My Autistic World

Every April I wonder if I should share my own story, my own journey with Autism or if I should keep the story of my life and the struggles I have faced with my oldest son quiet.


Typically I hide in the shadows. It is where I am most comfortable being. Today, I want to welcome you into my world. I want to share with you not what it is like to teach a child with Autism but rather to parent one.

Kris was born a healthy baby. I was considered a high-risk pregnancy because I had previous lost a child but he was born at 36 weeks and almost 9 lbs. I took him home from the hospital 18 hours after he was born and that was when the trouble began.

I couldn’t get him to stop crying. I rocked him, I feed him, I changed him, I called the doctor, the nurse, the hospital… everyone told me I was just being an over concerned parent. Add in postpartum depression and I was a mess.


Fast forward, I wasn’t crazy. I finally realized that there was an okay zone with my son. I couldn’t cuddle him. He had one of those baby gyms that was cloth on the bottom so you could wash it. I took giant foam squares and built a pattern around it. If you sat at the edge he was content. He liked it… move and the screaming would begin.

He hated baby food, denim, bright lights, loud noises, touching of any sort, his diaper even thinking of being wet… He walked before he crawled. I found an amazing pediatrician who told me I wasn’t crazy.

Having a child with Autism requires a whole new set of parenting skills. Just when you think you have it figured out… he enters a new phase. After the screaming, don’t touch me phase, there was the out-of-control rage phase, the perfectionist phase, the literal phase, the stupid-phase, the self-doubt phase, and I know there is more to come.prepared me for the world of Autism.

My son has Asperger’s… it means that he looks normal, he excels academically but he struggles with so many things. Each year, I spend countless hours explaining to teachers how my child is different. I am blessed to that as we go through phases my child has been able to adapt and overcome.

Many cannot.

For example, my nephew is Autistic. In every since of the word. I searched for hours to find a picture of him only to realize we don’t have any. Probably because we are constantly chasing after him to keep him safe. He cannot communicate. He is locked inside his own world. He and his family is isolated. They can’t go on family vacations or even to the movies as a family.

Michael couldn't handle it. 

He wears a shirt that says “I am autistic. If found, please call….” He is very good at getting away from his caretakers. He will never be able to live on his own.

April is Autism awareness month. Its a month when people donate to the cause to find a cure. Walks are help, a lot of articles are written in newspapers, people talk, and then they forget.

Autism does not define who I am or who my son is. It shouldn't define who anyone is. We are each unique in our own ways. Those who live with Autism will tell you that it has made us stronger, more patient, and perhaps more grateful for the small blessings each day.

As April comes to a close….

I ask you not to forget.

The Incredible Edible Cell

My son came home the weekend before Winter Break with information on how to complete a project that was worth 40% of his grade. This was on a Friday and the project was due on a Monday. Now normally I would complain about not receiving advanced notice from my children about such a thing but the paper was dated on Friday.

The teacher gave NO NOTICE!

This is a pet peeve of mine. We live paycheck to paycheck... well we did when we were working. Now we have no income and a giant project due on Monday. The school is aware of our circumstances yet no help with this project was given. Sigh... 

To further irritate me, he was given a rubric with little to no information on what to do and was given the advice to google for help. So I googled. I found a lot of information on the Incredible Edible Cell Project. This site is particular good for information on cells.

We were also told no jello. 

Most edible cells are made out of jello. 

Alternatives I found were a cake and a pizza. Since he got extra credit for creativity, we came up with the idea of a cookie and a pie as well. We went with a pie.

How to make...

Using the site I gave you above we had a pretty good idea of how to put the pie together. We filled the pie crust with chocolate pudding. Then we used a melon-baller to make just the right size in the orange to insert the peanut butter cup. Then we stuck the nucleus (orange) into our pudding pie. We surrounded it with the other items and finally labeled it with toothpicks.

WALA... one edible cell!

The pictures make a backwards L in the order in which we added the items so you can kinda see step-by-step what we did. For the tooth-pick labels I cut strips out of index cards, folded the strips in half, and the stuck the toothpick in gluing the two sides together. 

What we used... 

Cell membrane = Graham Cracker Crust 

Nucleus = Inside of the Orange 

Nucleolus = Reese Mini PB Cup 

Nuclear Membrane = Orange Peel

Cytoplasm = Chocolate Pudding 

Smooth E.R. = Gummy Worms 

Rough E.R. = Sour Gummy Worms 

Golgi Bodies = Blue Laffy Taffy

Ribosomes = Candy Sprinkles

Mitochondrion = Twix

Vacuoles = Chocolate Chips

Lysosomes = Orange M&M’s

Centrosomes = Marshmallow 

Cost: about $50! 

And I already had some of the ingredients on hand (sprinkles, chocolate chips. marshmallows, and M&M's). I also bought as much as I could from Dollar Tree (Twix, Gummy Worms, & Sour Gummy Worms). Sigh...

Cute... fun... expensive project 

and yep... 

He got an A!

Books, Books, & More Books!

I love books. I rather read than watch tv. During family movie night, I usually have a book on my lap and sneak in some reading while pretending to watch the movie. Shhhh! Don't tell my family my secret.

My children shares this same love of reading. Perhaps I should have not taught them how to read by flashlight on that one camping trip oh so long ago as now I find them up late at night under the blankets with a book and their flashlight.

To make it easier to find books that I love and want to add to my collection - I created a store with Amazon! These are books I either own, am planning to buy in the future, or have access to in my classroom.

I tend to be horrible at keeping up with things but I am trying to get better. In an effort to help all of you, I have now added my monthly book suggestions to my Amazon store. You can click on the button in the sidebar or the picture above will take you directly to my October book section.

Don't ya love how I got it to match my colors! =)

The site above is the one I created just for Think, Wonder, & Teach. It has so many of the things that I love on there. I have to remind myself to update it but it is a great starting point for ideas.

I have a separate store on my classroom website... I list recommendations for parents and students. This contains lists of favorite series, my monthly book recommendations, stories to read together, books without pictures, and more!

I always figure the more details I can provide to my parents the better! Each month when I send out a notice for the monthly Zebra Quest Family Challenge... I link to this month's list of books. A lot of these books appear in my monthly activity packet but not all.

I also add recommendations from other people. So if you have a favorite book for October (or November!) please leave me a comment and I will add it. =)

Note: These stores are revenue generating (supposedly... although I have personally never made money off of them). Revenue comes back in the form of Amazon gift cards (yea! More books!). I just like that I can create a custom site with pictures and reviews easily!

Football Sunday!

Have you all seen this sign? I totally need one for my house!

My oldest son's first word was football. Not mama, not dada, not even baba... football. I should have known what life had in store for me from that moment on.

Many of you know that I homeschooled my children for awhile but I have never shared the story of how it began or the frustrations that came with it. When my oldest was 2 I found him reading a book. Not the pictures.... the actual words. What sounds he hadn't figured out he made up.

I thought it was so amazing! He could read!! Little did I know the heartache this would cause. (To catch you up he has a form of Autism known as Asperger's Syndrome. He is very high functioning. He excels academically across the board but struggles socially).

Because he was so intent on learning, I taught him. It was sooo hard to keep up with his need for knowledge. One day when he was 4 he suddenly stopped learning. I was so happy but also concerned. He only wanted to know about football. I needed resources but couldn't find any. So I made everything myself... a huge massive collection of all things football. He loved it!

I have learned that sometimes to get students to move ahead we have to meet them where they are. My bff went into teaching before I did and has often pulled my football resources to get her reluctant students to write, learn vocabulary, or to do math.

So... Melonheadz and I have decided to create a complete line of football products! I am finishing them up now so they will be appearing in my store in the next few days BUT you can get a set early by leaving a comment below!

These are the original materials that I used all those years ago with new graphics to jazz it up! This packet includes 20 sentence stems/journal pages, 7 compare & contract activities, 2 goal pages, 4 pages of math, 6 pages of vocabulary, 1 geography activity, 3 class books/bulletin board projects, 1 research project, and 1 creative writing project. Over 60 pages of football fun!

My kids still love this packet. This is my baby's worksheet from today's game... he is working on adding more than 2 numbers together. Since adding is too simple for him he then groups each picture together and multiplies those and then adds. So the 2 field goals would be 2x3... it gets harder as the game goes on. =)

This is 17 weeks of greater than/less than score fun! Students record the score and then using > or < determine the winner. My son never understood Allie Alligator but he understood he wanted to be on the winning team and that the arrow always pointed toward the loser as their score was smaller.

And of course I had to do matching calendar numbers and a boggle board! We are working on getting a set out for every NFL team so if you are looking for a set, please let me know as I will put you on the top of the list.

What could be even better for football fans?? I will be selling exclusive Melonheadz Graphics for each of the teams as well. Again... I am a big tease as they are a work in progress but I couldn't wait to share with you!


I also wanted to share with you a post from Kinderzoo. I cannot imagine the grief she is going through at suddenly losing her husband, her best friend. I know that I would be devastated. She would hate it if she knew we were doing this but several of us would like to show our love and support during this difficult time.

If you have a moment - please visit her store and make a purchase. She has some amazing products. My favorites are her emergency Kinder plans. I could have so used them for that first week in school!!

Bathroom Rules

OY!

The things one learns in Kindergarten and needs to be taught during the first week of school amazes me! Did you know that you have to explicitly tell students how to use a bathroom? I didn't!

BIG MISTAKE!

There is a bathroom in the classroom. I taught them to raise their hand to ask to go to the bathroom and that only one can go at a time. Students learned this procedure and quickly raises their hands to ask. (Pats self on back.)

Child raises hand to ask to go. I give permission. Student goes to the bathroom and LEAVES THE DOOR OPEN! Oy!

Ah... class, when you go to the restroom please make sure you close the bathroom door. Make sure the light is on before you close the door. When you leave the bathroom please turn off the light and leave the door open. If the door is closed, knock and wait for an answer to be sure no one is in there. 

There fixed that right up.

Later that day -- student comes out of the bathroom half dressed. Ah... students you must put on all of your clothes and make sure they are buttoned before leaving the bathroom.

A friend of mine sent me her list of bathroom rules and procedures for Kindergarten but says she has used it in third grade as well. Things she includes: how to sit on a toilet, how to use a urinal, how to open and close bathroom stalls, how to flush a toilet, how much toilet paper to use, how to wash your hands, how to dry your hands, how many paper towels to use, throwing away your trash, no messes, belt buckles and buttons: a challenging obstacle.

REALLY?? Don't parents teach their kids these things?

Moving on... how do you manage the question of how to use the bathroom in your classroom? If a student asks do you let him go?

This past week we had an incident with one of my special needs sons. He needed to use the restroom. The teacher said not until lunch in 20 minutes. Said son couldn't wait. Teacher said no to an emergency. Son had an accident. The kids laughed. He went to the nurse to change and came home crying. He is in 4th grade.

This is part of his brain thing but they will not do his IEP until he goes through SAT first as it is a private recommendation and they need to have proof. MRIs, CTs, and neurological exams are not proof. I will digress on that one for now.

I understand the teacher needs to teach and the student needs to be in the room. I understand this is especially important for special needs kids as they need the added support. But where is the line on this issue?

My third grader is also having issues with this topic.

My husband is an EMT. I had heat stroke this week from being out in 115+ temps when I shouldn't have been. I got the lecture from hubby's friends that in this weather you should be going to the bathroom every hour or you are dehydrated and will have issues.  I know this but I was teaching that day and teachers can't go every hour. I am sorry. We can't. They argued as this is what I get for not listening. Humpf!

Back to my third grader... he believes his daddy can walk on water. (Ask him he will swear it is true. I have failed to convince him otherwise.) So he does as daddy does. Everything that daddy does even the things I wish daddy wouldn't do he does. So daddy says drink lots of water. He does and as a result has to go potty all the time. His teacher is annoyed. I would be too!!

So now I am getting emails like "your son went to the bathroom 4 times today prior to 11:30 (our lunch) and 3 times after 11:50 (when lunch ends)." This is on a daily basis. It is better it was 6 times before lunch! He cut it down by half but that is still a lot. He is academically advanced so there is not a concern he is missing something that he needs to learn. It is just that he is setting a bad example.

Hubby and the EMTs say it is healthy. His pediatrician says it is healthy. The school says its against policy. So now what? He is getting his card turned to yellow as he is out of the room too much. I don't know what to do.

Then I have my eighth grader who as 2 minutes between classes to "use the restroom" or he has a 12 passes he can utilize in a quarter to go. So he is severely dehydrated as he refuses to drink water as there is no time to go to the restroom. My hubby is ticked on that one.

So my question is... where is the bathroom line? Are the school rules fair to teachers and students? What do you do when it is over 100 degrees outside? What do I tell my children's teachers and school?

Sigh..... who knew a bathroom could cause so many questions or issues!

Parent Communication

How does one convey all the information that is needed to parents? Do you use a website, emails, phone calls, letters home, texting, home visits, or a combination? How do you keep track of the communication going back and forth? These are the questions that have been posed time and again in my graduate classes. I have researched and found a lot of talk on the importance of parent communication but very few examples of it.

I am planning on using a combination of things. I have currently set up a classroom website as a primary means of communication to parents. In the future I am hoping to create some postcards that I can quickly fill in as well.

Back to School Cuteness

School started back on Monday for all of us but with all the drama going on... you missed the cute parts.

Here are my youngest two sons on the first day of school trying to convince me that Miss Piggy wanted and needed to go to school, too. The one holding "the pig" is in third grade and the one "introducing the idea" is my fourth grader. See how close in size they are? They are actually wearing the same size clothes. No wonder everyone thinks their twins.

This is the oldest one at home and is in 8th grade. He claims he is too old for first day of school pictures but I caught him making fun of his brother as he still had 2 more days of summer.

Take a good look... this is the cleanest I have ever seen these children. It is not likely to reoccur any time soon. AND look... no one is injured. That hasn't happened since that middle trouble-maker was.... no! IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED! Said middle one is always up to something even as an infant.

He is the one that got sick on the third day of school! Geesh!

Isn't this adorable!! I am in total love with this. I won it! It is a burlap sign custom made for my class. I am going to use it for my writing center. Stop in and visit Nicole to see what other signs she has made.


And remember my friend Jessica over at Dandelions and Dragonflies?


Yep... the one where I drool over her classroom and steal... err borrow... pictures of her class for use in my grad class assignments. I received a box in the mail yesterday from her full of stuff for my own classroom. SUPER HAPPY DANCE!!

Remember the caddies I bought but then I couldn't figure out how to make them cute like Jessica's? Well she helped me out and sent me all of the pieces to assemble them and make them perfect. Aren't they cute? Doesn't my ruler holders look cute in them? Perfect fit. The hand sanitizer is in there too ya just can't see it!

And look! She made me trash cans! I am so excited about these little guys. The kids getting up to walk across the room to throw away scraps of whatever all day long drives me crazy. I want you there in your little area, not wondering the rooms. This was one of the things I thought of making but after my last fiasco with the polka dots that became epic faces... I was not relishing the idea of attempting another polka dot project. Problem solved!!





Jessica is now selling the trash cans in addition to the caddies as so many of us have asked for them. Not just me. I am not the only crazy neat freak teacher. So she is adding it to her collection of items for sale.


So any new cuteness on your side of the world?

Day 3 - The End

This morning, I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed for another day. Lesson plans were written and ready to go. I hugged 2 kids goodbye and wished them a good day at school. I turned to hug the third one when he said my tummy doesn't feel so good. I tried to quickly step away... I knew what was coming. BUT he still managed to vomit all over me.

First thought: "YAY! I don't have to go to work today!"
Second thought: "Poor baby! Does he have a fever?"
Third thought: "What are my kinders gonna do without me? Another new teacher will only add to the chaos!"

Okay so that was probably the wrong first thought to have. I did call to see if I had any backups who could take a sick little boy. None available. I probably shouldn't be happy about it but I was. Kinda - I miss the kinders. I worried about them.

I called in sick only to find my child dressed and ready for school. Ummm... why are you going to school?? "I LOVE my teacher! I can't stay home, I will miss multiplication!" He begged to go so I let him.

It was a good thing I did not go to work today as my little two left to walk to school they were attacked by the neighbors dogs. AGAIN! Ugh! I saved them before they got bit  but they were really scared. I don't blame them.

It seems like incident #4 is the magic number as EVERYONE has been at my house today. The police. The sheriff.  Animal Control. They have been interviewing all the neighbors, pulling all the records (this is #9 if you add in all the reports from all the neighbors), and preparing a criminal case.

It has been quite the adventure today.

The police department says the kids should not walk to or from school until the situation has been neutralized.  Which means I can't work if I have to drive them to and from school. So I was gonna have to call and say "I can't work the rest of the week" when I got an email saying the position has been cancelled and the teacher is FINALLY taking over her own class.

So now that the saga has ended... tomorrow I will have some new posts about some exciting things! Oh and I will have all day tomorrow to catch up on the homework I am behind on.

I will miss my students. I truly LOVE being in the classroom but I am NOT an early-childhood kinda girl. =)

Lesson learned!

Classroom Makeover & an Unbirthday Celebration

I got a call yesterday from one of my mentors asking me how my summer went and inviting me in to see her classroom makeover. I couldn't resist. She is such an amazing teacher and each time we talk I learn so much from her. She has also become such a great friend!

Plus... she decorated in RED, BLACK, & WHITE!! Dr. Seuss theme... ahhhh! How could I not love it!

Wanna see pictures? 

 

So what did I learn from my trip in?

1 ~ Using the same type of bulletin border throughout the room provides uniformity and makes it less busy. I am not going to head out and purchase about 5 sets of my favorite border. I am not. I can resist the urge to shop. I can behave... I can. I can. I can!

2 ~ Using a slightly different border makes a great accent/focus piece.

3 ~ Changing the fabric on the bulletin boards is enough to distinguish them as different.

4 ~ Think outside the box when it comes to what you use on your bulletin boards. You can use the old stand-bye of butcher paper or try fabric, plastic or paper table clothes, wrapping paper, a tarp... the options are limited only by the size of your board!

5 ~ Its true.... glitter does make everything better!

6 ~ Every teacher needs at least 1 glue gun and a good one at that as well as lots of glue sticks. Oh and tape and modge podge!

7 ~ Pinterest is EVERYWHERE!!

8 ~ Sometimes something is merely for decoration and has no purpose. =)

9 ~ Shop the sales and ask your teacher friends to warn you about the sales as they come up.

10 ~ Consult with others for ideas on how to do something better. There are always ways one can improve!

I am heading into a friend's classroom on Thursday so will probably be posting more pictures on Friday! She is putting me to work. I asked to learn and so I shall have my first lessons on how to put together a class.

Monday is a big day. I am sooooo nervous. 

It is my first day back at a new school not "my" school. I will be finding out if I am in 3rd or 4th grade this year. I will help set up, attend meet the teacher night, and be in this classroom off and on all year long. I will complete my practicum and student teaching here.

I also find out about those test results FINALLY!

And the little two start school... my oldest still has 2 more days of summer while we are away at school. He has BIG plans. He is gonna sleep in, play video games all day without the advice of his little brothers, and eat junk food as his mama isn't there to tell him no.

Speaking of little ones - my baby just had his 8th birthday. He wanted no decorations, birthday songs, balloons, cake, or even presents. He wanted cash, to go swimming at Grandpa's, and a key lime pie.

WHAT??? 

He is 8 not 13! 

So wrong I tell ya.

I am not ready yet! 

I want presents and decorations!

I wanna sing the birthday song!

He told me I can have it for my birthday.

So we had an unbirthday birthday celebration.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

But I did break the rules just a weee bit!

I found a great idea on Pinterest and copied it... 

I didn't go all the way to the floor for fear of Piggy eating it. No worries she jumped up on her hind legs and did it anyways! The night before they were talking about how they wish they could tear into something so I figured they would have a blast with this. There is a sign facing in that reads "happy birthday."

Wrong!

The two little ones share a room.... they thought it was a decoration and so crawled under to leave their room. Hubby had to tell them to go tear it so as not to disappoint me. 

They took a trashbag!

To clean up the mess

Cuz 

this Mama doesn't do messes!

I came out about then and hubby was trying so hard not to laugh but I laughed hysterically! I had to explain to them how to do it. Now that the procedures have been laid out and the mess approved by Mama .... they want me to do it again!

I'll think about it....

Mr. Eyre = Incredible Teacher!

A few weeks ago, my oldest son received a package in the mail from a school he hasn't attended in years. Not only has he not attended there, we have moved several times, and his name has been changed. My husband adopted him in November.

But here was a package addressed correctly to my son from his old teacher, Mr. Eyre. Inside was a journal he had written four years ago in class about the Presidential election. It was his record of the issues, his thoughts and opinions.

On the front, was a simple comment: Are you ready to finish what you have begun? Take a look inside, do you feel the same? Use the blank pages to document this years election.

For four years, this teacher stored this journal. He then took the time to challenge his former students. He had to research and dig to find my son. It wouldn't have been an easy task. His records are all sealed. Yet he took the time to do it.

Mr. Eyre with his family

There are truly some teachers who make a difference. Mr. Eyre has always been his favorite teacher. The lessons he taught and the time he took to teach them went beyond the classroom. He taught my son life skills that he will hold onto forever. He reached him when many thought he was unreachable. He took the time to understand him in a way no teacher ever has. My son has succeed where so many thought he would have failed because of Mr. Eyre. 

I will never be able to say thank you enough. I have often said "when I grow up I want to be just like <insert name of teacher here>." Mr. Eyre is another one of those incredible teachers who has challenged me to be the best I can be, both as a parent and as a teacher. 

As we prepare to head back into the classroom, what will you do to affect your students not just in the coming year but to continue to challenge them long after they have left your classroom? 

What I made.....

Have you seen Tara's Made It Monday posts?? They are incredible! But after a few weeks of participation everything came to a stand still while studying for the test. The house was a disaster, no one had clean clothes, the kids were hunting for crumbs, and I lived in my pjs.

BUT the test is over, so... here is what I made! =)

Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

Zac helped make Pink Tiara Cookies

I know... they are not pink. After declaring that they did not care if the cookies were pink or tiara shaped the boys changed their minds. These are white wingless bats or if you break them and move the pieces around... zombie food. (roll eyes)

I folded laundry AND put it away.

The boys bathroom is blue... they are complaining!
They say it needs to red. LOL!

Miss Piggy slept

The boys and hubby played video games as you can see!


Have you ever wondered if my house is really done in black and white??

Well... here's proof!
I made my bed! Hurry look... it won't last long!

And then I remembered WHY I don't make my bed!!

Then for school... pencils!!
Poor Ben! Should have never asked his Mama for a pencil!
He got the fun job of sharpening the pencils.

ALLLLL 60 of them.
2 per student.
Sharpened and ready to go!
THANKS BEN!!

And there you have it! My projects for the week! =)

What did you make?

Vocabulary City Review & Giveaway!

Okay... I am beyond late to my own party and Krista has been such a great host that she has not even complained yet! This month on 3-6 Free Resources, we are asking teachers to link up and share their favorite websites.

I have so many! 

It was sooooo hard to choose a favorite!

But after a long while, I finally decided to go with something fun, educational, and saves me a bunch of time.

I found this site many years ago as a homeschooler and loved it then. I love it even more as a teacher!! 

What is so great about this site? 

~ It is fun! My sons beg to play games on this site. Yep - the children whom I cannot get to do their spelling homework, who claim they have no such things despite the fact that I personally know each of their teachers beg to go onto the website. 

~ It's free! There are a lot of great games, videos on how to use this site, spelling lists, and more all free.OR you can go with a premium membership for even more great options. 

~ I can print out almost anything into a worksheet for those who do not have access to technology at home. 

~ It makes my life easy. No arguing with my boys to do their homework. The premium options are a dream come true for me as a teacher. I can create a login for each student, assign them groups for differentiated instruction, create assignments, give them tests, and more. 

~ It grades the tests my students take. You all know how I love and use emoticons in my classroom, right? Get this, I can use emoticons to give my students feedback on their scores. It keeps track of what each child does individually AND I can print this out for record keeping purposes. One less record for me to keep. 

~ I can create custom lists or use the ones they have. I have a homepage and you can find me by searching for my school. I can create groups in my class for the various levels of spelling we do. 

~ Subjects include... Spelling, Vocabulary, Writing, and even Handwriting. LOVE IT!

~ If I don't know how to use a feature, there is a video to show me how. There are even letters for class-home communication. 

BREAKING NEWS!!

I just heard some amazing new things are headed our way for the upcoming school year!!

~ An iPad app

~ Google Chrome App

~ And it is now available as a premium feature for Edmodo users

There are SOOO many features. You truly need to go and explore them all for yourself. AND here is one person's chance to do that! I am giving away a 1 Year Premium Class Membership!!! (Value $49.99) Just leave me a comment below to enter and I will choose a winner at random next Sunday. 

Rule #5

In Whole Brain Teaching, Rule #5 has been seen as highly controversial. "Keep your dear teacher happy." is the rule in question. Coach B. says it leads to teacher heaven but with so many people being unsure...

Complaint 1: I read on a blog (was it yours?) that a teacher complained about rule 5 as the point of education was not to keep the teacher happy but to educate. The administration agreed.

Complaint 2: It is too arbitrary. It has too many meanings. It is not explicit enough.

Complaint 3: I don't want it to appear all about me. I went into it for the students; because it is my passion not to be the star of a one-man show. (Sorry teachers, we are ALWAYS the star of our own show!).

As I read about these concerns, I echoed their same thoughts. And then I got to thinking. What does this really mean?

My oldest is my "loop hole" child. I swear that child could wiggle his way out of anything. For sooooo many years I always had to add the caveat "and your Mama can change these conditions at any time as they see willing in order to ensure you are comply with ..... " UGH! It was amazing... he could even wiggle out of that one!

As I have been studying on WBT and preparing to attend the conference this week (YEA!! Who is gonna be in Louisiana with me??), I have used these items on my guinea pigs ... ummm... children. Rule #5 not only leads to teacher heaven but to Mama heaven.

HOW?

All I have to ask is one simple question:

 "Do you think that is gonna make Mama happy?"

No, back talking does not make mama happy.

No, teasing your brother does not make mama happy.

No, shoving everything under your bed when you are cleaning your 

room does not make mama happy.

No, cleaning the toilet with your brothers toothbrush

does not make mama happy.

No, feeding the puppy your vegetables does not 

make mama happy. 

In the classroom:

"Do you think that is gonna make Mrs. Poland happy?"

No, hiding under the desk does not make Mrs. Poland happy. 

No, tattling does not make Mrs. Poland happy. 

No, hitting our friends does not make Mrs. Poland happy. 

No, sharpening pencils while I am taking does not make

Mrs. Poland happy. 

No, talking in the halls does not make Mrs. Poland happy. 

Do you see why rule #5 is so important? Can you imagine how long the list of rules would be without #5? Do you have a loop hole child like mine? 

Here is a favorite story from first grade I believe. One of his classroom rules was "Keep your hands and feet to yourself." Simple enough, we have all heard it/used it. What does my loop hole child do? He uses a pencil to poke his friend. 

So to the principal he goes. He believes he has done nothing wrong. We all know its semantics but he doesn't understand this concept. He is a special needs child. He already struggles with communication. He is very literal. How can you explain he is wrong when he did just what you said? 

THIS is the problem I have run across more times than I care to admit too. But with rule #5, I can simply ask "Does poking your friend, whom I understand you do not like, make Mrs. Poland happy?" The answer is no. It does not. I do not have to add to my rules... "Keep your hands, feet, pencils, rulers, crayons, glue, and any other personal items to yourself." As this would cause other issues. now he does not have to share his ruler or he can use scissors instead. Sigh... yes... THIS is truly how he thinks!

What about administrators who don't agree? 

Well.... this is a tricky one. You can explain like I have done above WHY this works so well. This isn't necessarily about making you personally happy but rather keeping the peace. 

I explained it to my boys as this... you are ALL important to me. I want what is best for you. When you are not getting the best that makes me unhappy. This applies to so many situations!! 

Think about the special needs child. He/she gets special help, attention, etc because that is what is best for him/her. How often have you heard "it's not fair!"? Well, THIS makes you happy as it is the best for him/her and therefore is within the limits you have set. 

GENIUS!

I tell ya! Pure Genius!

I am also planning on sharing my rules at back to school night and creating a letter home explaining the rules and why they are important... especially #5. No one has to bring me Starbucks or flowers. It isn't about me at all but rather about what is best for each of your students. 

To the parent who complains

Dear Parent, your child is unique, special, adorable, and precious. I agree with you and as such I want the best for him or her! I can't think of all the things that may occur during the course of  the year in my classroom but I do know that wanting the best for him/her is my top priority. That is what makes me happy. To protect your child I put this rule in place. This ensures that no matter what creative idea another child may come up with, if it is not in the best interest of your child, it does not make me happy and therefore it is not within the rules. This applies to each and everyone of my students. What makes you happy as a parent is to see your child happy, loved, and well taken care of. What makes me happy as a teacher is to see your child happy, loved, engaged, and well taken care of. Together, we can provide the best possible year for your child by using this rule. Please let me know if you have any questions.

What are your thoughts on Rule #5?