Special seems to be the hardest word.

There are some things a teacher hates to deal with; miss planning, forgetting items, bad weather, gossipy teachers. Yet the worst is giving parents the bad news. The news that their child is showing signs of mental or physical disability.
As a parent we all want to believe that the gift we've been given is going to come out perfect and round and with a little help from us- they'll be ready to face the world and change history.
Some of us got pregnant quickly/ surprisingly (pick whichever works for you) and some of us had to wait years and bank accounts to get the prize at the bottom of the crackerjack box. However long the wait; the babies are all here.. whatever way they got here- they're here.
For teachers involved with early learning- detection is what we do all the time. Listening to their words- how they form sentences and how the words sound. How quick are they to fly off the handle or become louder and more excited? Given the problem- how easily can they solve it.. or do they solve it at all?
There is nothing more heart breaking than bringing up the painful subject of testing for a diagnosis. So many parents become angry and offended that we'd even think that they're precious child is ANY thing but perfect. Yet when the youngster is nowhere near the milestones they should be achieving- there are some things you just can't ignore. We as teachers don't come to this conclusion easily or with joy. None of us like to see that a child is stumbling- none of us want to be the one who points out what may be obvious.
However- I take pride in knowing that I've suggested testing; that I went to the mat for some kid; that I saw signs and acted on them. Don't get me wrong, the parents are offended and angry- furious that the "day care teacher" thought there was something wrong with little Jr. Yet, with the issues and incidents documented and the back up of my boss- parents eventually see that I went out on the limb to discuss it with them. None of those angry parents were angry for long- the results were accepted with love and ambition; courage and hope.
I see some of those kids from time to time; when I'm out with my family. I'll see one of those few kids for whom I had to speak up louder than normal to help. You can see the tired, hopeful look of a parent dealing with more stress than they accept in reality. And the courageous, hopeful look of a child who knows more than they can express.
I find myself coming through the door at work with a sense of renew. I think of each of the children I work with as my own. Those are "My kids". Many teachers I know feel the same way. These are "our kids". We want the best for them- why else would we be teaching them. We have a love and ambition, a courage and hope for them. For each of them. For all of them.

Lesson #003
be fearless in protecting their future.

the 17 year old weight off my shoulders

She is gone.

The young woman who "worked" with me has decided to look for more hours somewhere else, where she can work one on one with kids. Meaning; she's tired of me telling her to get up and interact with the children- just being a body in the room is not working.


Sadly though, the older girls seemed to love hanging out with her; playing cards and talking. So much that they would ignore any instructions given by staff and simply continue with their game. My young staff would do nothing!! She would sit there and continue to play their card game or sit and color with them. I appreciate her ability to keep them occupied- but when a head teacher tells the whole group to clean up and get ready for lunch, she should be demonstrating respect for the staff and start cleaning up, not sitting there looking at you like you just threw poo at the window!



I've got to hand it to the girl- there's incredible talent in having a job playing cards with kids and you can still find a way to be depressed and sullen the whole time. I mean really- it must take a lot of energy to answer the question,"what did you do this weekend?" with "yea." What!!!?!??



She seemed to not like me from the beginning. The first day I walked in there- she appeared to be uninvolved with anything going on except for the three girls sitting with cards at the table. When I tried to start a conversation about how the program runs, she had no clue about anything but the clean up she does and how many kids have to go home before she can leave. I knew then and there that there we had very different definitions of the term "work ethic". She appeared to be intelligent- when someone she liked asked her a question she had no trouble answering, there was no problem with chatting with the kids. It was clearly me. I guess telling her not to talk on her cell phone or read her 5 page love letters while on the clock was a bad idea.



But I digress. Her replacement is lovely. A high school student, but with a better outlook and outward attitude. I've only had a couple hours to work with her so we'll see how things go when the poo hits the window.

what you don't know; should shut them down

i was trained by the best, worked at enough places and dealt with enough children to know good from bad. there are things i see in centers that make me crazy. things that shouldn't be legal but for some reason they are... at least in this state. what surprises me most is that parents not only continue to enroll their children but encourage other parents to do the same.
so in a futile attempt to veil my pet peeves in humor; i must channel jeff foxworthy-

you know you should close if...
if your children are eating standing up- you should close
if your idea of monitoring your infant room is to leave the door slightly open while they are in the room alone- you should close
if you know your staff are lazy and uncooperative and you do nothing to change it- you should close
if your keeping your snacks and art supplies stored in the same closet- you should close
when babies are left to cry, alone for 30 minutes- you should close
if you don't know what the word curriculum is- you should close
if your playground is full of equipment that is so outdated and unsafe that the kids aren't aloud to play on it- you should close
if the calendars and menus posted are from 5 months before- you should close
if you don't require your staff to plan activities ahead of time or even plan activities at all ever- you should close

if your website offers things you don't actually provide- you should close

if there is 1 bathroom for 25 kids- you should close
if your staff ask and ask for supplies and resources and you drag your feet- you should close
if your parents don't realize what poor quality care you're giving- you should close

thank you and good luck!