The 2018-2019 school will be my 15th year as a special needs teacher in a Title 1 school. This is my second year teaching self contained 4th grade through 8th grade. My students are functioning much lower than their general ed peers. The functioning levels range from Pre K to second grade. Two of my female students are nonverbal but are very mobile and physically able to complete simple tasks. Another female student is very inquisitive. She loves attention from the teacher and will ask endless questions throughout the school day. Two of my male students are the highest functioning in my class. They are able to go out with the general ed population more than my other students due to their in-dependability. My other male student is verbal but only speaks when he is spoken to. He is able to answer simple questions in conversation but cannot continue a conversation.
When the students enter my classroom, they know they are entering a family zone.
In our class, we do mistakes; we do I'm sorry; we do fun; we do hugs; we do forgiveness; we do friendship; we do love.
My Project
Last year, our self contained students participated in the Special Olympics in a city nearby. This was the first time in quite a few years that our district has participated. Due to not knowing what to expect, we were very unprepared.
This year, we have a greater understanding of the games and want the students to feel more prepared for competition.
Some of the games being played are: horseshoes, bocce, croquet, baseball, and basketball. We have selected items from Dick's Sporting Goods that will be very beneficial in helping us train for the Special Olympics. The equipment will also be used as part of our PE class that the self contained teachers instruct. Also, our state is trying to push Unified Sports into the school systems. This is a sports program where special needs students are paired with general ed students in a sport and there is competition like general ed sporting events. We would love to become a part of the Unified Sports program as well. Any help we receive will be greatly appreciated.
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