Day 60

So. . .lots to reflect on! This week at school we are celebrating Braille Awareness in honor of the bicentennial birthday of Louis Braille, and I've learned more about Braille the last two days than I have all year. We've had great participation from the students and families, and it's encouraging to see how they are supporting Zack. Zack has had a really rough past few days with his behavior, and the vision team is wondering if he is being pushed too hard and in need of more breaks. He's been defiant and disrespectful (not to me, thank goodness!), and he's missing out on some fun activities because of it. I hope they can get to the bottom of it for his sake and for their sake. . .they were tired at the end of the day today! Zack's lead teacher told me something interesting yesterday--she said Zack doesn't think he's blind. She'll hold something out, say, "What is this," and he'll grab it and figure it out. She said she doesn't think he has a concept of sight or that he's missing anything. . .I guess that's a good thing, right? We'll see how he does tomorrow. Maybe he's just needing a break like the other kids are. . .

Day 50-something

So I have been out sick two days and caught in a whirlwind to finish my other class and start a new tutoring job. . .I am a distracted researcher! We are doing Braille Awareness week at school next week, and I'm really excited. My class is getting t-shirts donated by Zack's family (the staff and students can purchase them), and we're going to do different activities throughout the week. I am going to pull some of the books from the website previously listed on the blog, and I hope we can make steps to continue to narrow the gap between Zack and the other students. Our story in literacy today was about Braille (just a coincidence), and Zack came in just for the story. I'm not sure how much of it he was paying attention to. . .I think he has some of my germs, and when he doesn't feel good, it shows in his behavior. Hopefully tomorrow he will be back to himself. I'm anxious to see how it all goes next week (and this week with the preparations). I feel very much a part of it all as I am the only elementary classroom teacher with a blind student. . .kind of cool to have had the experience so far!

Days 52 and 53

I think I'm finally getting the hang having a full-time inclusion student, and then I go and forget to give the homework packet to the vision teacher when I'd had it for over a week. . .I'm still not 100% remembering all the pieces, but it's as smooth as I think it could be. One thing I have to admit I'm loving is having an adult perspective on everything from specials classes to how it went with a substitute. It's interesting to hear about your class from a different point of view! Zack's lead teacher went to a big training on Friday, and she wants Zack doing our full math program with us. He has been doing math every day with us, but she wants to braille all of the materials and things. Math seems to be a strong point for him, so we'll see how that goes. I was home sick today, so I don't have too much to say. When I was starting to lose my voice yesterday, though, Zack didn't recognize me when I said good morning to him--he asked me who I was. :) Then every time I spoke to him throughout the day, he'd tell me I had a frog in my throat. . .he makes me laugh! I guess a kid who is very in-tune to sounds would notice a froggy voice more than the other kids!

Day 51 and Halloween party

Zack's normal teacher was pulled to be with another student this morning, and so he was in with me with the teacher he had at the beginning of the year. He is a different child with each of them, and I like him much better with my normal/regular teacher! He gets away with a whole lot more talking and questioning when the teacher from the beginning of the year is with him, and I am SO thankful we had the change--I don't think I would enjoy him as much if it hadn't happened! He enjoyed our Halloween party and did all the crafts and activities with a little assistance from his step-mom. He was dressed as a firefighter, and I got to meet his mom and maternal grandparents today. He is definitely a well-loved, thriving and happy kid. I'm proud to see how well he is fitting in with the class!

Snow Day!

So I'm sitting at home nice and warm instead of working with my kids today, but I forgot to mention two really fun ideas brought up by Zack's grandfater at the IEP. Cool idea number one: softball for blind kids and teenagers is apparently all the rage! The bases are each created to make a distinct sound (first sounds different from second, etc.), and the ball has its own sound. The kids play the game completely by sound. . .how can that work? All I could imagine as I was listening was the idea of catching. . .does a sound-making ball coming quickly at you allow you catch it? Is it possible to do that without sight? Are the mitts different? I'm going to see what I can find on Google, but I thought that was cool. Zack's grandfather wanted to talk about it as a possibility for the future with his adaptive PE teacher.
Fun idea number two: wrestling for blind teenagers. The blind students wrestle with sighted kids, and the only rule change is that contact must always be kept. Apparently the one blind wrestler in Greeley is VERY fast!
So, I had to take a minute to stop my cozy reading to share. I'm curious to find out more!

Days 49 and 50

I am breathing a HUGE sigh of relief as I type today. . .it has been an awkward few days, but I think everything has finally blown over. Thankfully, the vision teachers listened to my feelings of discomfort about the situation, and they visited with the teacher Zack was having trouble with and also briefly with the principal. The teacher talked with Zack's step mom (she caught her in the hall on the way to the IEP) and to the vision teacher who was in the class with the disruptions. The next day, the afternoon literacy instruction and classroom management was apparently top-notch. I made a point to mention to my teammate this morning that the vision teacher was impressed with her teaching and management on the day after the incident, and I am SO hopeful it stays this way. I am so thankful the vision teachers stepped up to take care of the situation so that I could simply act as a concerned teacher and teammate and NOT as a supervisor. Hopefully we're all set for smooth sailing the rest of the year. . .I don't want to go down that road again!
Zack's IEP went great on Tuesday, and his family is very pleased with everything. It was nice to hear encouraging words from his parents and grandparents and the vision team about the environment in my classroom for Zack. I am really glad I have learned as much as I have about interacting with students who are blind as I think it has helped me to adapt much better to Zack. I took a quick look at the website, and I'm really excited to look at it. The book list is a great idea--I may go to the library this weekend and see what I can find to help the class continue to learn and respect and build friendships with Zack. Maybe if it snows I can play on it during the day. . .we'll see!!

Day 48

So Zack was with me for all of literacy today, and he did great as far as paying attention, sitting appropriately and interacting with the class. I've noticed he has a habit of echoing or copying other kids and even me. . .his teacher is great at re-directing him to help him understand the question or assignment. Hmm. . .so a situation came up that made me thankful I haven't made the blog public. Zack is working with a different classroom teacher (along with his vision teacher) during the afternoon literacy block (I was teaching it until last week), and things aren't going so smoothly. There are some management issues in the other classroom that are causing some big distractions for Zack and are negatively impacting his learning. His step-mom came in to watch today (she comes a few times a month) and observed during the literacy block with the other teacher, and she was not happy. She and the vision teacher described the problem to me, and I am feeling very much in the middle. As his classroom teacher, the parent liaison and the other teacher's teammate who wants her to succeed, it is my job to pass this information along so she can correct or improve the situation. (I'm assuming it's my job--I would want someone to do it for me rather than go over my head). I'm especially concerned about what will happen if things don't change after she is made aware of the concerns. . .what then? Who presents the concerns to our administration so the teacher can get some guidance and/or coaching and help? I am VERY uncomfortable in this position! Hopefully I'm making too much out of it. . .but then the vision team and parents are upset and concerned. . .this is completely new territory for me and something I did NOT expect with having Zack in my class. . .we'll see! Maybe it will all come out in his IEP meeting tomorrow and I will be off the hook. . .

Day 47

Zack is continuing his impressive independence. . .he is shining when we give him the opportunity! I agree, though--it's rare that we give him a chance to show us his independence. We have his IEP on Tuesday this week, and I'm curious as to what his goals are. He had mastered 19 of 26 braille letters at his first parent conference, and he was at 21 of 26 by the next conference only 4 days later. He's learning how to use his fingers independently on the braille machine, and I'm amazed at listening to him read. I'm noticing that if I don't sit down to blog before I go to bed, I'm not remembering the things I noticed at school that day. Life has been busy lately, and my observations (which I'm sure were valid and would have led me to additional thoughts and questions) are gone from my memory. . .there's a lesson for a teacher-researcher--don't rely on your memory! Maybe I can make short little notes during the day and then add them to the blog. . .I don't have access to the blog at school, so that doesn't help. I will chalk the last few days up to learning a lesson the hard way and start fresh this week.

Day 45

Zack made some huge gains today, and I'm really proud of his independence. He came in with the class from music, and he was the boys' line leader. He and the girls' line leader held hands, so she was his sighted guide. It'll be like that all week, so I'll have to see if it continues working well. Anyway, the teacher who goes with him to specials usually goes to get the vision teacher who is with us the majority of the time. Sometimes Zack goes with her, and sometimes he stays with us. When he is sitting at the carpet with the rest of the class but without his teacher, he tends to be disruptive. He reaches all around him and knocks over things he finds, and he asks questions incessantly about where the teacher is and what's happening. Today was different, though--he sat appropriately with his head up and listened to the math lesson! He counted with us (I modified everything to be very auditory) and didn't ask once about the whereabouts of his vision teacher. I really praised his independence AND the independence of the class and their listening skills, and I told the vision teacher in front of Zack how impressed I was with his behavior. Hopefully strides like this will continue to happen--he has the potential to fit perfectly in with this group of kids and be very socially appropriate.

Day 44

So I learned tons about Zack at his conference when I heard from the lead vision teacher, the speech therapist and the physical therapist--it was great! So according to the lead teacher, Zack's interaction in class and his ability to sit and listen and follow directions have improved greatly since kindergarten. She mentioned some of the ways I have worked to include him (calling on him with the same frequency as the other kids, mentioning his name occasionally to cue him back to our class discussion), and I was thrilled to hear that positive feedback.
The speech therapist's report was probably the most interesting to me. She has been working with Zack on staying on a particular topic to carry on a conversation. As she said this, I realized that he does have much more trouble than a typical six-year-old when it comes to staying on a topic. Also, she said that she is having to really work to get him to stop asking so many questions (apparently appropriate questioning is a skill he worked on last year) because he is only asking questions instead of answering them or having a normal conversation. It was like a light turned on for me when she said that as Zack is incredibly curious and always asks questions to the point where it's more than you're typical child. We all discussed his fascination with adults, and once again, this was something I hadn't identified yet. It's true, though--Zack is much more interested in talking and interacting with adults than his peers. Is this because he always has an adult with him? Where is this coming from?
Next, the speech therapist talked about helping Zack to understand his prepositions by having him place an object around on a tray (or table or something). She thought he was having some trouble with them, but the vision teacher thinks he may be acting up when he's not performing for the speech therapist. Also, she thinks he may have some confusion with his pronouns. He'll occasionally say something about "you doing something" when we think he is trying to say "I am doing something." He does it when he talks about blowing his nose and will sometimes say "you need to blow your nose" when we think he means to say "you need to help me blow my nose" or "I need to blow my nose."
The physical therapist talked about her struggle and creativity in teaching Zack how to run naturally with opposite arm and leg movements. She said she'll occasionally carry him (all 30 pounds of him, I'm sure!) and run with him so he can feel the motion. How cool is that?! I am curious to hear more about what she's doing.
I have another conference with his father and step-mom/girlfriend tomorrow, so I'm excited to hear what other cool things I am going to find out about Zack's education.

Day 43

So Zack was too cute today. . .he loves to carry on conversations, and when I was talking with him at the end of the day, he wanted to know what I was doing after school. He is an amazing conversationalist, by the way--very articulate and friendly. I told him I was going home, and he asked if he could come to my house. :) He makes me smile! As I think about this, it might be a little immature for a six-year-old, but he is also somewhat of a clown. Hmm. . .I'll have to watch more of our interactions to see how he compares socially to his classmates. I only had him for a bit today, but he did join us at the end of literacy (and during math and writing as always). He came in as we were discussing our predictions from a story, and our class filled him in on the story so he could join the discussion. His questions about the story were right on target--he definitely has a sharp mind!
We had an interesting interaction with the class today. One boy in my class today was sitting at the carpet when Zack came over to join us as we were all getting ready to start a math lesson. His vision teacher stepped back to get something, and the child said, "Zack, sit." I immediately told him not to be bossy and to apologize (the child is known for being bossy) and reminded him he was not Zack's teacher. I hope I explained to the child how to treat him in the future and why his command was inappropriate. First graders. . .it's always something!
I have a meeting with the vision teachers in the morning to go over Zack's report card before conferences, and then I have a conference with one of his parents on Thursday and the other on Tuesday. I haven't had much interaction with the mother, a little with the father, and quite a bit with the step mother. We'll see how it goes. . .family dynamics are always interesting in conferences! Because of conferences, though, I won't have my kids again until Monday. . .

Day 42

Short and sweet today! Zack was back at school, but he's still really stuffy and had an ear ache today. I hope he can keep healthy! He sometimes has a harder time working when he doesn't feel good, but what six or seven-year-old doesn't?! He actually brailled a few CVC words on his own and read them today. His vision teacher was so excited I had to come see the commotion, and he read me the words he had just brailled. Apparently the vision teachers have been working on getting him to use his fingers in different combinations (the brailler he has has three keys for each hand, and he pushes one or a combination of several to make each letter), and he did it on his own. I came over to have him read to me, and he asked me, "Are you blind with me?" I think maybe he was asking me if I could read braille. . .it was sweet. I said, "No, Zack, I'm not, but I wish I could understand braille like you can!" I made a point to call on him during the high-frequency word section of our reading this afternoon, and I asked the vision teacher and Zack to pick out the word. He did just fine on it, and the teacher and I talked for a bit at the end of the day. She was very encouraging about how I am including him just like the other kids, and it was great to hear that feedback. I've really been working on thinking about the things I'm reading in the textbook (not talking over his head, expecting the same from him, not making him feel like he's being treated like a baby), and those thoughts from her were just what I needed to hear.
Poor Zack had two kids crying and fighting about being his partner today, so we quickly created a list of the class (split by boys and girls) to make it fair. We'll just go down the list, and whoever is next can be his partner that day. Who would have thought he'd be our number one partner? The kids are getting even better about treating him like an equal, and I'd like to think it has something to do with my interactions with him and the modeling and explaining I've done with them. Who knows--kids are naturally smart and good with one another, so I don't want to take any credit where it's not due!

Day 41

So today was a shortened day at school, and we didn't have math thanks to a bullying presentation. I wasn't able to work with Zack on any math skills or to try out my theory on his ability to count out a quantity using a bowl or other shallow container to help him understand conservation of number and the idea of a number representing a particular quantity. I DID get to have him in my class for all of literacy, though, and apparently it happens every Monday. I missed the pattern in the midst of the daily chaos, I guess! Anyway, I am making a conscious effort to make sure I call on Zack as often as the other kids, but I know I occasionally don't call on him when we are doing our high frequency words because I know he isn't doing these with us regularly and isn't expected to know them. Should I call on him during this time, too? I call on him enough that it isn't obvious, but I know he is learning his braille letters and not focusing on "sight" words during his time (Tuesday-Friday) with the vision teacher. I'll ask the team about it. . .I don't want to treat him differently!
There is a short article in the textbook I've been referring to about a blind adult who recalls learning that he didn't ever have to do his best on assignments in school. His first grade teacher asked the class to help him be safe at recess, so he had extra playmates. His middle school teachers assigned him half of the homework as other kids, and his high school teachers gave him half the reading and often gave him ful credit for partially completed work. The author of the article says it gave him a sense of entitlement that he didn't have to perform at the level of his peers. This entitlement came back to teach him a lesson when he got his first job and tried to do less than what was expected. He said it felt good to finally earn his full paycheck (after not getting a full check due to not completing his work) when he knew he had met the expectations. This made me think about Zack, of course. Am I unknowingly lowering my expectations of his production abilities? I can't think of a particular time this has come up, but he is unable to type in braille at this point so he has different expectations during writing time. Hmm. . .I think this may be another point to ponder and to watch for over the rest of the semester. . .

Days 37 through 40

A big chunk of time has gone by since my last blog, but Zack was out sick some this week. I got to work one-on-one with him on Friday for a while and then did his report card with his lead vision teacher, so I have lots to report on. :)
On Friday, I gave Zack the math test I've been giving to the other students since school started. It's a simple counting test that involves counting 32 cubes, counting out a given quantity, adding and taking away from a group of cubes and asking questions about adding or taking away cubes. He did fine on the counting piece (he started counting by 5s when he hit 25, but the teachers assured me this was him "performing" for me and that he regularly counts to 40 correctly for them), but he struggled on counting out a particular quantity. I discussed it with the vision teacher, and we think that he needs a container to put the cubes into so that he can touch the ones he's counted. He would just keep counting when I asked him to give me a pile of 18 or 12 or 7, never noticing when he reached the number. He was putting the cubes in a deep tray, though, and I think this was impacting his idea of conservation of number. Because he wasn't able to feel the cubes he had counted, he was performing a rote counting task rather than recognizing when he had reached a given quantity. Hmm. . .that may not make sense to anyone but me! It seemed foreign to him to create a quantity, so we're going to try it again with a shallow bowl for him to put the cubes in so the task seems more concrete.
His report card was a little challenging, but I think his vision teacher and I have the kinks all worked out. It was frustrating to grade him on tasks designed for seeing children (like letter recognition or sight word recognition) because he is at a different place in his reading instruction. Apparently braille is much more challenging to learn than visual letters? That may be another chapter I want to read quickly so I can have a better grasp of why that is. Although I don't work with him during reading time at all, it would be nice to understand what she is talking about. Remembering to give all of the testing materials to the vision team has been challenging. . .I can hardly keep up with the testing I have to do! We survived, though, and all of Zack's testing is done and his report card is complete. One day at a time, right?

Day 36

So Zack was sick this weekend, and he was not his usual, bubbly self this morning. I hope he can stay healthy this week so I can keep learning from him! I realized this morning that I completely forgot to give the new homework packet to my vision teacher (the one I've had ready for over a week!). . .you'd think after almost two months I'd remember things like that!
So the latest chapter I've started reading from my vision textbook deals with the psychosocial needs of children with visual impairments, and it's just what I've been needing to see. It talks about there being a continuum of attitudes toward the student who is blind. On one end is a completely negative and depressing attitude in which those around the visually impaired student believe he or she is destined to always be missing out on life and lonely and dependent on others for everything. On the other end of the continuum is the attitude toward the visually impaired student that he or she can do anything and everything and function completely independently without recognition of any limitations. The authors of the text feel that those around the visually impaired student must find a "happy place" along the continuum in order to help the student to thrive. I've only started the chapter, but the discussion about how much those around the student can impact his or her self perception is eye-opening. Those who interact with the student every day (according to the text--Foundations of Education: History and Theory of Teaching Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, 2000, edited by Holbrook & Koenig) play a huge role in the development of his or her self concept. Every time an adult does something the student could do for himself or speaks to another person as if the student were not there has an impact on how the student will perceive himself. On the other hand, every time someone ignores the student's blindness and treats him like he faces no obstacles, the student's concept of self is falsely inflated. Those of us in Zack's life have an important line to walk in order to help him learn to be proud of himself and to be independent and confident. I am going to closely monitor my interactions with him over the next week (which I guess I have been doing already) to see if I am negatively or positively impacting his development of his self image.

Day 35

So Zack amazed me today in that he is already able to count by 10s using his abacus! Most of my kids did not know how to count by 10s, but he was really confident. I used (and made, I think) an abacus in sixth grade, but I don't remember much. Maybe math is an area I should explore more as Zack is in my class for my entire 90 minute math block every day. I think the latest schedule for our vision teachers is finally set, and I'm going to be keeping my AWESOME teacher with me. She was with him all day on Friday, and it was SO nice to have Zack back to normal. He just behaves so much more maturely with her. I think she has much higher expectations and is much stricter with him. Also, she takes care of any discipline issues and doesn't rely on me. It is a huge load off of my shoulders having her in there. She is also the most positive and energetic woman, always doing things for the class and for other staff members. Having her with me all day has just been a boost for my energy and attitude. I will miss not having a vision student next year since she won't be with me! The change was definitely a good thing a month or so ago--who would have known?! So I watched really closely this week when we went out as a class for our extra recess, and Zack ended up swinging by himself (with his teacher pushing him) for the entire 15 minutes. The other kids were preoccupied by a visit from our middle school helper who spent the first three days of the school year with us. They adore her, and she had more than half the class (if not all the class!) following her around the playground. Poor Zack was left by himself, but he seemed very content on the swings. Maybe next week I'll get to see a more normal play time as I'm curious how the kids interact with him. They are so "into" him in the classroom that I can't imagine that him swinging all alone is normal. His social development and interaction is clearly the most interesting piece to me as I'm curious to see his friendships (or lack there of) begin to form.

Days 33 and 34

So Zack got to participate in our class depiction of nickels and pennies in my math lesson yesterday, and it was fun to see him holding his nickel and showing the other kids five fingers. I think he got the concept, but the class LOVED having him participate. He's been the favorite partner the last two days now, and I think he's had at least 2 partners every day. I don't mind--the vision teacher keeps the group on track, so it's good for everyone. I had the first teacher Zack had back in with me for a while this morning, and it's interesting how differently Zack acts with both of them. Some of the noises and talking were back, and I was the primary disciplinarian when the original teacher was back. It is SO much easier for me when the discipline is not on my shoulders. It's not like I ignore anything or treat him any differently than the other children, but some of his speaking during group time is hard on me because I don't know when he is doing it to be disruptive and when he needs information. Lots of times he's asking valid questions about what is going on. . .I can't quite figure out what is so different with each teacher. Maybe it's the way he's asking questions with the other teacher (or maybe he just doesn't ask questions as often with the second teacher who is much more firm). . .no clue, but I am thankful when the discipline issues vanish. :)
I read through a chapter in the text book today about adolescent children who are blind, and there's a completely different side of the story with social situations and adjustment. I don't think I ever noticed just how much of our communication is non-verbal--you can read volumes into a social situation just by watching the body language! Zack's step mom came in to work in my classroom today, and I really like her. Zack adores her and responds well to her, and it's always nice to have some help. I just hope the conferences go well in a few weeks. I am completely uncomfortable discussing Zack's academic progress because I work so little with him during the day. The vision teachers will be the leaders in the conference for sure. I'm guessing the parents are expecting this? They speak with his vision teachers each day instead of me (they do acknowledge me and are friendly, of course--they have been great), so they clearly have much more communication with them. We'll see how that goes!

Day 32

Okay, I'm a little time-crunched tonight, but I have been reading in History and Theory of Teaching Children and Youths with Visual Impairments (2000), edited by M. Cay Holbrook and Alan J. Koenig, and I'm really struggling with feelings of sorrow and distress concerning Zack. The following list is a shortened version of pages 128-129 describing how developing, seeing children use vision: to give a reason for moving, to provide continuous contact with the environment, to give an estimation of space, to stimulate coordination and control, to refine movement patterns, to participate in others' movement, to facilitate body image and perception, to provide consistent and verifible information, to stimulate exploration of the environment and to provide an incentive for tactile exploration and finally to help with concept development. What a list!! Vision seems like a crucial piece for children to develop. . .but yet Zack is healthy just like many other children who are blind. . .so how does he do it? I've been processing all of this today, and I'm struggling to not see this list as a list of what Zack can't do but a list of what seeing children CAN do. If I am going to be able to help him, I need to respect his abilities, his intelligence and his capabilities. I don't want to be guilty of sheltering or babying him or taking his abilities from him because I am so caught up in the fact that he can't see. . .but I'm really struggling. . .hopefully I can continue to read and learn from the text and from Zack and his team so I can be effective in his development. . .

Days 30 and 31

So Zack was so cute today. . .we were doing our sight words in literacy (he stayed with me the whole literacy block today for the first time in a while), and he knew the word "they" before all of the other kids! His letter recognition is still slow, so for him to be able to put the four letters together and know the word from memory was great. His vision teacher was thrilled! We did "choose someone you've never been with before" partners in math today, and one little boy who hasn't seemed to notice Zack couldn't wait to be his partner. There was even a small argument over who asked Zack first. . .the kids really love him. He is assigned to be one of two lunch tub carriers this week, and the other child who is carrying the tub with him seems to be bonding with Zack, too. I was really hesitant to give him that type of a classroom job, but I am fighting my instincts and trying to treat him just like everyone else. I've noticed him "parroting" or echoing my words and the kids' words during a story or when we're doing our discussion in reading. . .is this part of a developmental thing or just his response to his environment? I'm going to have to start doing some additional reading and research to be able to generate enough info for the blog as I'm finding I'm not working with him enough to have new information to share every day. One article that was referenced in my visually impaired education text book relating to the developmental delays in blind children was really interesting. I'd like to dig in deeper to this and start to watch Zack in comparison with the other kids. I think it will give me more food for thought. . .

Day 29

Just a quick thought or two before I go to bed and get to enjoy a Friday in first grade. . .blindness is portrayed in the entertainment world and in society in so many different ways. . .what are my personal thoughts on blindness and what it entails? I want to think about this over the next few days and lay out my perceptions. How am I treating Zack in comparison to my other students because of these perceptions and notions? A statistic I read in a textbook on education for the visually impaired: non-impaired adults who were surveyed about their perceptions and personal fears related to becoming disabled were most afraid of becoming blind. Interesting, isn't it? More tomorrow. . .

Day 28

Another day, lots of growth for Zack! He had his vision teacher in amazement this afternoon at the words he read to her. . .I'm supposed to get to hear them in the morning. . .I'm excited! So today we were talking about fantasy and reality in literacy, and Zack seemed to be having a hard time with it. Maybe I just didn't hear the conversation correctly (quite possible), but I had the thought. . .how much of our reality is constructed from seeing? Do six-year-olds know that animals can't talk simply because they have seen lots of animals and know they can't talk? How does Zack construct his reality? How does he know that animals don't talk besides hearing it from others? He hasn't ever seen an animal, so how does he distinguish reality from fantasy? I'm totally baffled by this. . .I guess it ties back to the basics of how we construct knowledge. As a seeing person, I can't begin to wrap my brain around this because so much of my personal knowledge has come from what I have seen. I want to visit with the vision team about this as it's a completely new venue for me. How do you teach a child who hasn't ever seen the world what reality is? Too deep. . .enough for tonight! I didn't think my quest to document inclusion would cross over into philosophy. . . :)

Day 27

So Zack was so cute today. . .he LOVES playing games in math, and he just giggles and gets so excited when he wins. He is so much fun to watch! So I thought this was interesting--when we play "Top It," (a battle-type game where the kids flip over number cards and the highest one wins), he listens for the biggest number. It never occurred to me that he could simply think about which number is higher. . .it's a simple idea, isn't it? The vision team thinks of everything! The new table arrangements seemed to go fine. We weren't at our desks much today, though, so I'll have to see how Zack's new table mates are responding to him. When we did our partner time for math games, I let the kids choose any partner, and, of course, Zack had two girls who couldn't wait to be his partner. I guess an occasional day of girls is okay. . .I just want to do my best to help him make friends. So I'm curious. . .sometimes when I ask Zack a question, he seems to be confused by what I'm asking. For example, we were doing rhyming words today, and I asked the kids for words that rhyme with "hen." I heard Zack tell his vision teacher "men," and I called on him a minute or two later to share. He kept telling me the word I was giving him--"hen." I know he's very bright, so is this just an attention tactic, or am I confusing him in the way I'm asking him questions? I need to discuss this with his team as I've noticed it happening often. Maybe the attention de-rails his thoughts? Anyway, just a thought I'd like to look into. . .

Day 26

So this Friday was pretty uneventful (thank goodness!) with Zack. He's got a couple more boys in the class who are noticing him, and I'm curious to see how the new seating arrangement works. The vision teacher and I decided to leave Zack's desk where it is since he has learned how to track his way to it, but he'll have new table mates which include two boys he hasn't spent much time with. I decided to go against my long-standing belief that a random assignment of table groups will be a disaster, and I let the kids draw a color for which table they will be sitting at next. We'll see. . .I tried it once at the end of the year last year, and I was amazed at how well it worked! I am putting my faith in probability and my knowledge of who can't sit next to who at the table (they just choose the table, not the position at the table), so we'll see. I got to watch the kids with Zack a little on Friday, but we only had 5 minutes or so to play. All of the swings were occupied by the time we made it outside, so my observation time didn't go as I had hoped. I am going to have to make a note to get outside this week to see how the kids interact and play with Zack in a more natural environment.

Day 25

So I completely forgot to go out and check on Zack at recess today. . .not sure what I was thinking! Anyway, we had a good day. Zack correctly read the word "for" in literacy on his first try, and he's making huge progress in his letter recognition. It was a little funny today--his vision teacher got up to get a few materials, and he does NOT like to be left alone. He started talking and asking repeatedly where she was, and he didn't want to listen to the story until she was back. I guess she's a comfort to him? Not sure. . .but I could tell he wasn't happy! Maybe the vision team can give me some pointers on how to help him when that happens. He is going to have to learn to be a part of the group for a few minutes without someone sitting right beside him, and I'd think there are a few things I could do to help him adjust. This was simply sitting for a story--don't worry--he's not alone when there's chaos!
So I taught details in pictures in literacy today, and I felt really guilty asking the kids about how it would feel to read a story without pictures when I realized that is exactly Zack's life. Am I making his blindness a negative by talking about what he can't do instead of what he can do? Hmm. . .how do you approach something like details in a picture without making him feel inferior? I have a lot to learn about inclusion and working with special needs children. . .more tomorrow when I will for sure be going outside for an extra recess with the kids!

Day 24

So today the boys really caught on with Zack, and I'm thrilled. He had several boys who wanted to be his partner at math (I did same-sex partners again--the kids like it just as much that way), and they were so cute. . .one of the boys yelled out, "Zack needs to blow his nose!" The vision teacher was across the room gathering the math materials, so I told them to get him a tissue but NOT do it for him. It was funny to watch--one of the boys tried to help, and I told him not to unless Zack asked. I think it turned out fine, but it was definitely not a typical first grade interaction!
I attempted to read braille (one word during literacy with Zack), and he was excited to have me interacting so closely with him. I have NO clue how his fingertips are so sensitive. . .it all feels the same to me!
I visited with the vision teacher this morning about my excitement that the boys were finally making friends with Zack, and she said that recess is amazing. She said my entire class (with the exception of one student with some learning disabilities who is hesitant to interact with special needs children--I think he's afraid of being identified with them because of his own needs) LOVES to play with Zack at recess. She said they always save him a swing and take turns pushing him every day. I'm going to try to not work through lunch tomorrow or Friday and get out to go watch. At least the weather is great this time of year and I won't need my snow boots!

Days 22 and 23

So, Zack had a really good day today, and he bonded with a new boy in the class. I remembered to do the same-sex partners today in math, and a boy who sits across the room went over to be Zack's partner. The vision teacher showed him how to put Zack's hand on the desks so he could feel his way around the classroom, and the boy took right to it and walked Zack to the carpet. Later in the day, when the vision teacher was putting away the literacy materials and getting ready for writing, Zack wondered over to where the kids were sitting at the carpet. The boy who had him as partner earlier jumped up and helped him, and he treated him like an equal and simply helped him find his spot. It was great! I really praised the other student for treating Zack just like everyone else, and it was awesome to see him getting help in an age-appropriate form. I've been so worried that he'll be treated like a baby, and the girls tend to be too motherly. Hopefully I'm helping Zack form some new friendships. . .we'll see!
In literacy time, I use a ball to throw to the kids when we do individual turns. I have a beach ball for the morning and a squishy ball for the afternoon, and Zack LOVES to catch it. I've bounced it off of his forehead a time or two, and it's so funny to see him giggle and laugh. He has a wonderful, bubbly personality. Literacy has been a great time for him to shine with his braille. He is perfect at phoneme blending, and I think it will help him as he progresses in his reading abilities.
I am going to be switching the kids' tables at the end of the week, and I'm a little hesitant about what to do with Zack. Should I leave him so he knows where his desk is? I guess the vision team will guide me. . .I don't want to upset his system, and one thing he works hard on is knowing how to get from his desk to the door and vice versa.
Hmm. . .not sure if I can think of much more at the moment. . .I am so excited about Zack's new friendship I can't think of anything else! :)

Day 21

Okay, I am still trying to blog daily and keep it short. . .I think I like it better as it doesn't seem as big of a task to write a few short paragraphs about one day. So Zack and I had an incredible week. His behavior is amazing me--the noises and arguments about needing to go to the bathroom are a thing of the past! My sweet vision teacher who is in there with me all day planned a treat for our class for our birthday, and it was fun to celebrate with the kids. She also had the kids make me cards when I was out with the sub--I'm actually really enjoying having another adult with me throughout the day. Oh--I almost forgot--she also is helping me with some of the one-on-one testing I have to do with my kids. It's SO nice to get through the tests twice as fast!
Zack's schedule has been adjusted, and he is doing his skill work (his vision-specific training) in the mornings and then getting our literacy time when we do the re-teach piece in the afternoon. I like it much better as I feel like he is getting more of the math program. I have total faith in the vision team's scheduling, though, so however it works out, I know he will be getting what he needs. I remembered this week to get the homework to the vision teachers early enough for it to be modified, and I finally remembered to send two folders home with Zack as his parents like to each have their own information from school. I think I am finally getting the hang of things!
When the kids got to choose their own partners for math game time on Friday, there was a pile of girls around Zack. . .I think when I switch up the kids' seating assignments in a week, I am going to put him with mostly boys. I want him to have friends. . .how much can I do? I may need to get creative and think of some situations that would be good for some of the boys to interact with Zack.

Day 20

Okay, another short and sweet day! Apparently there are symbols in braille for the letters "st" and more. . .the vision teachers gave me a quick lesson this morning, and I think I am only learning the tip of the iceberg. Zack is going to be getting his own literacy program specially designed for blind children during our literacy time, and then he'll be getting our literacy program in the afternoon. I think it will be great for his amazing brain to have so much exposure to print and text, and I can't wait to see what all he learns.
So in an attempt to discover why the girls are drawn to Zack more than the boys, I purposely made the kids pick same-sex partners today. The boy who sits next to him wanted to be his partner, and they seemed to get along just fine. I talked with the vision teachers about the girls being more drawn to Zack, and we all agree that girls are just naturally more nurturing and want to be motherly with him. I want him to have friends, though, and not just be mothered all the time, so I'm going to do my best to have him interact with the boys as much as possible.
As I mentioned at the end of yesterday's post, Zack has two jobs in our classroom this week. The vision team made me feel good about this decision to make him just like the other kids because I questioned whether or not I'd assign him the same jobs. They said Zack's family wants him to fit in as much as possible, and I feel the same way. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when the vision team agreed with my thoughts--I was a little nervous about placing more on his shoulders than he was capable of doing.
Zack LOVES to be talked to, and I'm trying to make time every day to have a little conversation with him. When I was chatting with him at the end of the day, he was totally mesmerized by my watch. He wanted to know what the buckle was and then what a buckle was, and I took it off and let him feel it. Half way through my teacher-ly explanation, though, he was rubbing my arm and wanted to know what my cardigan was. I think his brain moves faster than mine! It will be interesting to see how my relationship with him develops throughout the year since I am not the primary one to interact with him like I am with the other kids. I just want for him to feel special just like I want every child in my room to feel special. We'll see. . .I'm so glad I'm getting to have this experience!

Day 19. . .first try at writing less

Okay, so my goal tonight is to quickly reflect on the day. I am pleasantly surprised at how smoothly my second day with Zack's new team members has gone. Working with positive, hard-working people like I have all year (it was smooth at the beginning, too--they are all wonderful) makes everything a breeze! So I learned more about braille this morning than I've learned all year. Apparently, there are now different "levels" of braille. "First grade" braille leaves words like "what" or "this" with consonant digraphs (pairs of consonants) spelled just like in English with one symbol per letter. Apparently, "second grade" braille combines the two letters in a consonant digraph (like the w and h) into one symbol. . .interesting, isn't it?! I need to dig in and start doing some research as to why it is taught separately. Also, each number is really a letter with a "number" braille mark before it. . .so a one and an "a" (maybe an a. . .I don't know!) are brailled the same except for an identifying initial mark. The vision team tells me how quickly Zack is learning these braille symbols, and they are amazed by his retention and memory. I wish I knew more so I could watch him learn. . .I guess that should be my mission!
I watched Zack interact with the kids today, and a different child (a girl again) chose him for a partner today. I'm curious now--are the girls more drawn to him, or is it just that I have more girls in my class and notice them more? Zack's behavior has been super these past few days. I haven't had to argue with him about bathroom breaks, and he's not making the disruptive sounds during class that he did in the beginning. I'm trying to really praise that behavior when I see it so it will hopefully become the norm.
Okay, in order to stick to my promise of keeping it short and sweet, I am going to close out. I think it will be easier for me to write a little every day rather than a mini novel every few days. :)
PS One last thought. . .I have Zack doing regular classroom jobs just like the other kids. He is the calendar helper and the caddy leader (in charge of moving the table's supply caddy to and from the table throughout the day) this week. It has been fun to see him be such a seamless part of our classroom community!

After a long break. . .day 18!

So, being out with H1N1 doesn't lend itself well to observing a student. . .at least I'm supposedly immune to it now! The substitute just LOVED Zack. . .he's hard not to love! He's very affectionate and frequently tells people he loves them--he's quite the charmer! She talked about how much he enjoyed the free exploration with the math manipulatives, particularly the cubes, and I am really disappointed I missed it. I will have to watch his interactions during our math exploration time this next week to see what she's talking about.
So we've had a few staff/scheduling changes with Zack and who's in my room with him, and it has gone surprisingly smoothly. I'm so thankful that my personality fits well with all of the vision team members. They are always willing to help me out (like passing out napkins for a surprise snack and jumping in when I need a hand), and they are so flexible. With being out all of last week, I didn't have any plans done for this week. They have had our literacy program (two hours every morning, 45 minutes in the afternoon) brailled since last spring, so I guess the most important piece of our planning is done already. Math is pretty simple to modify since Zack is being taught to use an abacus, and it seems to work okay "off the cuff." During writing time, anything I have planned is just transferred for Zack to do on his braille machine rather than on paper. Hmm. . .that's pretty much our entire day. . .maybe I don't have to be as planned as I thought!
I let the kids pick a partner for a math game after lunch today, and one of the sweet girls in our class who hadn't been "intrigued" with Zack (I have a few kids who just love to sit with him and be his partner) went over and asked to be his partner. He seems to be building relationships with lots of the kids, and I didn't notice today that he was much different from the other kids. He had the help of his vision teacher during the game, of course, but he seemed to be interacting with the little girl pretty well.
We have moved Zack to be more in the middle of the group during carpet time rather than at the back, and I think it is helping on several fronts. First of all, the kids don't forget about him because they can see him and can identify him as part of our group. Next, I think he feels more involved and is having an easier time of focusing because he is closer to my voice. I also think it helps me to include him when I can see him better. I wish we had done it earlier in the year!
I am going to try blogging every day for a little less time. . .I think my posts are getting a little too long! We'll see. . .this is a new adventure. . .

Days 9 and 10

Wow. . .10 whole days of first grade have passed! Zack has taught me volumes in the past few days, and I can't believe how much I didn't know about the blind. I learned as I've been teaching my students about capital letters that it is possible to make a capital in braille. . .who knew?! Zack has already learned to distinguish the little symbol next to the letter that indicates it's a capital, and his vision teacher made him a small homework assignment to circle the capital letters in the beginning of words. The vision team is AMAZING at modifying things quickly so Zack can meet the objectives of my lessons. . .I hope I am getting more efficient at sharing my copies and lesson plans and ideas with them so they feel prepared! I am planning to meet with Zack's primary vision teacher tomorrow to go over next week's lesson plans. . .yes, it's true, I'll be a full week and one day ahead of schedule! I am finding, though, that organization is the secret to making this a smooth year for Zack, the vision team and myself. We all work better when we know where we're going!
So I completely forgot and sent Zack homework last week that was not appropriate for his abilities, and I felt terrible when his stepmother pointed it out. I simply put the same page in all of the kids' mailboxes, and it was a cut out and glue activity without any braille--visuals only. Quite an obvious challenge for a blind student! Zack's stepmother was really understanding, and I asked her to please use her judgment and disregard any future assignments that are clearly not appropriate. I tried to assure her that I would stand behind her decision on an assignment if she didn't think it was something he could do. I also told her that it was likely I would do it again. . .Friday mailbox stuffing is not usually my best activity! I think she could see why I goofed up, too--when she came in, my desk was covered in weeds ("flowers" from my kids), I had five kids waiting and tapping me for who knows what reason, and I was still wearing my sparkly antenna head band (with springs and shiny silver balls) from testing the kids and "being on another planet" so they wouldn't disturb the testing. . .the life of a first-grade teacher doesn't always lend itself to remembering who doesn't get the homework! I just hope she felt my sincerity and will know that I trust her to make a call on homework I unknowingly (or possibly knowingly) send for Zack.
So I've been watching how Zack and the other kids interact, and I noticed one girl today sit beside him and attempt to move his legs so he was sitting "criss-cross applesauce" style. I asked her not to move him but to remind him to sit appropriately, and I'm not exactly sure why she felt like she needed to physically pick up his legs and move them. Zack is much smaller than the other kids (although the same age), and I think his size may impact how they see him. The girl moving his legs today treated him more like a doll than a peer. . .how do I go about adjusting their attitudes? I can help them to treat him like anyone else, but I can't build relationships and friendships for him. . .
We had a little incident this morning with Zack not wanting to stay in our class during literacy time. He kept making noises and talking, and he more or less refused to follow the directions of his vision teacher. He had to leave the classroom to go and have a talk with another vision teacher, but I'm not sure what was said. He came back acting much more appropriately, and I made sure to compliment him on his behavior multiple times throughout the day. I want to make sure that consequences for his behavior are effective, and it's definitely not as easy to create consequences for him as it is for other children. Being separated from the group, my most reliable consequence, is not necessarily effective for a kid like Zack who is already separated because of his blindness. . .just a thought. The vision team is AWESOME (in case I haven't said that already), and I know they can help me brainstorm consequences if necessary. Hopefully we won't have any incidents for a while, though. . .

Days 7 and 8

So I'm learning more every day about how Zack thinks and learns and about how I can improve my teaching to better meet his needs. I inspected the coloring "screen" that he puts his papers on top of before he draws or colors, and it makes the crayon lines so he can feel them after he draws. It was pretty cool to have him explain his drawings to me with his fingers. . .his mind is amazing!
We were talking about tigers today during our reading block, and I had the thought, how can he learn the names of things without seeing them? Don't seeing children see things before they learn the names? I can't imagine describing a big cat to a child simply for the purpose of teaching him the word "tiger," so how did he learn what a tiger is? Maybe I'm thinking more about how the opportunity to teach the word presented itself. . .did his family take him to the zoo and describe the animals? Most kids would encounter tigers in cartoons or in movies or in books or at the zoo and would have a need to learn the word, but this wouldn't be the case for Zack. I guess the same thing applies to so many things in our world. . .how do you "know" something without seeing it? Hmm. . .sounds like it goes back to the age old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg? :)
I've been watching how he interacts with the other children, and it seems like the kids in my class are intrigued with him. I'm not sure if they are building relationships with him, though. Do the other kids think they can be friends with Zack in the same way they can be friends with the seeing children? I know with the deaf boys I had last year, the hearing kids loved to learn sign language to try to be friends with the deaf boys--they were some of the most popular kids in our class! So is it different with Zack because he can't do the things the deaf kids could do without the help of his vision teacher? This is something I want to watch more closely, and I may have to go out to lunch and recess to get a real feel for how the kids are interacting with Zack. The classroom does not always present itself to relationship building and play situations, and there are not many times when he is not right next to a vision teacher or assistant. Does the presence of an adult impact how my kids view Zack? I need to get out and watch more to be able to figure this one out, but I think socialization is a huge part of Zack's school experience.
I had a great meeting with the vision team to go over my plans for this week on Friday after school, and it helped me to be more prepared for all of my kids. It may be challenging to find more time than once a week after school to have an extensive meeting with them, but they are great at finding flexibility in their schedules to work through any issues we're having. There haven't been many so far, but I am a little concerned about Zack missing math time for his vision work. I know it's really important for him to learn how to navigate around the school, and I think I need to see that he will get the education he needs whether or not he is in our room during math time. We also have an extended math block for exploration and centers this year, and his vision teacher and I have discussed using this time to cover any important material he missed while he is out doing his therapy. As long as he can get the material then, I'll be happy. I guess it's almost more important that Zack learn some life skills at school since it's really the only time he is with people who are trained to help the blind. He has to be able to take himself places and to learn how to hear and feel where walls are and to walk in a straight line with a cane and to use the bathroom on his own. . .maybe I need to re-examine what I see as "important" for first grade when it comes to special needs kids like Zack. . .

Days 5 and 6

So, Zack and I are on the same page and rocking along through the school year! His discipline problems are minimal, and I can't believe it. After our episode on Monday, I was afraid we were in for a hard few weeks. I'm hardly having to remind him to be quiet or about bathroom breaks, and he's fitting seamlessly in with our class. I'm having trouble staying up with the planning portion, but I think once this week is done, I will be able to keep the vision team prepared for what is coming. He's missing a huge portion of our math block, and I'm not sure why. His schedule is changing daily, though, so we'll see if he's in our room for math tomorrow and next week or not. I know the team wants him to use an abacus (is that spelled correctly?), but I would think most of our math curriculum is suitable.
We have started our literacy program, and it's working pretty well for Zack. His vision teacher has pre-made all of our visuals (letter cards, word cards) in braille for him to keep in his lap, and she guides him to follow along with the class. So, if I point to the letter g and say, "what's the sound for this letter," he's simultaneously touching a brailled g on his papers in his lap. I'm impressed at how quickly he's gaining fluency in braille. I guess that needs to be my next piece of research--how in the world does braille work? Are there words that are represented by symbols, or is each letter represented by a symbol? I'm thankful I'm not completely responsible for his reading because I have no clue how the braille system works. How many people do? :)
During writing time, Zack goes back to his braille machine in the back of the room to work with his vision teacher. He won't do any handwriting or work with a pencil, but he does color with crayons. There is this nifty textured board which the vision teachers put underneath his paper so he can color. It makes cool patterns, and it might leave somewhat of a texture. . .I should investigate this coloring contraption closer! The vision teachers are wonderful at adding braille to almost anything I give the kids. . .their flexibility and patience with me has made this whole inclusion process much easier. They have lots of clear labeling paper that they can braille in no time and stick on top of something. . .it's so nice. Like I said, with all of the prep work for getting ready for school to start, it was nearly impossible for me to be completely planned for this week. There are so many "off the cuff" activities like teaching procedures and rules that just come up naturally during the first week that it's challenging to plan for. My plans for next week are more or less complete (not very detailed yet), and I'm going to do my best to meet with Zack's team to go over everything tomorrow.
While I'm teaching and observing my kids, I'm going to try to start to watch how Zack's blindness is hindering or helping his efforts to make friends. Having an adult by your side all day can make it challenging, I'm sure. I'll see what I can decipher. . .stay tuned!

Days 3 and 4

Well, I wish I could say it has been an uneventful two days, but Zack and I are getting to know each other much better in these first days of school. We had a really hard time on Monday morning when Zack insisted he had to leave the class to go to the bathroom after he had taken a break only 20 minutes earlier. I reminded him that the whole class would take a break in just a minute and that he needed to wait quietly, and it didn't work. Apparently, he had quite a bit of freedom in when he could leave to use the bathroom when he was in kindergarten, and he wasn't happy with me when I wouldn't let him go. After a lost privilege and lots of tears and some inappropriate behavior, we survived. Zack and I didn't have any issues again the rest of the day, and he even earned back his lost privilege from the morning. I was prepared for round two this morning, but I did my best to prevent the situation by reminding him about our class bathroom break and how he'd only be allowed to leave once. It worked! I don't know if it was the fact that I stuck by my plan on Monday or the multitude of reminders and praise for appropriate behavior I gave, but we didn't have any defiance today! It was a huge relief.
I hope that we can stay on the same page throughout the rest of the year, but I can only imagine that he has been able to do things a little differently because of his blindness and may have a hard time when I don't allow that. The vision team has been supportive and encouraging, and they want him to be treated just as any other student. I am so grateful to have their help. . .they will make it a good year for Zack and me both! I'm just beginning to learn about how he will learn to read and to count. . .stay tuned for more information!
PS One interesting fact: the symbol for x in braille is the same as the word "it." Who knew?

Day 2

So, day 2 in first grade with Zack was much easier than day 1. I think I knew a little more of what to expect, and it was much less chaotic. I had to do less reminding of appropriate behaviors with him today, so hopefully my tough stance on the first day is paying off. I can understand his desire to be a class clown, though. It's easier to be different when you're funny! I'm noticing how Zack is always using his hands to explore his surroundings, and it's fascinating. We did show and tell bags on Friday, and after his teacher put an object in his hands, he would wrap his hands around it and feel the shape and texture. I can't imagine identifying things by touch. . .are his fingers and palms more sensitive than those of seeing children? He has braille on his nametag (the nametags all of the kids are still wearing since we're still learning who they are), and he'll rub on it constantly while we're sitting at the carpet. I guess if you only have auditory stimulation to keep you focused, it's helpful to add in other senses.
I'm also noticing that when I talk to him, I feel like I need to hold on to his hand so he knows where I'm standing in relation to him. When I reach out to his hand, he almost always feels my wrist and my forearm. Does he use this to help "identify" me? Do my rings and my watch help him know who I am? What about my perfume and shampoo and scents? I'm fascinated by the mental processes he uses to know who is who. Does he create mental images, and if he does, how do they compare to reality?
The kids were great with him again on Friday, and I only noticed two areas that need addressing. One is partially my fault--when Zack left to go work with his vision teacher, I told him good-bye, and the entire class chimed in to say good-bye. It was sweet, but we need to address that. He will be coming in and out often, and it's not really okay for us to disrupt our learning for this. We wouldn't do it for a child going to the bathroom or nurse, so I don't think it's appropriate for every time Zack leaves, either. Also, I noticed some of the kids trying to support him when he was walking through a maze of seated kids at the carpet. I know they meant well, but I want to make sure they don't baby him or make him feel like he is not capable of doing something this simple on his own. We'll see. . .we're off to a great start, though. The vision teams' personalities have all meshed really well with mine so far, and I think it's going to be a perfect fit in the classroom. I hope they feel the same!
One more thought before I close out. . .I had an overwhelming feeling of sadness on Friday when I thought about Zack using his sense of touch and smell to know who I am. Maybe some of it was the exhaustion of the first week of school bringing out my emotions, but I was in tears at the thought of what all he is missing. He has no way to know what he looks like or what I look like or what the color red looks like or what the sky looks like. . .I know I can't let myself feel sorry for him and that I need to focus on what he does have rather than what he doesn't have, but wow. . .I didn't expect that. I guess I'll just have to work through it as I learn more about him and how to teach him.

Day 1

So my first official day as Zack's teacher is over, and it was such a huge learning experience. When I met him this morning, I put my hand on his shoulder and introduced myself and welcomed him in. Poor little guy--if he hadn't had his paraprofessional with him, he would have been completely lost in the chaos. I wonder what it's like for him. . .all of the sounds of new students and their parents, the announcements going on in the background, and he can't see any of it. Once everyone was settled, we went on a tour of the school to learn about the proper behavior in certain areas. He likes to talk to his para (who wouldn't--he has someone with him all day), and I had to ask him to be quiet a few more times than the other kids. He is very respectful, though, and always responds to my redirections by correcting his behavior.
The other children were a little unsure of him at the beginning of the day, but after we returned from the tour to hear a story and play a name game, they were warming up to him. As we were reading the story, I started thinking about how much he was missing without the pictures. I'd try to describe every page to the whole class for his benefit, pointing out details and important pieces. I didn't know what else to do--I need to talk to his team to find out what they think about this. When we played the name game (the kids introduced themselves after a rhyme), I ran into a problem when I would point to a child we had already heard from and ask, "Who is this?" There was no way for him to know what I was doing, but his para would whisper in his ear where I was pointing. I tried to have them say "hello" before we said their name so he could have another chance to connect names to voices, but it was hard for the kids to understand what I was asking them to do. I gave up on it about half-way through as the kids starting getting antsy.
When we had our group discussion about the rules, I tried to repeatedly mention his name and include him. His team told me the more I could include him in the discussion the better, but I didn't want to include him significantly more than the other children. I was much more aware of trying to say every child's name at some point in the discussion to help them to stay engaged, and I think my work with Zack may help me to become more aware of my students' participation in discussions.
I became a little frustrated with myself today when I realized how often I tell my students to look at me or to put their eyes on me or to look over at something. I rely heavily on visual cues, and I am going to have to be proactive in order to correct this. I tried to say "point your body toward me" or "turn toward me" and to give exact locations instead of saying "over there" and pointing. We'll see. . .it will definitely be a learning process!
The adults in my classroom today were phenomenal, and it couldn't have gone better. Our previous meetings in which we discussed my role in Zack's discipline (I am to be the primary disciplinarian) and how important it is for me to treat him just like the other kids was really helpful. The vision team was so sweet and encouraging, and I think we will work well together. Their suggestions for adding braille to a few additional things around the room were great, and I'm anxious to meet with them to debrief about what I can work on.
The kids warmed up to Zack in the afternoon today when we were choosing the name for our time out / refocus area. He (possibly being a little bit clownish--he tends to like to get a laugh) suggested the name "The Egg," and the kids voted for his name by an overwhelming majority. I think they were excited for him that his name was the winner, and they seemed much more eager to sit with him at the carpet. I need to talk to the vision team about what to teach the kids when they interact with them. I told them today that they needed to tell him who they were when they sat next to him or came up and sat behind him so they wouldn't startle him if he didn't know they were there. They seemed to take to the idea just fine (and to understand the purpose of saying, "Hi Zack, my name is ____, and I'm sitting behind you." We'll see. . .I have so much to learn!

T Minus 34 Hours. . .

The countdown has begun. . .I will officially be the homeroom teacher for a blind first-grader, Zack, in about 34 hours. I was beginning to feel like I was almost ready for the kids to arrive, and then I met with the vision team today. . .there is SO much I don't know! The biggest shock was remembering that everything I will be giving the kids needs to be brailled for Zack. . .I am going to have to be really prepared and on top of my game to keep everyone feeling organized and life running smoothly in room 5. I think it will be a huge learning experience to always be planned for an entire week ahead. . .talk about organized and on-top of things. . .I might really love this extra pressure! We'll see. . .I'm realizing how visual my teaching is and how so many of my activities involve coloring and drawing. I am thankful, though, that Zack and I will be able to communicate. I have taught deaf students in the past, and my sign language is horribly limited. It was frustrating for both the students and me to have that barrier between us, so I am thankful that Zack will be able to communicate with me. I'll have to be aware of my body language and my eye contact and realize he doesn't have those pieces to connect to my words. I better get some sleep. . .I have lots to do tomorrow to get ready for all of my students, blind and seeing!