Reflection:
This week we finished up our family project presentations and graded them, and then on Friday we talked about professionalism. We had an article and a video clip to watch on professionalism and what it means. As teachers we aren't always seen as being professionals but we most definitely are. We, need to be professional in the way we look, talk, and act because we deal with families and people in the community. As I was reading and watching the material before class, I remember a quote that I really liked. It said, "Professionalism can be seen even in just a smile." The guy on the video clip said that a smile is one way he is professional every day.
Another thing I liked that the article talked about was how our character plays a big part in how professional we act. When we have good character and a good attitude, then we have a better chance at remaining professional. One of the girls in class talked about being professional all the time, not just when we are on the clock and we then proceeded to have a good class discussion on what it means to be professional outside the workplace. We talked about how lots of employers will get on and look up a person on social media. This is a great way to see a persons character and see how they will act even when they aren't at work. I really liked this because I don't think that many people think about that aspect of getting a job; but when we work at a place close to where we live or live in a small community, it is very likely we will see our students and clients while we are off the clock, and we need to maintain a professional attitude and character even then so that we can be a good example to the children we work with.
Weekly Quote:
"You're attitude shows in everything you do!" "Smile and the world smiles too." I couldn't just pick one quote this week, because I loved both of these and I feel like they go hand in hand with one another. We need to do all that we can to maintain a positive attitude and learn to smile. Things may not always go our way, but if we can have a positive attitude about it and learn to smile then we can work better and have a more positive experience.
HWD:
This week I focused my study on family relationships of families who have a child with a disability on ways that we can help these families and strengthen the relationships within the family. The website I found gives a list of strategies that we can use to help these families have better relationships. It talks about us having an understanding of the family and the relationships within the family. They talk about being positive and having helpful resources and reasoning behind what we say and suggest. I really liked this article because as we get into the work force, we can know different ways to help families and strengthen stressful and weak family relationships.
Source: http://www.tats.ucf.edu/docs/eupdates/FamilyInvolvement-8.pdf
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Reflection Week 9
Reflection:
This week in class we worked on our family projects. As we were finishing up with this project and getting all of our loose ends tied up, we were able to get a really good perspective on what these families go through and how much really does go into helping these families. Sometimes it was really hard to find what we needed to help the family and there were so many different considerations and things to go over. One thing that really stood out to me this week is how much things can change. My family and group had a baby who actually ended up passing away before the age of 1. This was really sad and would be a hard thing to go through because this family had changed just about every aspect of their life for this baby, and then the baby didn't make it. As I got to thinking about all of this and what it has to do with me, I realized that as a teacher I will have to work with these families and know how to help them and the students I teach. Knowing the resources around us and who to contact can be a huge help to the families of my students.
As we gave our presentation and group 2 gave theirs, I thought it was really cool that we were both able to teach the class something new and something different. Each individual family is going to have different needs and different things going on, and it was really neat to see how these groups were able to help the family they had.
Weekly Quote:
"Every family and every situation is different." I think this quote is 100% true. This is important to remember because even though a family might have a child with the same disability, the children are going to react different because they aren't the same. As a future teacher, I can help each family and student by having a variety of strategies and resources to help them with their own individual needs.
HWD:
This week as I was researching more on the relationships of families with a child who has a disability I came across something that really hit me and I hadn't thought about before reading it. The website I found talked about how siblings can have negative feelings toward the child who has the disability. One of the things it talked about was how sisters of these children often feel like they have to pick up the slack because mom is busy with their sibling. I hadn't really thought of this before but it said that the daughters tend to take more care over other siblings or make meals and clean. It talked about having parents make sure that their children who don't have a disability aren't given too many responsibilities.
Source: http://gozips.uakron.edu/~susan8/specialneeds.htm
This week in class we worked on our family projects. As we were finishing up with this project and getting all of our loose ends tied up, we were able to get a really good perspective on what these families go through and how much really does go into helping these families. Sometimes it was really hard to find what we needed to help the family and there were so many different considerations and things to go over. One thing that really stood out to me this week is how much things can change. My family and group had a baby who actually ended up passing away before the age of 1. This was really sad and would be a hard thing to go through because this family had changed just about every aspect of their life for this baby, and then the baby didn't make it. As I got to thinking about all of this and what it has to do with me, I realized that as a teacher I will have to work with these families and know how to help them and the students I teach. Knowing the resources around us and who to contact can be a huge help to the families of my students.
As we gave our presentation and group 2 gave theirs, I thought it was really cool that we were both able to teach the class something new and something different. Each individual family is going to have different needs and different things going on, and it was really neat to see how these groups were able to help the family they had.
Weekly Quote:
"Every family and every situation is different." I think this quote is 100% true. This is important to remember because even though a family might have a child with the same disability, the children are going to react different because they aren't the same. As a future teacher, I can help each family and student by having a variety of strategies and resources to help them with their own individual needs.
HWD:
This week as I was researching more on the relationships of families with a child who has a disability I came across something that really hit me and I hadn't thought about before reading it. The website I found talked about how siblings can have negative feelings toward the child who has the disability. One of the things it talked about was how sisters of these children often feel like they have to pick up the slack because mom is busy with their sibling. I hadn't really thought of this before but it said that the daughters tend to take more care over other siblings or make meals and clean. It talked about having parents make sure that their children who don't have a disability aren't given too many responsibilities.
Source: http://gozips.uakron.edu/~susan8/specialneeds.htm
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Reflection Week 8
Reflection:
This week in class we talked about mental illnesses. I really found this interesting and I think we had a really good discussion on it in class. Something that really stuck out to me and my peers is how when a child is diagnosed with a mental illness, they are given a label as "emotionally disturbed." That kind of bothers me a little bit. That label sounds a little bit strong for what a mental illness is. I know lots of people who have a mental illness and I don't think that "emotionally disturbed" is the right way to say it.
One article that we read for preparation this week that really stuck out to me was the talk "Come What May and Love It." This talk teaches us that even though hard times may come and we may face things we didn't know we would have to, like working with or having kids who have a disability or mental illness, we can learn to take it in stride and love it. We are taught 4 things to do in that talk: 1-learn to laugh 2-seek for the eternal 3-the principle of compensation and 4-trust in the Father and the Son. These four things will be vital to everyone who works with or will raise a child who has a special need. If we can learn these things, then whatever comes our way we will be able to make it through and come to love it.
We also did a couple of activities this week that helped us see how we can help children learn what things they can control. I really liked this because it helped me as we did it, and it helped me see and learn how it can help the children I will be teaching in the future.
Weekly Quote:
"Lots of things that make us anxious are things that we have no control over." I really liked this quote and statement because it is so true. As I looked at the body that I had written things that made anxious I realized that most of them were things I couldn't control. This is important because in my future career I will need to help my students realize that some things are out of their control and teach them how to deal with that.
HWD:
This week as I was searching through different articles and information on my topic I came across this article and I really enjoyed it. It talks about how there are so many different variations of family relationships based off of each different kind of situation. As I was reading through it, I had a thought come to mind; each individual family is going to be different and each relationship and function of the family will be unique because everyone is different and deals with things differently. Things such as the age a child was diagnosed, the age of the parents, and many more things will affect how each individual family and family member will react.
Source: http://family.jrank.org/pages/396/Disabilities-Impact-Disabilities-on-Families.html
This week in class we talked about mental illnesses. I really found this interesting and I think we had a really good discussion on it in class. Something that really stuck out to me and my peers is how when a child is diagnosed with a mental illness, they are given a label as "emotionally disturbed." That kind of bothers me a little bit. That label sounds a little bit strong for what a mental illness is. I know lots of people who have a mental illness and I don't think that "emotionally disturbed" is the right way to say it.
One article that we read for preparation this week that really stuck out to me was the talk "Come What May and Love It." This talk teaches us that even though hard times may come and we may face things we didn't know we would have to, like working with or having kids who have a disability or mental illness, we can learn to take it in stride and love it. We are taught 4 things to do in that talk: 1-learn to laugh 2-seek for the eternal 3-the principle of compensation and 4-trust in the Father and the Son. These four things will be vital to everyone who works with or will raise a child who has a special need. If we can learn these things, then whatever comes our way we will be able to make it through and come to love it.
We also did a couple of activities this week that helped us see how we can help children learn what things they can control. I really liked this because it helped me as we did it, and it helped me see and learn how it can help the children I will be teaching in the future.
Weekly Quote:
"Lots of things that make us anxious are things that we have no control over." I really liked this quote and statement because it is so true. As I looked at the body that I had written things that made anxious I realized that most of them were things I couldn't control. This is important because in my future career I will need to help my students realize that some things are out of their control and teach them how to deal with that.
HWD:
This week as I was searching through different articles and information on my topic I came across this article and I really enjoyed it. It talks about how there are so many different variations of family relationships based off of each different kind of situation. As I was reading through it, I had a thought come to mind; each individual family is going to be different and each relationship and function of the family will be unique because everyone is different and deals with things differently. Things such as the age a child was diagnosed, the age of the parents, and many more things will affect how each individual family and family member will react.
Source: http://family.jrank.org/pages/396/Disabilities-Impact-Disabilities-on-Families.html
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Reflection Week 7
Reflection:
This week we discussed lots about relationships with families and working with parents. While I was reading through the different articles and the book this week I found it interesting to see how much the teachers and professionals need to carefully give out the information. They need to do it in a way that the parents understand. I think that the resource that helped me the most this week was the textbook. I learned a lot from reading it and also from my peers as they shared what they learned. Something that really stuck out to me was listening; and more than just listening, but actively listening. We need to do more then just nod our heads and smile as parents are talking to us. As a future educator, I also need to not just think about what I am going to say in response, but fully listen to what these parents and families are telling me.
Good communication is a huge part of working with families. If we don't have good communication with the families and parents then our relationships will remain very stiff and sometimes tense. We discussed home visits and how they are a great experience and learning opportunity to prepare us for the future. As I thought about this I was able to see how having good communication really does make a difference.
Weekly Quote:
"Jobs at home translate into expectations." This quote really stuck out to me this week because it is something we can always work on and encourage our parents to do with students. As children are given some jobs and worked with at home, they will be more willing and accepting to having expectations and following through.
HWD:
This week as I was working on this project, I was doing some research and found this website that talks about sibling issues and how siblings of children who have a disability can have feelings ranging from being bitter and upset to it being a positive and growing experience. Some siblings said that they almost felt invisible because everyone always made a big deal out of the child who has a disability while other siblings felt that they were taught so much from their sibling who had a disability. There are a range of emotions that siblings can feel and it is important for parents to talk with all their children to help them learn and be comfortable with the situation.
Source: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/siblings/
This week we discussed lots about relationships with families and working with parents. While I was reading through the different articles and the book this week I found it interesting to see how much the teachers and professionals need to carefully give out the information. They need to do it in a way that the parents understand. I think that the resource that helped me the most this week was the textbook. I learned a lot from reading it and also from my peers as they shared what they learned. Something that really stuck out to me was listening; and more than just listening, but actively listening. We need to do more then just nod our heads and smile as parents are talking to us. As a future educator, I also need to not just think about what I am going to say in response, but fully listen to what these parents and families are telling me.
Good communication is a huge part of working with families. If we don't have good communication with the families and parents then our relationships will remain very stiff and sometimes tense. We discussed home visits and how they are a great experience and learning opportunity to prepare us for the future. As I thought about this I was able to see how having good communication really does make a difference.
Weekly Quote:
"Jobs at home translate into expectations." This quote really stuck out to me this week because it is something we can always work on and encourage our parents to do with students. As children are given some jobs and worked with at home, they will be more willing and accepting to having expectations and following through.
HWD:
This week as I was working on this project, I was doing some research and found this website that talks about sibling issues and how siblings of children who have a disability can have feelings ranging from being bitter and upset to it being a positive and growing experience. Some siblings said that they almost felt invisible because everyone always made a big deal out of the child who has a disability while other siblings felt that they were taught so much from their sibling who had a disability. There are a range of emotions that siblings can feel and it is important for parents to talk with all their children to help them learn and be comfortable with the situation.
Source: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/siblings/
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Week 6 Reflection
Reflection:
This week in class we focused on fathers and siblings in class. To prepare for these topics there were articles to read and a video clip to watch. I really enjoyed the articles we had to read, I felt like they gave some good perspectives and helped me learn more about how a father feels and how siblings might feel and why. As we were talking about these things I started to think about why this was important to know and sometimes I think we get in this mindset where we think "I am working with this child who has a special need, not his family" but what we need to realize is that helping that child means helping that family. In our future careers we will be working with the families of our students/clients that have a special need. We need to know how they may feel so that we know how to help them. I really enjoyed discussing these topics this week because now I have a better understanding as to why a family member might feel a certain way about that child or sibling who has a special need.
Weekly Quote:
"The more your children learn and understand about their sibling, the easier it will be for them to accept him or her." I really liked this quote when I read it to prepare for this weeks discussions. It helped me see that we need to remember that children may not always understand what their sibling or friend has and what it means, but if we help them learn about it and know what it is, they will be more understanding and accepting of the child.
HWD:
This week for my HWD project I got to looking through some blogs and came across one that kinda stood out to me that talked a little bit about a child with special needs that didn't understand why her older sister (going into her teen years) didn't want to play with her anymore with barbies and things like that. The mother of these siblings said it was heartbreaking to watch because her daughter with special needs didn't understand why this happened and had lots of tears about it until they could help her understand and start doing other things instead to help her adjust. In class we also talked about different relationships and siblings might not understand what it means when they hear that their brother or sister has a special need but if we explain it to them, then the relationship can improve because they will understand it.
Source: http://www.specialneedsmom.com/2015/05/what-every-mother-wants-for-her-child-simple-social-fun.html
This week in class we focused on fathers and siblings in class. To prepare for these topics there were articles to read and a video clip to watch. I really enjoyed the articles we had to read, I felt like they gave some good perspectives and helped me learn more about how a father feels and how siblings might feel and why. As we were talking about these things I started to think about why this was important to know and sometimes I think we get in this mindset where we think "I am working with this child who has a special need, not his family" but what we need to realize is that helping that child means helping that family. In our future careers we will be working with the families of our students/clients that have a special need. We need to know how they may feel so that we know how to help them. I really enjoyed discussing these topics this week because now I have a better understanding as to why a family member might feel a certain way about that child or sibling who has a special need.
Weekly Quote:
"The more your children learn and understand about their sibling, the easier it will be for them to accept him or her." I really liked this quote when I read it to prepare for this weeks discussions. It helped me see that we need to remember that children may not always understand what their sibling or friend has and what it means, but if we help them learn about it and know what it is, they will be more understanding and accepting of the child.
HWD:
This week for my HWD project I got to looking through some blogs and came across one that kinda stood out to me that talked a little bit about a child with special needs that didn't understand why her older sister (going into her teen years) didn't want to play with her anymore with barbies and things like that. The mother of these siblings said it was heartbreaking to watch because her daughter with special needs didn't understand why this happened and had lots of tears about it until they could help her understand and start doing other things instead to help her adjust. In class we also talked about different relationships and siblings might not understand what it means when they hear that their brother or sister has a special need but if we explain it to them, then the relationship can improve because they will understand it.
Source: http://www.specialneedsmom.com/2015/05/what-every-mother-wants-for-her-child-simple-social-fun.html
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Week 5 Reflection
Reflection:
This week we the thing that stuck out the most to me was when our guest speaker came on Friday. She said some really great things that can help us better understand the perspectives of families and parents of children with a special need. This guest speaker really helped us see that there are a lot of good things but also a lot of challenges that come from having a child with special needs. I think a lot of my peers in class learned a lot from this lecture and really enjoyed it. One thing that might have helped me learn better and prepare better was knowing what the speaker was going to talk to us about so I could come with a question to get an answer to.
We also talked about the grief cycle this week. We talked about how there is no rhyme or reason to this cycle because new things that are happening in life all the time that can create a new "cycle" or send the person back into a previous stage. We watched a movie clip from "Steel Magnolias" and had the chance to see an example of how the grief cycle can work. As I watched this I was able to think of different examples throughout my life where someone I know, or myself have been through a grief cycle of our own and I could see how every example I thought of had a different cycle; we didn't all go through the same stages in the same order. I really felt like this prepared me for my future career because as I learned about the grief cycle, I was able to realize that I will have to work with many families who will be going through this cycle as they raise their child with a special need.
Weekly Quote:
"We can accomplish amazing things by getting into their world." ~Guest Speaker
I really liked this quote and it is something I think all future teachers should remember. Sometimes I think it is hard so imagine how we can get through to a child who has a special need, but if we take the time to get to know each of our students and learn what things they like, then doing something as simple as putting a picture on a worksheet can help these students who has a special need. By getting into their world instead of expecting them to get into ours we can begin making a difference and help them get an interest in doing the work we want them to.
HWD Project:
As we talked in class this week about the grief cycle I got to thinking about how the grief cycle is incorporated into the relationships of families who have a child with special needs. As the family learns about different difficulties or successes with the child, they will be going through their own stages in the grief cycle at different times. This can affect the relationships in the family because if we are in different stages it may add stress and make it harder to communicate with the family and work on those relationships. Also this week, when the guest presenter came and talked to us it helped me see that the relationship between the parents can be stressful because the child requires so much work. Overall, I learned this week that even when times are stressful and relationships are tense, there are so many good things that can be seen too, and as the family works together to overcome those stresses and stages of grief they can build positive relationships with one another.
This week we the thing that stuck out the most to me was when our guest speaker came on Friday. She said some really great things that can help us better understand the perspectives of families and parents of children with a special need. This guest speaker really helped us see that there are a lot of good things but also a lot of challenges that come from having a child with special needs. I think a lot of my peers in class learned a lot from this lecture and really enjoyed it. One thing that might have helped me learn better and prepare better was knowing what the speaker was going to talk to us about so I could come with a question to get an answer to.
We also talked about the grief cycle this week. We talked about how there is no rhyme or reason to this cycle because new things that are happening in life all the time that can create a new "cycle" or send the person back into a previous stage. We watched a movie clip from "Steel Magnolias" and had the chance to see an example of how the grief cycle can work. As I watched this I was able to think of different examples throughout my life where someone I know, or myself have been through a grief cycle of our own and I could see how every example I thought of had a different cycle; we didn't all go through the same stages in the same order. I really felt like this prepared me for my future career because as I learned about the grief cycle, I was able to realize that I will have to work with many families who will be going through this cycle as they raise their child with a special need.
Weekly Quote:
"We can accomplish amazing things by getting into their world." ~Guest Speaker
I really liked this quote and it is something I think all future teachers should remember. Sometimes I think it is hard so imagine how we can get through to a child who has a special need, but if we take the time to get to know each of our students and learn what things they like, then doing something as simple as putting a picture on a worksheet can help these students who has a special need. By getting into their world instead of expecting them to get into ours we can begin making a difference and help them get an interest in doing the work we want them to.
HWD Project:
As we talked in class this week about the grief cycle I got to thinking about how the grief cycle is incorporated into the relationships of families who have a child with special needs. As the family learns about different difficulties or successes with the child, they will be going through their own stages in the grief cycle at different times. This can affect the relationships in the family because if we are in different stages it may add stress and make it harder to communicate with the family and work on those relationships. Also this week, when the guest presenter came and talked to us it helped me see that the relationship between the parents can be stressful because the child requires so much work. Overall, I learned this week that even when times are stressful and relationships are tense, there are so many good things that can be seen too, and as the family works together to overcome those stresses and stages of grief they can build positive relationships with one another.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Week 4 Reflection
Reflection:
This last week in class we discussed a lot about Eco-maps and actually had the opportunity to do an Eco-map for one of our classmates that we didn't know very well. I really liked this assignment, and was glad we had the chance to work together and brainstorm different questions that we would ask to find out what support systems are available to the families we are working with. It was a really neat experience to be able to draw one of these maps and actually complete one because now I feel much more prepared to do these in the future when I am working with families throughout the future.
The Eco-map assignment was actually the one that helped me the most this week. Reading the material and watching the videos was a good start to learning about it, but actually having that hands-on experience made it much better and clearer to see how the whole process works. It also helped me brainstorm and get creative with ways to ask questions in the appropriate manner.
I think our class as a whole participated this week and helped one another learn these topics and how to do these Eco-maps. While we were brainstorming different ideas for questions I noticed that everyone I was sitting around were kind of bouncing ideas off of each other.
Quote:
"Love on another; love those you teach." At church today we were discussing how we can help others and one of my leaders said this and I really loved it. I feel like it relates to this past week's class because if we love one another and love those that we teach, then we can have their best interests at heart and know that we are doing the best things to help them. As a future SPED teacher, I need to have a love for those I teach so that they can learn and grow.
HWD Paragraph:
This week I was able to talk to a mother who has a child with a special need. We had a conversation and she said a few things that kind of stuck out to me about how their family works together with this child. The mom has been able to stay at home and raise her children, and the dad works. One thing I found very cool about this family was how each of them knew some techniques and things to help their brother when he was having a melt down, and each of the siblings tried to help him calm down again; but the mom of this little boy is sometimes the only one who can calm him down in different situations. I found this interesting because even in just one conversation I could see how this family all dealt in different ways and how sometimes different people could get through to this boy and help him calm down again.
This last week in class we discussed a lot about Eco-maps and actually had the opportunity to do an Eco-map for one of our classmates that we didn't know very well. I really liked this assignment, and was glad we had the chance to work together and brainstorm different questions that we would ask to find out what support systems are available to the families we are working with. It was a really neat experience to be able to draw one of these maps and actually complete one because now I feel much more prepared to do these in the future when I am working with families throughout the future.
The Eco-map assignment was actually the one that helped me the most this week. Reading the material and watching the videos was a good start to learning about it, but actually having that hands-on experience made it much better and clearer to see how the whole process works. It also helped me brainstorm and get creative with ways to ask questions in the appropriate manner.
I think our class as a whole participated this week and helped one another learn these topics and how to do these Eco-maps. While we were brainstorming different ideas for questions I noticed that everyone I was sitting around were kind of bouncing ideas off of each other.
Quote:
"Love on another; love those you teach." At church today we were discussing how we can help others and one of my leaders said this and I really loved it. I feel like it relates to this past week's class because if we love one another and love those that we teach, then we can have their best interests at heart and know that we are doing the best things to help them. As a future SPED teacher, I need to have a love for those I teach so that they can learn and grow.
HWD Paragraph:
This week I was able to talk to a mother who has a child with a special need. We had a conversation and she said a few things that kind of stuck out to me about how their family works together with this child. The mom has been able to stay at home and raise her children, and the dad works. One thing I found very cool about this family was how each of them knew some techniques and things to help their brother when he was having a melt down, and each of the siblings tried to help him calm down again; but the mom of this little boy is sometimes the only one who can calm him down in different situations. I found this interesting because even in just one conversation I could see how this family all dealt in different ways and how sometimes different people could get through to this boy and help him calm down again.
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