I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

 




Hello Friends, I hope you are well. 
Perhaps it is the weekly blog posts or maybe it is our recent group project but I feel like I know most of you better than the classmates of my previous classes. 
Thank you for being so transparent with your highs and lows as we continue this class.

We are only at Wednesday, but this has been a pretty great week. I can't believe I am typing this right now (it feels like I could jinx things, however I believe we make our own luck, even in elementary education) but I almost feel like I am hitting my stride with this special education paraprofessional thing. Having said "we make our own luck," watch tomorrow be a doozy. 

Anyway, what I am learning now as a special education para - how to navigate challenging students, how to deescalate situations working with little ones with big emotions, how to better follow through, how to modify assignments and support the education of the students in my care - all while a guest in a general education teacher's classroom... this is great for me and I am getting paid while learning. 

The daily positive thought this morning in the first grade class I was in was, "When we think positive thoughts, they become positive feelings." I am typically a very positive person, realistic but positive, and this morning's message reaffirmed for me that this is going to be a school year of growth for me. I think that this will be one of those situations where I look back and think, "Wow Colleen, that was pretty ballsy of you. Nice job navigating that one."

I am certainly not unique - I am not trying to insinuate that, but I had a lot of people in my personal life suggesting that it would be very reasonable of me to walk away. But it feels so right to carry on. 

This afternoon, when my morning student ran up to me to hug me or earlier in the day when he leaned up against me during music class. The goal is to get to the place when he doesn't need me any more, but considering the obstacles he navigated this morning - I am so proud of him and grateful for the connection we are growing. 

I hope everyone is having a sensational week and how great that it is Friday Eve tomorrow.

Get better soon Darci & stay healthy Everyone.

Best,
Colleen 























Comments

  1. kateOctober 19, 2022 at 5:37 PM

    YAY!!!!! I feel so happy reading your blog this week and I am so excited for you and all that you are blazing in the chaos. I love your appreciation of where your student is and the hope of where your student will be in their need of you. My role is shifting from being more of one to one in the last month, after being moved from co-teaching role in a K room, to covering a classroom teacher maternity leave for the remainder of the year. This week I been have working with my student to have her gain more independence and to self-advocate and regulate so my absence won't undo all her hard work and gains these last weeks. It is such a gift to see growth and to bear witness to it. Blips and setbacks happen but navigating de-escalation is such a privilege. Glad this is something you get to experience as well. It is definitely a tool that educators get to bring with them even as their roles may change from 1to1s to classroom or content area teachers or to anything else (I have actually been applying some of it at home with my crew and wish I had been exposed to it sooner). So great, Colleen. Thank you for sharing your feelings and thoughts this week. Kate

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ms. JordynOctober 22, 2022 at 10:26 AM

    Colleen,
    I agree with your view of feeling like you know people within this class more than others in the past. With blogging every week it feels as though we have created a space to support others and ask for support as well.
    I started out as a special education para as well and learned so much, creating that relationship with your student is the best feeling ever. After working with my current students as a special education teacher for almost a year now I still get a warm fuzzy feeling every time they grab my hand or run off the bus to give me a hug with a big smile on their face because they are happy to see me. It is one of the best parts of my job.
    Hoping for the weeks to just keep getting better for you!
    Jordyn

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tate Van ValkenburgOctober 23, 2022 at 6:16 PM

    Colleen,
    Your post this week felt like a breath of fresh air. I am so glad you're feeling better and love this mindset! What we are accomplishing is difficult, it's a lot, but it is so rewarding. I think about those days where I am having a tough time getting through and one of my kiddos will come give me a hug or crack a joke, to which I'll say "thanks, I needed that." I have to remind myself that our students have moments, and so do we. But they don't remember those days where we are having a hard time or feel exhausted/overwhelmed. They remember when we tell them we are proud of them, or ask them about their weekends, or help them through a tough time. You are doing a great job, you are making a difference, and that's what matters most.
    Here's to another good week.
    Tate

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