School Has Started...

I'd like to say that this being my 2nd year here, that it's easier-- or that I know what the expectations will be... Well, not exactly....

Ideally, the first week of school is when I would meet with parent's to sign Student Support Teacher (SST) contracts that weren't signed last year, and then start to do baseline assessments with students-- I check students' fluency, phonics, and comprehension level to see where they are at the beginning of the year. The majority of the student's I haven't had before, so it's also helpful for me to see where they are at, to know where to start with their lessons I'll be doing with them. After that, ideally, I would start putting together their resources that I will be doing with them, during the year. I have 3 students that I'm going to be doing an alternate Reading class with them, so I start going through my resources to find a fluency, phonics, and comprehension plan to follow. I'm also trying to find Math resources for students that I will be doing pull-out Math, as well as an alternate Math class. Along with that, I'm trying to create my daily/weekly schedule-- and then figure out push-in services for the students-- with most likely being my aide. Now, it all seems very simple-- in theory-- and on paper... But does it actually go that way? 

Then this happens...

             

I get side-tracked-- and something happens to where I need to go talk to someone, or something needs to be done-- and my goal of what I wanted to get done, gets puts off to the side. 

And then there's scheduling... Scheduling is always something that tends to be stressful-- and for me, just makes my brain hurt-- trying to figure out the times of Reading and Math for all the classroom teachers, and then making sure all the students are covered during those times. You also have it where teachers have their Reading and Math at the exact same time, so you have to be in two (or four) places at once. There's usually 'Take 27' versions of the schedule, b/c something always happens or gets left out. And then somehow, it always seems to come together... 

Special Education in the States has a lot of rules and regulations-- you have the IEP that you have to follow and there are specific things that you can and can't do. But then you get to the day-to-day things, and there gets to be a gray area of "Can I do this/Is this allowable?" Most likely those rules and regulations were created because something was abused, and services weren't being given properly. (Not entirely, but usually rules are created because something has happened to have a rule put in place.)  The Dominican Republic doesn't have standard Special Education rules and regulations. There is no Individual Education Plan for students. What we do is based solely on what Santiago Christian School has created. I have discovered that though not having that 15-page document and the strict guidelines is somewhat nice and more flexible, having those rules and guidelines does make it easier of knowing what to do. There is more gray area here, and without those guidelines, there are a lot more questions. 

Today I'm starting my official schedule with doing my pull-outs and replacement reading and math classes. So now I am more confined to my classroom, and don't have the flexibility to just go see someone when I want to. I'm on more of a schedule/routine! :-) Which means I should get more done now! LOL 

Another example of the language barrier... (and why I need to be practicing my Spanish...)

I can use Uber here for transportation, and is a half as much as a taxi. I have to download an app for my phone, and then put my bank card number. When you want a ride, you request the card, put your location in and where you're going (via Google maps), and then they come and get you, and you don't have to give them any cash. It's deducted from my bank account. When I went to try to use it, it said that my card was invalid. After emailing Uber, they said it's something on my end, where my card isn't able to be used online (It's only my card that has the problem, b/c other teacher's have used their same card and had no problem). It seems like a very simple thing to do-- I need to go to my bank and ask them about the card-- but it gets to be more complex when I need to bring someone with that speaks Spanish to help me with it, b/c I'm not able to speak the language. I have found there are many examples of things like that-- things that seem so simple (or would be simple in the States), are more complex here. Not everything, but just more than I would normally have in the States.