Hello all.  I hope all is well.  A quick reflection on our students.  I have been reading some articles on the importance of play.  It seems that some of our boys in our class have some difficulty in this area.  We are attempting a new series of what we call "team-building activities.  After we play the game we talk about the messages and our attitude in regards to the game.  Last week we did the "volcano".  It went very well.  Yesterday we did the Wright family activity.  The students are interacting and having some fun.  Play as the literature tells us teaches us so much about ourselves and how we interact with others.  It teaches us the rules of interaction and the rules of relationships.  We will keep you posted! 

WAMS REFLECTION

Hello all. I hope all is well! Reflection time. Working in a class of students with emotional disturbances is an emotional oxymoron. When they are good, all is great. They display their artillery of charismatic talents. When things are not so well, they display their artillery which mostly consists of physical and emotional attacks. The best we can do is to plan our work and work our plan! Julie, you have a great idea. In order to best guide our students properly, we first need to understand their behavior. This can be a daunting task. However, it can be a manageable one. The use technology can alleviate the task. Lets create an excel file or a Google form. Each will allow us to input data. We can then analyze the data, observe trends and ultimately guide our practices. You seem to have an acute scientific eye. When we collect data, analyze it and develop our strategies based on data, it can only be an asset to our students.

p.s. meet AO (Annoying Orange) We utilize him to take turns during our group sessions. He has had about a 75% success rate. It varies according to the day and the student's mood!

Great job Julie and WAMS staff.

Good Job Alfredo

Good Job, Alfredo, on the cartoons. I have been relating them back to the students to read when they need a reminder that they need to continue working on the issue that they presented. The students are still enjoying working on them.

What do you think about team building activities to incorporate sometime? I was really sitting watching the dynamics of the classroom, and I have some ideas to run past you to see what you think. I would like to try to close the gap between the students, as far as getting along and working together. Many ED students do not know how to be friends with more then one person at a time. This can cause some interesting dynamics in the classroom. I am finding this to be true now that their are only five students in the class. I have noticed one student trying to manipulate more and more everyday, and I think that this is happening more because this student may feel like a third wheel among the two different pairs in the classroom. Just an observation and a thought.

Well, for those that read this, I am in my teaching credential program and master's program. I am learning a whole lot about behavior management techniques and I find myself relating the things that I am learning to ways that they can be implemented into the classroom. I have been excited to try them in the classroom. I have really learned the importance of collecting baseline data before implementing any type of positive behavior plan. I am now into the seventh month of my course work and I still have straight A's. (Just to toot my own horn for a minute). I look forward to seeing all of you throughout the rest of the year.