A Month In- Phew!

So we're a month into the school year! I can't believe it. I have the exact same class I had last year which makes things nice and difficult at the same time. It's nice because it means I am able to get right back into the swing of things where we left off. It's difficult because it means I'm dealing with the exact same students I had last year- no changes. For some of these students this is the 5th year I've had them in my class...crazy, right?! It's been a whirlwind of behavior problems for some of them too. Currently I have 1 student undergoing evaluations for a social/emotional label and another one undergoing a reevaluation plan to see if there are any other cognitive issues to be discovered. In addition, I have a third student who feeds off the behaviors of others and then escalates to whatever level she feels like going to (some days she stops at pouting, others it's throwing her socks and shoes at me and toppling over desks). Some days I have all 3 students acting out...those are the days I go home and have a VERY large alcoholic drink.

In addition to all of this, I'm expected to teach 4 different grade levels this year. What?! It's as impossible as it sounds. In the same 90 minutes general education teachers have to teach 1 grade level I have to teach 4. Luckily most of my students aren't working on grade level so I really am only teaching 3 levels- but still! It's a huge disservice to our students. I don't have an aide in my room full time (really for only an hour a day) and that's a really big problem, too. I could really use someone's help!

Anyway, we've worked on a lot of things already this school year and I'm really proud of my kiddos! I'm actually trying to incorporate more thinking maps with my students this year (this is difficult as most of them are pretty abstract which is a very hard concept for deaf students to understand). I was able to successfully use a brace map with them! Yay!

I've also been getting into creating things for Teachers Pay Teachers! I'm so excited for that! I love putting things together and using really cute clipart and stuff like that. I'm addicted to it! I have to figure out which program to use to make secured PDF files though so I don't infringe on anyone's copyright rules. Anyone? What do you use? As I make things, I'll do my best to write a blog about it and then link it to my TPT store to try and keep you all updated! :)

Break time is quickly ending and I have to pick up the kiddos. Till next time!