Becoming Unique – Book Review

Recently I was sent the book Becoming Unique by James Charles.   (I am not being paid to review this book.)  Here is the review of the book.

The author writes about his life in England, Scotland and Ireland. I found it interesting to see how life is different politically and economically compared to the US. Even the healthcare system is drastically different from my life.

The author writes about his life chronologically and he isn’t diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder until he reaches the age of 40. I found it interesting how his interactions with others  was impacted with his disability but not really understood until he was diagnosed. He really struggled to make sense of the world around him and was somewhat successful even though he obviously had difficulties. I’m glad his wife was a strong support system throughout his story. I also liked the way he looked back at some of his difficulties and could understand how and why they happened.

It was a little hard for me to read the story because it wasn’t an easy read but when I reminded myself that this was written by someone who has a disability, it was easier to push myself to the end. I also could understand why it was written the way it was. I think that teachers would find this book interesting because they would see life from the perspective of someone dealing with a disability. It might help teachers see that the way they deal with students has a big impact on their life. Some students may have a disability but haven’t been diagnosed yet.

Little Things Make Great Impact

In This is Why I Teach: Individual Moments Matter from The Tempered Radical, Bill Ferriter shares,

“We are driven by the notion that we might just make a difference in the lives of a handful of kids over the course of our careers.  And the best part of our gig is that each new day is FILLED with moments that have the potential to be powerful.”

This reminded me of things that I would do for students but have forgotten about it until years later, a former student reminded me of something that I did. At the time, I didn’t think it was anything major and even at the time wondered if the students cared. Now when I hear about it, I’m glad to know that it mattered. I may not have known about it at the time but it obviously mattered to some of the students.

Every high school teacher had a homeroom and usually these students were not in any of my special ed classrooms. I would see them for about 10 minutes every day. I was also the first person to see their report card before they saw them. On report card day, I would get to school about 30 minutes earlier and add a post-it note on each report card. I would write a positive comment to those who did really well and encourage others who were struggling. I didn’t judge or blame anyone for their low grades but tried to show that I cared about them and hoped that they would work hard to improve their grade next time. When I saw improvement, I would comment how their hard work was paying off.

Sometimes my students had working parents who just didn’t have enough time to say the right words that my students needed. I hoped that my small comments would show them that I cared. I watched their faces as they got their report cards and some smiled when they read my comments and others didn’t make any kind of acknowledgement. It was just knowing that I tried that was important to me.

Years later, I came across a former homeroom student at the store. He mentioned to me that he remembered I would take the time to comment on his report cards and it was my encouragement that helped him keep on trying. He wasn’t an A student but knowing that I would see his grades and be disappointed if they dropped was enough incentive to keep him from failing. He said he was really proud when I noticed that he made improvements. I have to confess that I don’t really remember this student but I’m glad he remembered me.

Sometimes it isn’t the big gestures that are remembered. It isn’t the big gestures that always make a difference. And sometimes we may never know the impact the little gestures make but I know it is worth the time to make them.

What small things do you do that you hope make an impact? Please share.

Judging Others

In A Book's Cover from Sioux's Page, Sioux asks,

“ How about you? What would be emblazoned across your book cover if you had one? Or, can you tell about one instance where you made a snap-judgment about someone, and you were wrong? Envious minds (I've got book envy) want to know...”

First of all, I have to confess that I am really bad about judging a book by its cover. I don’t mean to be and I know I shouldn’t but sometimes I can’t seem to help myself. I don’t always think negative thoughts about a book from its cover but I do look more positive on a book with an interesting cover. A great cover draws me in and makes me want to read the book. Sometimes I get disappointed when I read the story and don’t think it really matches the image on the cover. I feel like I was cheated. Sometimes I read a book with a boring cover and can imagine all different covers that should go on the book.

I wonder if I do the same thing with students. I know that I shouldn’t and I don’t mean to but it just happens. When I see a student dressed sloppily or has little respect for themselves, I tend to think that they probably feel the same way about school and their grades. If I see a student dressed nicely and with care, I think they have caring parents who insist that they dress appropriately. Imagine how surprised I am when I find out that I am completely wrong. The first student ends up working harder than the second and really wants to succeed. The second student doesn’t care about anything except making great first impressions.

Seeing the students on the outside doesn’t really show me what is on the inside. How much are they willing to work towards success? How much support do they have at home? How much do they respect others or themselves? How do they feel about their lives?

Sometimes what I see may not be the true face that my students have. It is what they want the world to see. Sometimes I have to push my assumptions and judgments aside so that I can dig deeper and find out who my students truly are.

Do you judge a book by its cover? How do you stop doing this? Please share.

Ally-Saurus & The First Day of School – Book Review

I recently read the book Ally-Saurus & The First Day of School by Richard Torrey. This is the review of this book (I am not being paid to give this review).

This book is about a little girl named Ally who is getting ready for her first day of school. It is interesting to see how Ally sees herself as she prepares for her first day. Then it is interesting to see her interactions with new classmates on the first day of school.

This would be a great book to introduce the first day of school to young children. It would open up discussion on others and how people may like different things than you do but that is okay.  It also opens up the idea that by making new friends, you can learn about new things and have new interests. Other topics to discuss would be getting enough sleep, dressing appropriately, dinosaurs, eating appropriately, manners, castles, letters, making new friends, and the library.

This book would be great in a preschool or kindergarten classroom. It also would be good for parents to read to their children before they start school. 

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 5/15/15

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels:  E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Goconqr – “Take control of your learning. Take the boredom out of study. We make it easier to understand, connect, collaborate and recall. Create compelling learning resources with our free Mind Map, Flashcard, Note & Quiz Making Tools.”  (L:G; SA:A)

London Natural History Museum – “These high-quality activities, games and web pages will support your teaching before and after your visit to the Museum. All content is developed by professional educators and checked by Museum scientists for accuracy.” (L:G; SA:S)

International Space Station – how the crew lives, how it works, and a virtual tour (L:G; SA:S)

Soundtrap – “With Soundtrap you make music online. You can plug in your own instrument, use the software instruments available in Soundtrap or just record a song directly with your computer microphone. It's super-easy!” (L:G; SA:FA)

Wikipedia 2014 – “The world made more than 100 million edits to Wikipedia in 2014. In our first ever annual video, revisit what you read and edited, from the FIFA World Cup to the Indian general elections, and the Ice Bucket Challenge to Ebola in West Africa. Use the hashtag #Edit2014 to follow the conversation.”  (L:G; SA:SS)

Original photo by Pat Hensley