Helpfully subtitled, for your convenience
Jun. 25th, 2012 01:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
afterallthistimeSummer Program
So I'm officially on vacation until July 9th. This pleases me. On the 9th, of course, I start the five-week SPED summer session, which should be "interesting." It's the same program I worked last year, with the same adult team, but instead of having four kids, we'll be having about ten, which is, if you don't know, a significant difference.
The range of abilities (and disabilities) last year was more uniform -- all of the kids had intellectual disabilities, and one of the girls had a chromosomal disorder that required some special medical attention, but they were all on even footing in most respects.
This year, all the students once again have some level of intellectual impairment, but within that we have some kids who, at age fourteen or fifteen, are functioning at the level of three year olds, and some who are functioning at the level of, say, seven or eight year olds (which is, if you don't know, a significant difference). Also thrown into the mix, we have two students with Down's Syndrome, one with Kabuki Syndrome, one with autism, and one with "a partial deletion of Chromosome 15," which is something I know NOTHING about, so... that should be fun. The classroom set-up is going to be more focused on academics this year, so we have ELA, Math, and Life Skills stations (I'll be doing ELA), but we will also still be doing cooking, APE, vocational training, games, and trips downtown (walking downtown with a group this big will be a new experience -- last year I don't think we ever took more than three kids down).
I'm looking forward to it, because it will be a novel experience and I have met most of the kids before and they are good kids, like, really good kids, but in the course of my day-to-day work atthe school, I don't generally work with kids who are so severely impacted by their disabilities -- my normal job puts me with high-functioning spectrum kids (Asperger's, HF autism, other non-verbal LDs), kids with specific learning disabilities, and kids with anxiety/depression disorders. This is all fairly new territory for me, so that's both exciting and terrifying.
Babydolls
Speaking of both exciting and terrifying, Andy has already bought me one of my birthday gifts -- four sessions of burlesque classes with The Boston Babydolls. I'm psyched, because this is giving me the impetus I need to reach my goal weight before August (like, 6 pounds to go, damn it! After that it'll just be icing) as well as fullfilling one of my New Year's Resolutions/Bucket List goals. If I like the experience, I'll continue the training out of pocket at some point (probably stagger the lessons os I'm not sinking my entire monthly budget into classes every month), but I'm looking forward to giving this a go.
Clothing
My husband also bought me this new skintight red minidress I'd been oogling at Charlotte Russe (I'm so psyched I can actually fit into clothing from there, now), and I have officially dubbed it my Birthday Dress, so I am going to have to find someplace appropriately swanky for my birthday festivities. I have also purchased a new bikini (WAH IT IS ADORABLE) and new bras, because the others were woefully huge on me (the bad news: I've gone from a D-cup to a B-cup. This displeases me. I miss my boobs. I miss them hardcore).
I am currently S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G, so I'm going to start thinking about lunch options and then attempt to finally finish my Geometry homework or something equally productive (just because I'm on vacation doesn't mean there's not stuff to be done). Anyway. Cheers.
(PS: Yeah, I've not forgotten about my 100 Things... thing. I'll try to put up some new entries this week. ADD has been kicking my ass royally, lately.)
So I'm officially on vacation until July 9th. This pleases me. On the 9th, of course, I start the five-week SPED summer session, which should be "interesting." It's the same program I worked last year, with the same adult team, but instead of having four kids, we'll be having about ten, which is, if you don't know, a significant difference.
The range of abilities (and disabilities) last year was more uniform -- all of the kids had intellectual disabilities, and one of the girls had a chromosomal disorder that required some special medical attention, but they were all on even footing in most respects.
This year, all the students once again have some level of intellectual impairment, but within that we have some kids who, at age fourteen or fifteen, are functioning at the level of three year olds, and some who are functioning at the level of, say, seven or eight year olds (which is, if you don't know, a significant difference). Also thrown into the mix, we have two students with Down's Syndrome, one with Kabuki Syndrome, one with autism, and one with "a partial deletion of Chromosome 15," which is something I know NOTHING about, so... that should be fun. The classroom set-up is going to be more focused on academics this year, so we have ELA, Math, and Life Skills stations (I'll be doing ELA), but we will also still be doing cooking, APE, vocational training, games, and trips downtown (walking downtown with a group this big will be a new experience -- last year I don't think we ever took more than three kids down).
I'm looking forward to it, because it will be a novel experience and I have met most of the kids before and they are good kids, like, really good kids, but in the course of my day-to-day work atthe school, I don't generally work with kids who are so severely impacted by their disabilities -- my normal job puts me with high-functioning spectrum kids (Asperger's, HF autism, other non-verbal LDs), kids with specific learning disabilities, and kids with anxiety/depression disorders. This is all fairly new territory for me, so that's both exciting and terrifying.
Babydolls
Speaking of both exciting and terrifying, Andy has already bought me one of my birthday gifts -- four sessions of burlesque classes with The Boston Babydolls. I'm psyched, because this is giving me the impetus I need to reach my goal weight before August (like, 6 pounds to go, damn it! After that it'll just be icing) as well as fullfilling one of my New Year's Resolutions/Bucket List goals. If I like the experience, I'll continue the training out of pocket at some point (probably stagger the lessons os I'm not sinking my entire monthly budget into classes every month), but I'm looking forward to giving this a go.
Clothing
My husband also bought me this new skintight red minidress I'd been oogling at Charlotte Russe (I'm so psyched I can actually fit into clothing from there, now), and I have officially dubbed it my Birthday Dress, so I am going to have to find someplace appropriately swanky for my birthday festivities. I have also purchased a new bikini (WAH IT IS ADORABLE) and new bras, because the others were woefully huge on me (the bad news: I've gone from a D-cup to a B-cup. This displeases me. I miss my boobs. I miss them hardcore).
I am currently S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G, so I'm going to start thinking about lunch options and then attempt to finally finish my Geometry homework or something equally productive (just because I'm on vacation doesn't mean there's not stuff to be done). Anyway. Cheers.
(PS: Yeah, I've not forgotten about my 100 Things... thing. I'll try to put up some new entries this week. ADD has been kicking my ass royally, lately.)
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no subject
Date: 2012-06-25 05:11 pm (UTC)I would love to do Burlesque dance classes, that'd be fantastic. I went to a Dita von Teese show a few years back and it was so incredible.
I'm glad that there are people out there who can work with the children who have special needs. I just don't know that I could do it.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-25 06:10 pm (UTC)Enjoy the burlesque classes! That's sounds so fun! I was going to try burlesque at my current studio but they haven't yet found an instructor so it's still on my to-do list. I am curious about it so I hope you let us know how it goes.
Good luck with the 5 week summer program! Sounds like it will be a challenge.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-25 07:00 pm (UTC)And I was going to say something like, You can do it! But of course you know you can do it. You always sound so capable and open when you talk about this stuff; I love your attitude and aspire to it tbh.
Andy is two for two on the gifts. Love the idea of Burlesuqe-ing, and that dress is amazing and you look so awesome. I opened the cut and said, damn, out loud, no joke!
no subject
Date: 2012-06-25 10:37 pm (UTC)This reminds me how when I was about six teachers kept insisting I had en vogue learning disability of the week and kept eliding over the anxiety thing. As far as we've gotten with mental health issues as a culture I think there's still a huge proportion of people who are basically "well, they're all the same" or that can't tell horses from zebras. Sigh.
Apparently learning burlesque was a part of training for MGM contract players because there's so much vaudeville involved. (Lucille Ball, unsurprisingly, was particularly known for her burlesque routines.) You get good at it and you might have a whole new career. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 04:05 pm (UTC)I bet you will have a blast at the burlesque class.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-02 03:01 am (UTC)I don't knooow... I kind of can't believe I turn 30 this month?? I'll really have to think about where I want to go.