trash or the relative quiet from a busy, loud, demanding life of most adults with children.  And while I'm at it, please take time to encourage others who are being active.  There are so many people sitting on couches either by choice, or medical condition that can't enjoy the movement of their bodies and see you as an inspiration to what might be if they ever get off the couch. Buy some dry fit.  If you're going to run and comment on what others are wearing you should at least be dressed in appropriate garb to be running's What Not To Wear.  Oh, one more thing, my socks don't match either, but there just as happy as the rest of me to get another run in and that's really what its all about!

Tornado Warning

Spring has sprung and so have the spring storms. We usually watch the weather pass around us on the television,  but tonight the tornado warning went up and the wind started blowing a little side ways so, the kids and I headed to the basement. We have lived in our older home, surrounded by old oak trees for eight years. We have a storm cellar in the basement, but the basement has been "under construction" since we moved in! Going to the basement for a storm is a pretty big deal, but when the wind started blowing sideways, I ordered the kids to the basement!

Of course the tornado warning has to come as I'm getting supper ready!  Really!? Ten more minutes and we could of ate at the table, but mother nature moves at her own pace. I also had a five mile run on the treadmill planned,  but that's not going to happen tonight!

As I'm getting plates ready to take to the basement,  the kids started taking their valuables to the basement.  What did they bring? Blankets, stuffed animals, the dogs, the ipad, cell phones, a couple chairs, drawing supplies, running shoes, water, soda,  a Bible, their supper and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Interesting combination of items and they were a little perturbed that I didn't bring a whole lot. What did I bring? My phone, my favorite blanket, a chair, a coke, my running shoes and supper. My most valuable things were already in the basement with me!

The treadmill became a supper table. We had a nice meal and good conversation. I'm thinking that we should have more tornado warnings.  After we clean up the basement of course!

My Battle With the Scale

When I was younger I never looked at the scale.  It was embarrassing to step on it not because I was fat, but because I wasn't.  I weighed 65 pounds well into middle school and never weighed more than 105 through freshman year of college.  When your friends are on the latest fad diet the last thing you want to draw attention to is you're not putting on any weight even eating a whole pizza a day. I never use to worry about my weight, but times are changing and the scale is once again something I don't want to deal step on!

Until recently, the only time I monitored my weight was when I was pregnant. At my heaviest I was 210 (pregnant with Zeke), the rest of the time my weight fluctuated between 125-135. I only know this because of doctors visits, but last year our insurance started mandating bmi and weight screenings. My bmi was fine but my weight was 140. I got a lecture and material on diet and exercise.  I wanted to cry. I didn't think I was fat, but my insurance company and doctor did! Suddenly the scale mattered and the more I stepped on it the heavier I got.

My current weight fluctuates between 145-155. I'm not really sure why and neither are the doctors. I have made some changes to my diet and intend to run more this year than last year. I have even contemplated giving up coke a cola, but my students and family have begged me not to! Funny how no one begs you not to get on a scale, but I think that's exactly what they should do! If other members of the house didn't need it I'd throw it out myself because it feels like the constant checking of my weight's ups and downs is the real ten pounds the insurance company says I need to lose!

It's a 10

Elijah had his first true "10" migraine yesterday. It was a little scary for everyone at the house.  Of course mom and dad were off getting mom's wallet that she left at work when the bad storms rolled in and Elijah's head went haywire.  We got the first call that something was wrong with Elijah 15 minutes from home. The second call two minutes from home!

All of the kids have been seizure and migraine trained.  They followed Elijah's plan. I spent two hours massaging his head, getting cold packs and adjusting the bio feedback app for Elijah. Did I mention we were also trying to get supper ready? The kids were great! All took turns watching Elijah when I had to do something with supper. They even turned on closed captioning so the noise from the tv wouldn't distrub Elijah!

There were moments where Elijah couldn't feel his legs and when he calmed down he would seize. His breathing, or lack there of was a little scary, but by 830pm Elijah has recovered and the rest of us were exhausted! Elijah had lots of questions about how bio feedback works and for all my mom comforting I was rewarded with 30 minutes of snuggles from my big boy Lili, who is not the snuggling type!

Fast forward to this morning,  and guess who hasn't been taking his seizure meds? Yes, Elijah has not and after I let into him for being irresponsible with his health I think he understands headaches like yesterday happen without medication!  It's not easy being a fourth grader who has to take meds, but its not easy being a parent of a fourth grader that has the issues Elijah has either! I want him to be independent and not limited by his epilepsy and migraines!  I want him to feel like he has some control and let him manage his medication, but yesterday makes me re think all that.

Can I wrap him in bubble wrap? Probably not and I doubt any of my kids would let me. Elijah's pride is a little hurt that I'm making him take his meds in front of me, instead of trusting that he took them, but he'll get over it. At some point he'll be able to go back to managing his own meds. He's been pretty good at it, but wanting to be "normal" got in the way. Soon he's bound to realize normal is over rated and that his health (or avoidance of migraines) is more important than what others think! I hope that he never has a 10 migraine again,  but if he does I hope he feels his family has earned a 10 in helping him get through the rough stuff!

I Don't Want to Talk About It

I have epilepsy and I don't really want to talk about it. I argued with the doctor at length that my involuntary muscle twitching had to have another root cause, but she finally told me there were a lot worse things to have. In fact, I'd like to ignore the fact I have it, but the damn thing keeps twitching so, recently I have had to explain what is going on to people who don't normally ask such questions. Kids are pretty observant too. They may miss the due date for the current project, but they sure do see my eye twitching or my hands.

It's probably pretty shocking that I don't want to talk about the disease that is such a big part of my family life. You want to talk about Elijah's seizures? Sure, all day. His seizures are easy to explain, are well controlled by medication and happen mostly in the mornings here at home. Want to talk about migraines? I can go on for days. Hey, want to discuss my bruised toe? I even have pictures....

Want to discuss adult onset of generalised epilepsy non specific? No? Me either but inquiring minds (and legitimatly caring people) want to know. Most people want to know if they can help, or if they hurt, or if I can drive, or if I'll do something really cool seizure wise. Here are the answers to these common questions. Thanks, but there isn't much you can do. The seizures (or twitching as we call it at home) doesn't hurt, its just annoying. I can drive as my alertness level is still present. The only cool thing I do seizure wise is... well nothing, but I got over being cool by the first week teaching.

I know I should wear an alert, but I'm not sure what to put on it. Generalized epilipsey doesn't seem very helpful to emergency staff. I know at some point I'll have to wear one.  I know there will be more questions the moment I put it Maybe by then I'll want to talk about it, but right now I' ll pass. Ask questions and I'll answer them, but I really don't have a lot to say. Really.