I taught inclusion Pre-K my first year out of college. That was a wonderful experience, because I co-taught with two amazing co-teachers. While I learned a lot from them, I did not have the flexibility to do what I wanted with the classroom. Throughout the year, I dreamed of ideas to make my own if I had my own classroom.
After that first year, we moved (my fiance and two dogs) two hours away from our college town. I did not find a certified teaching position right away, so I settled for working as a Pre-K paraprofessional at an amazing private childcare center, and that was also an amazing experience! My co-teacher, Mrs. Ayn, was AMAZING, and she has also inspired me to blog. You could check out her blog at http://littleilluminations.blogspot.com/ ....She is the most animated teacher I have ever worked with! After years of experience, she still loves what she does everyday, and comes up with the most creative ideas to keep her little ones busy all day!
Then, in December, I was hit with a chance of a lifetime to teach in an AUTISM POSITION!!! :D I was happy to finally set up my own classroom and plant my feet into a position that I could keep for years. Best of all, I LOVE working with children with Autism. I have been working with them for three years now, and I love that they are ALWAYS different, and so interesting. Most of them are systematic and schedule-oriented, just like me (lol), and I just LOVE working one-on-one with them. I feel a connection with them that I can't explain, and it makes it so much more rewarding when you see how much they progress.
So, here I am. I taught in my position for five busy/stressful months, and I am lucky to say that my job will still be there in the fall! With all the cuts in the past few years, I guess things are finally starting to look up, and I couldn't be happier. It has officially been summer vacation for one week, and I've been so busy it's hard to believe all that time is already gone!
SO the whole point of this blog.... I am going to use it as a diary to document the things that make me happy, so it will help me remember the things in life that I love. And when I get stressed, I can use this as my Chicken Soup for the Soul. And hopefully as I pick up some ideas from other teachers, I can link them on here. And hopefully as I create my own ideas, I can share them with you. And hopefully you can help me improve my ideas to help me grow as a teacher. And if you ever have any questions or advice for a child with special needs in your classroom, I'd be glad to help if I can. You can always email me at: saustin614@gmail.com.
So, I hope you enjoy :D
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