iMovie!!!

Last week was the beginnings of our iMovie project. I don't know if I have ever been so excited about a project. I just cannot wait for class tomorrow because I am so excited to see the footage we shot and begin the editing process.
We went crazy on campus - a film on social etiquette. We filmed common mistakes made by the students we love so much. They don't understand the need for personal space. They will sit close, stare, take what they want, and show excitement in less than acceptable ways. Then we proceeded to act out the way we really introduce ourselves and make new friends. It was great because we actually got real responses from students on campus. We caught their reactions as we displayed the behaviors, something I don't notice.
I guess I just love these kids so much that I don't see it weird when they practically sit on my lap or try to hold my hand when I have never met them before. We are lucky to have such big hearts for these students. It was a reality shock to see how truly this would create a socially awkward situation outside of our program and the class I work in.

Pedagogy

Pedagogy has become the word of the year, a word I have only discovered while studying special education. It has become part of my regular vocabulary and is thrown around in everyday class discussions. That makes sense though, right?

Pedagogy literally means the art and science of educating children and often is used as a synonym for teaching. More accurately, pedagogy embodies teacher-focused education.

I love thinking of teaching as an art, because it truly is! We have such a big responsibility on presenting information in a way that students will remember it. I believe it is an extra challenge for us lucky teachers in special education. We take it to another level. We have to pay attention to all of the details and make sure each step is accomplished. Then we get to celebrate every step. I love how we get to appreciate every step and see how it plays into the whole.

I found a handy little book online, Pedagogy. It points out that pedagogy means more than just teaching, it is "the taking of young children, by means of both skillful teaching and wise training, leading them up to worthy manhood and womanhood."

I am looking forward to finding my own pedagogy and teaching my students in a way that best meets their needs.

Proposition 8

As I have said before, my home is in California and one day I would love to return and teach there. But Prop 8 has recently consumed my thoughts. If it does not pass - my future is completely changed. Most don't realize that this is more than just acknowledging same sex marriages, it is accepting them as normal and they must receive the same liberties heterosexual marriages do. This means that curriculum in public schools must be changed. Everyone remember when you were a child taking sex ed. The most uncomfortable class we all had to sit through - if Prop 8 is not passed, homosexual relationships must be discussed as well. My children will not be learning about that as if it is something we need to accept. Neither will I teach or support that being taught at my school. A teacher in San Francisco recently took her class on field trip - to watch her be married to her female partner. Some how this was a "teachable moment."
Think that is scary? If Prop 8 isn't passed, the only way a church can continue being tax exempt is if they recognize same sex marriages like they do traditional marriages. I don't even want to think about how this will dramatically conflict with the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...

Please take the time and visit protectmarriage.org

Internet Safety - iSafe

Thanks to my father, I always knew the dangers of the internet. While growing up my dad worked for a company that created programs to block inappropriate sites found on the internet. He watched everything I did while on the internet. As a young teenager, I thought this was clearly an invasion of my privacy. He had access to all of my IM conversations and often at dinner he would ask about my best friends new crush. I could not believe my dad for doing such a thing. If a certain name was brought up in an IM conversation, the entire conversation was email to my dad. If someone swore while talking to me, again, the conversation was sent to my dad. Only now can I see that he was only trying to keep me sade. He is an avid anti-myspace father. He knows the dangers that can be found in such a cyber community. He once showed me how I, through friends, could be linked to porn sites. I was shocked and never again logged onto myspace. I am so thankful for the cautious skills he taught me throughout my childhood as well as for the programs he kept on our home computer. I can honestly say that never in my life have I come accross any inappropriate sites while on the internet.
i-Safe reminded me of all the things that can easily happen through the internet. It is a great resource that can really save a lot of students from the harm and pain all over the internet. It is easy for parents to access and provides all the material that a parent needs to teach their children to be safe and smart. It's easy and all begins with a visit to i-Safe!

General Conference

What an amazing weekend General Conference is.
All of the sudden everything said applies to my life and teaching special spirits. Saturday Afternoon Elder Wirthlin spoke. He talked about picking ourselves up because no one is hidden from grief and sadness. He told us of how his mom would always say, "Come what may and love it." An attitude we must adopt in our field. So many twist and turns our thrown our way. Just when we have our hands full, another student might be sent to our classroom. As soon as we have one behavior under control, boom, another one appears. He says that the only way we can do this is through his 4 steps. He said that we must learn to laugh, seek the eternal, understand the principle of compensation, and put our trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. What really touched me in his talk was his sweet story about his grandson who has autism. The love he felt for his grandson really hit me. He could not express how much of a joy this young boy had brought into their lives. He told of how they are getting him to participate in sports. He is playing baseball and eventually figured, why should I have to run for the ball? The ball is hit and flies past his young grandson. Instead of running for it he pulls a spare ball out of his back pocket. haha I say that is a genious boy :)
Elder Wirthlin also spok of the generosity and compassion a child with a disability can bring to the lives of all around them. I have always had a fear that I would have a child with a disability. It is one thing to work with them at school and then send them home to their parents, and another to care for them constantly. I figured that I love them so much, it is likely Heavenly Father will send me my own. I can't lie and say that that thought did not scare me, because it did. Then I took my CPSE 400 class and bawled through our first lesson. Eventually parents came in and told us about their special child and one lady mentioned how all of her other children have grown from her son. She said that her children have developed special hearts that are compassionate and softened to those who are different. It touched me so deeply that I have decided whether or not I have a child with a disability, my children will work closely with those who do. They will learn to see people for who they are rather than what they look like.
How I love this Church and having it by my side as I study to become a teacher of the sweetest, most special spirits on the earth.

UAAACT

On Wednesday Tina Dyches took our CPSE 463 class on a field trip!! That's right, a bunch of college girls studying special education, on a field trip. We went to the Rehabilitation Service
Center in Salt Lake to view all of their augmentative and assistive communication devices.

Wow - I actually got some hands on time with the Tango! No more of that online emulator thing. It was a little bit bigger than I was expecting but we can deal with that. I mean, it definitely was not huge, just not gameboy small. It was everything I thought it would be plus some. It was fun to use and had us all entertained for a good amount of time.

The UAAACT is going to be a great resource for all of us who decide to stay in Utah and teach.