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!