Monday, October 10, 2011
Leaves are Falling
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Jeans
Oh how I've longed for this day!! "Jeans day" used to be an everyday occurrence for me at my old job. The ability to wear my "casual" clothes to school was awesome, but I have to say that the reason we were allowed to wear jeans was much more meaningful and worth it than any other day throughout the year: Lee National Denim Day for Breast Cancer Awareness.
September and October are months that hit me pretty hard. Breast Cancer Awareness has been important to me since the day my cousin Mary was diagnosed with it back in 2006. I remember exactly where I was when I was told she was diagnosed with this horrible illness. I was surrounded by the children and the parents of the children whom I taught sign language to and I remember being slightly mad at my mom for telling me in front of all these people. I felt lost and confused and scared and I didn't know what to do. I know my mom told us with everyone around because she wanted them all to know so they could pray for her and for her family. Mary made it through and was in remission until 2008.
It was Tuesday, September 23, 2008 when I got the phone call from my mom to tell me it was time to come home to say my goodbyes. I was completely heartbroken and scared. Mary's cancer had come back a few months prior and it had spread to her lungs and her health went downhill quickly. Mary was brought home to the house with her family and hospice came in to make sure she was comfortable. Meghan and I drove home Thursday after we finished our externships. Friday afternoon, we headed over to Mary and Jeff's. Mary was lying so peacefully on a recliner and I remember sitting there for what seemed like hours holding her hand and telling her how much I love her. I was scared and lost and confused and all I could do was pray. I prayed for a miracle; I prayed for peace for her husband and her daughters, her mother and her brother; I prayed for God to ease the pain we as a family were about to endure.
The next morning, September 27, 2008, Mary took her final breaths in this life and entered into God's kingdom. But the days following Mary's death are all a blur to me now. We rushed to find suitable clothing to wear to the viewings and funeral and we made collages to commemorate Mary's life, all while we waited for God to ease our pain. As we gathered to remember Mary, pink ribbons adorned the clothing of every family member and friend, tears flowed as if they were waterfalls and we leaned on each other to get through one of the most difficult times we as a family had to undergo.
My relationship with Mary will never change. Mary was always a friend to me; She was always there to give me advice when I needed it; And she was always there to knock some sense into me during the times where I wasn't thinking so clearly. I still stop to see her as often as I can. There are times when I still talk to her as if she is here with me. There are times when I have so much I want to tell her and I wish she was here to listen to me.
As much as these months make me think about Mary and how much I miss my beloved cousin, it's not just these months that Mary is remembered. As this month of making strides toward curing breast cancer comes and goes, we must remember that it's not just the month of October that families are facing the the uncertainties of this illness. We must remember to "Share Beauty and Spread Hope" throughout every month of the year.
So thank you Lee Denim Day for giving me the opportunity to share the story of my family and to remember someone who will always be important and special to me.
September and October are months that hit me pretty hard. Breast Cancer Awareness has been important to me since the day my cousin Mary was diagnosed with it back in 2006. I remember exactly where I was when I was told she was diagnosed with this horrible illness. I was surrounded by the children and the parents of the children whom I taught sign language to and I remember being slightly mad at my mom for telling me in front of all these people. I felt lost and confused and scared and I didn't know what to do. I know my mom told us with everyone around because she wanted them all to know so they could pray for her and for her family. Mary made it through and was in remission until 2008.
It was Tuesday, September 23, 2008 when I got the phone call from my mom to tell me it was time to come home to say my goodbyes. I was completely heartbroken and scared. Mary's cancer had come back a few months prior and it had spread to her lungs and her health went downhill quickly. Mary was brought home to the house with her family and hospice came in to make sure she was comfortable. Meghan and I drove home Thursday after we finished our externships. Friday afternoon, we headed over to Mary and Jeff's. Mary was lying so peacefully on a recliner and I remember sitting there for what seemed like hours holding her hand and telling her how much I love her. I was scared and lost and confused and all I could do was pray. I prayed for a miracle; I prayed for peace for her husband and her daughters, her mother and her brother; I prayed for God to ease the pain we as a family were about to endure.
The next morning, September 27, 2008, Mary took her final breaths in this life and entered into God's kingdom. But the days following Mary's death are all a blur to me now. We rushed to find suitable clothing to wear to the viewings and funeral and we made collages to commemorate Mary's life, all while we waited for God to ease our pain. As we gathered to remember Mary, pink ribbons adorned the clothing of every family member and friend, tears flowed as if they were waterfalls and we leaned on each other to get through one of the most difficult times we as a family had to undergo.
My relationship with Mary will never change. Mary was always a friend to me; She was always there to give me advice when I needed it; And she was always there to knock some sense into me during the times where I wasn't thinking so clearly. I still stop to see her as often as I can. There are times when I still talk to her as if she is here with me. There are times when I have so much I want to tell her and I wish she was here to listen to me.
As much as these months make me think about Mary and how much I miss my beloved cousin, it's not just these months that Mary is remembered. As this month of making strides toward curing breast cancer comes and goes, we must remember that it's not just the month of October that families are facing the the uncertainties of this illness. We must remember to "Share Beauty and Spread Hope" throughout every month of the year.
So thank you Lee Denim Day for giving me the opportunity to share the story of my family and to remember someone who will always be important and special to me.
In loving memory of Mary Virginia McAdams
9.8.55 - 9.27.08
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Innocence
Kids really do say the funniest things but they are also the most innocent little creatures ever. They have no clue the cruel realities of this world we as adults now face. When I walk into work in the morning I feel like I'm entering a whole new world. I feel as if the troubles of this world, this country, this state, and this city have been lifted off my shoulders and my only real worry is how to put a smile on my student's faces. We never know what these kids are coming from. We rarely get insight into their home lives and we are challenged every day to break through their walls and work around any insecurities and worries these children might be bringing to school with them without us knowing anything about it.
Over the past two years, I experienced the home lives of so many children. The different ideas of what families consider a "comfortable living" astonishes me. I saw houses with newly remodeled kitchens and hardwood floors and beautiful cathedral ceilings - houses that I would never in my life be able to afford - to houses that were literally as small as my apartment for 7 people to live in. I was in houses where the words "drugs", "alcohol" and "violence" would never exist and I was in houses where they all existed, every night and sometimes every day. It astonishes me even more how so many of these families (not all, but many) can live through the things I saw with big smiles on their faces. Because in all reality, it's not about what you have, it's who your with that really matters.
So now I face a new challenge. Now I have to go on with therapy and encourage parents to carryover what I'm doing in my therapy room into their homes. With my background, I am a huge proponent of carryover. Not only into the home but also into the classroom. I think I've started off this year really pushing my believes of carryover and it's importance. There's no way to generalize the skills they learn in my small therapy room without having the support of classmates, teachers and parents. I've sent a small cheat sheet to each teacher on each student they have with speech and language services. On the sheet I listed their speech goals, their speech therapy days and their IEP due dates. I'm in the process of sending home homework folders with all of my students. I am pushing into the classroom as much as I can and talking to teachers about what they can do to help better their student's speech and language skills. Of course, I have parents who are on board and I have parents who could care less, but I will not give up on helping these children while they are at school and in my hands. All I can do is my best and my best is what I am going to give them. These kids deserve it.
**Now I'll leave you with some of those innocent, funny and cute things that leave me smiling at the end of every work day:
"I have two dogs. Their names are 'Wiser' and 'Bud'." - Really? So glad these are dog's names and not children!
"Get focused here! Get focused here!" - A first grader to a third grader after she sat him down at his desk and put out work for him to do, all while slapping her hand on the desk to get his attention.
"God can fly. He floats on clouds and he has wings." - A second grader when listing things that belong in a category of "things that can fly".
"My favorite thing I have learned in school is how to stop bullying." - A fifth grader. I wish I could tell you his whole story and why this one broke my heart but alas I can't... just knowing our Anti-bullying program is working puts the biggest smile on my face.
Over the past two years, I experienced the home lives of so many children. The different ideas of what families consider a "comfortable living" astonishes me. I saw houses with newly remodeled kitchens and hardwood floors and beautiful cathedral ceilings - houses that I would never in my life be able to afford - to houses that were literally as small as my apartment for 7 people to live in. I was in houses where the words "drugs", "alcohol" and "violence" would never exist and I was in houses where they all existed, every night and sometimes every day. It astonishes me even more how so many of these families (not all, but many) can live through the things I saw with big smiles on their faces. Because in all reality, it's not about what you have, it's who your with that really matters.
So now I face a new challenge. Now I have to go on with therapy and encourage parents to carryover what I'm doing in my therapy room into their homes. With my background, I am a huge proponent of carryover. Not only into the home but also into the classroom. I think I've started off this year really pushing my believes of carryover and it's importance. There's no way to generalize the skills they learn in my small therapy room without having the support of classmates, teachers and parents. I've sent a small cheat sheet to each teacher on each student they have with speech and language services. On the sheet I listed their speech goals, their speech therapy days and their IEP due dates. I'm in the process of sending home homework folders with all of my students. I am pushing into the classroom as much as I can and talking to teachers about what they can do to help better their student's speech and language skills. Of course, I have parents who are on board and I have parents who could care less, but I will not give up on helping these children while they are at school and in my hands. All I can do is my best and my best is what I am going to give them. These kids deserve it.
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." -Helen Keller
**Now I'll leave you with some of those innocent, funny and cute things that leave me smiling at the end of every work day:
"I have two dogs. Their names are 'Wiser' and 'Bud'." - Really? So glad these are dog's names and not children!
"Get focused here! Get focused here!" - A first grader to a third grader after she sat him down at his desk and put out work for him to do, all while slapping her hand on the desk to get his attention.
"God can fly. He floats on clouds and he has wings." - A second grader when listing things that belong in a category of "things that can fly".
"My favorite thing I have learned in school is how to stop bullying." - A fifth grader. I wish I could tell you his whole story and why this one broke my heart but alas I can't... just knowing our Anti-bullying program is working puts the biggest smile on my face.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Bwack and Lellow, Bwack and Lellow
It was Black and Gold day at Wilson Elementary today.
And the Steelers garb was out in full force. Anyone who knows me, knows
that I truly don't follow football very closely. For me, football season
only exists from mid-August to mid-September (AKA preseason and maybe one
or two regular season games) when my true love, preseason Penguins HOCKEY,
starts! I'm already stoked to be going to the preseason game with Chris
on Thursday! Life is great right now... and it's only going to get better
with hockey season starting!
So, today, I continued with the "marker game" and like yesterday I would take a turn as well. I always picked the same color markers, Black and Yellow. Again, anyone who knows me, knows that Black and Yellow are my two favorite colors, and not just because they are the true colors of Pittsburgh. However, I do honestly think I bleed black and gold. I’m with a group of first graders today and I pick up my two colors and decide that I will go first in order to show the kiddos what I want them to do. So, I tell them that black and yellow are my favorite colors and that I am a huge hockey fan. And the next thing I know, the little “shy” first grader that was sitting across from me starts belting out Whiz Khalifa’s Black and Yellow. Except, keep in mind that these kids are here for one reason, and one reason only… they have a speech delay! So, this little boy sang a new version of Whiz’s song… “Bwack and Lellow, Bwack and Lellow”. If I had a tape recorder, it would have been repeated and recorded for me to listen to before every Steeler and Penguin game! The best part was that this little boy sang it with so much confidence and no care in the world… I mean he belted it with two of his classmates in the room and didn’t even think twice about what they would think of him. Granted, he only knew those three words to the song. However, they are really the only important words for him to know, right?
So, today, I continued with the "marker game" and like yesterday I would take a turn as well. I always picked the same color markers, Black and Yellow. Again, anyone who knows me, knows that Black and Yellow are my two favorite colors, and not just because they are the true colors of Pittsburgh. However, I do honestly think I bleed black and gold. I’m with a group of first graders today and I pick up my two colors and decide that I will go first in order to show the kiddos what I want them to do. So, I tell them that black and yellow are my favorite colors and that I am a huge hockey fan. And the next thing I know, the little “shy” first grader that was sitting across from me starts belting out Whiz Khalifa’s Black and Yellow. Except, keep in mind that these kids are here for one reason, and one reason only… they have a speech delay! So, this little boy sang a new version of Whiz’s song… “Bwack and Lellow, Bwack and Lellow”. If I had a tape recorder, it would have been repeated and recorded for me to listen to before every Steeler and Penguin game! The best part was that this little boy sang it with so much confidence and no care in the world… I mean he belted it with two of his classmates in the room and didn’t even think twice about what they would think of him. Granted, he only knew those three words to the song. However, they are really the only important words for him to know, right?
Let’s Go Pens! Go
Steelers!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Captain Wagner, Speech, Ms. Wagner
I loved today! After three weeks full of organizing and reorganizing, scheduling and rescheduling, I finally got to start seeing my students.
Each group started out the session by picking their choice of colored paper (either red, orange, green, or yellow). Once they picked the paper, I had them trace their hands (or I traced their hands for them).
We put the hands to the side and I brought out my container of markers or crayons, depending on the age group. I instructed them to pick one, two, or three markers, but no less than one and no more than three (I have to pause for a second to say a BIG thank you to my sister who gave me this idea on my way to work this morning, except I changed it from blocks to markers/crayons... so Thanks, Megs!!!). On my dry erase board, I wrote a list of topics they could chose from to talk about. The number of markers they had in their hands dictated the number of things they had to tell me about themselves. This was a great way to get the students talking and to get them to interact and ask each other questions.
After we heard from each student, we went back to working on the "leaves" for my tree. They wrote their names on their "hand" and then we talked about what they worked on in speech the previous year. Most of the students know what they worked on but if they didn't, we talked about what we would be working on in the next year. I wrote each student's goals on the "fingers" and then had them color/decorate their "leaf" any way they wanted. While they did that, I explained my classroom rules to them and talked to them about the homework folders they would be getting (we'll talk about those some other time). We cut out their hands at the end and started hanging them up on my tree! Once I get them all up (by the end of next week), I'll take a picture for everyone to see!
This brings me to the title of this entry. On my dry erase board, I also had written my name: Ms. Wagner. Plain and clear. It's not a hard name; at least not for my students who can actually produce the /r/ sound (which isn't that many actually!). Some of the students know my name, some of them have no clue. Others just make up their own. One of the students that I have in from the life skills class has been calling me a "speech" since he met me two weeks ago. He's a little boy who has down syndrome and I think it is the cutest thing, ever. He will see me in the halls and say "Hi, Speech". I love it. And then there's the fourth grader who I finished my day with today. I asked him if he remembered my name (because I had spent some time with him before) and he says "yeah, it's Ms. Wagner, but I'm going to call you Captain Wagner!" We proceeded with the rest of the session and I was called "Captain Wagner" each and every time he referred to me. Would it be out of line to have all my students refer to me as either "Captain Wagner" or "Speech"?
Now let me pause to say I was a little concerned how I would fair with the 4th and 5th graders. I wasn't too concerned with K-3 because I've had a lot of experience with younger kids and my nephew is in 3rd grade so that helps me to relate to those students. I am pretty sure the 4th and 5th graders are going to be my favorite to work with! I almost forgot what it's like to have students who actually know what they are working on, remember to come to speech on their own, and I can have conversations with!
Anyway, Day 1 went pretty smoothly if I can say so myself. With each and every day I love my job, and my life, a little more. God has truly blessed me with some amazing things these past two months. He has shown me that faith and trust in Him and belief in myself was the only way that I was going to achieve my dreams. When I finally let go and let God handle things, it was like the path was outlined in gold and there was no way I could possibly be misguided. Faith, Trust, Belief. Three lessons I have learned and three words I will never take for granted.
Believe in yourself and in what you can do.
Believe in the goals that you strive to pursue.
Believe in the friends who believe in you, too...
Forever and always,
BELIEVE.
Each group started out the session by picking their choice of colored paper (either red, orange, green, or yellow). Once they picked the paper, I had them trace their hands (or I traced their hands for them).
We put the hands to the side and I brought out my container of markers or crayons, depending on the age group. I instructed them to pick one, two, or three markers, but no less than one and no more than three (I have to pause for a second to say a BIG thank you to my sister who gave me this idea on my way to work this morning, except I changed it from blocks to markers/crayons... so Thanks, Megs!!!). On my dry erase board, I wrote a list of topics they could chose from to talk about. The number of markers they had in their hands dictated the number of things they had to tell me about themselves. This was a great way to get the students talking and to get them to interact and ask each other questions.
After we heard from each student, we went back to working on the "leaves" for my tree. They wrote their names on their "hand" and then we talked about what they worked on in speech the previous year. Most of the students know what they worked on but if they didn't, we talked about what we would be working on in the next year. I wrote each student's goals on the "fingers" and then had them color/decorate their "leaf" any way they wanted. While they did that, I explained my classroom rules to them and talked to them about the homework folders they would be getting (we'll talk about those some other time). We cut out their hands at the end and started hanging them up on my tree! Once I get them all up (by the end of next week), I'll take a picture for everyone to see!
This brings me to the title of this entry. On my dry erase board, I also had written my name: Ms. Wagner. Plain and clear. It's not a hard name; at least not for my students who can actually produce the /r/ sound (which isn't that many actually!). Some of the students know my name, some of them have no clue. Others just make up their own. One of the students that I have in from the life skills class has been calling me a "speech" since he met me two weeks ago. He's a little boy who has down syndrome and I think it is the cutest thing, ever. He will see me in the halls and say "Hi, Speech". I love it. And then there's the fourth grader who I finished my day with today. I asked him if he remembered my name (because I had spent some time with him before) and he says "yeah, it's Ms. Wagner, but I'm going to call you Captain Wagner!" We proceeded with the rest of the session and I was called "Captain Wagner" each and every time he referred to me. Would it be out of line to have all my students refer to me as either "Captain Wagner" or "Speech"?
Now let me pause to say I was a little concerned how I would fair with the 4th and 5th graders. I wasn't too concerned with K-3 because I've had a lot of experience with younger kids and my nephew is in 3rd grade so that helps me to relate to those students. I am pretty sure the 4th and 5th graders are going to be my favorite to work with! I almost forgot what it's like to have students who actually know what they are working on, remember to come to speech on their own, and I can have conversations with!
Anyway, Day 1 went pretty smoothly if I can say so myself. With each and every day I love my job, and my life, a little more. God has truly blessed me with some amazing things these past two months. He has shown me that faith and trust in Him and belief in myself was the only way that I was going to achieve my dreams. When I finally let go and let God handle things, it was like the path was outlined in gold and there was no way I could possibly be misguided. Faith, Trust, Belief. Three lessons I have learned and three words I will never take for granted.
Believe in yourself and in what you can do.
Believe in the goals that you strive to pursue.
Believe in the friends who believe in you, too...
Forever and always,
BELIEVE.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tree Fillers
I forgot to add a little blurb about my close to finished bulletin board! I love it! The students will trace their hands on fall leaf-colored paper and then cut out their hands. On their hands, they'll write their names and what goals they are working on in speech class. The hands will be put up on the tree and "falling" off of the tree to look like leaves. I am pretty excited to start filling my tree!
Donuts and Love
Donuts. Who doesn't love donuts? My favorite is definitely Boston Creme filled with chocolate icing! A real treat for me since I try not to indulge too often in donuts. But today, donuts had a much bigger meaning to me. Yes, I am still referring to the sweet treat but they are way more than that. Donut Friday's will commence this Friday for the staff and will continue every Friday until early June. My mouth is watering as I think about it. I found out about Donut Friday's earlier in the week and what everyone was referring to as "donut groups". I didn't have a donut group and no one had asked me to join them yet. I kept thinking I should ask someone if I could join their group, but right when I got up the nerve, I saw their name on the donut group list with three other staff members (four is the limit). I decided I'd just wait and see what it looked like by the end of the week and if there was a group of three, I'd just add my name to their group. Until today when I got an e-mail, entitled "donuts" from one of the learning support teachers. It simply said "Do you have a donut group yet?" My heart skipped a beat. How in the world could the word "donuts" make me so happy? But it was more than just the fact that I'd get to eat a donut every Friday. It was acceptance and friendship. I was overjoyed that someone thought of me and wanted me to be in their group. I obviously replied: "No, I do not... but I'd gladly join yours if you need someone!". And there I was, in a donut group. My new donut friends are going to be great, I already know it! I just hope they don't judge me for buying a whole box of Boston Creme filled donuts and probably eating them all myself!
On another note, love was definitely in the air today. I spent some time with my mentor's second grade class today. We broke into groups and I got to sit with a few of the students that I will be working with and a few of the other students. We all took turns asking each other questions about our hobbies, interests, families, pets, etc. It was the first time I got to really sit in and spend time with any of the kids in the school. Second grade is full of a lot precocious little buggers. They aren't the babies anymore; they are veterans and they know what is expected of them. They have had two years to get to know their peers and two years of getting to know the school. My two favorite kids in the group won't be receiving speech and language therapy at all but boy did they put a smile on my face. We somehow got into the topic of recess (which I guess isn't that difficult of a topic to get into when you're a kid) and the little girl, we'll call her "M", burst out "You know what I like to do at recess? I like to run around a chase boys" and the entire time she's staring at one of the boys, we'll call him "D". So "D", without skipping a beat, says, in his confident yet hopeful voice, "So does that mean you're going to chase me around at recess?" "M" chimes right back in with a true Minnie Mouse batting of her eyes, hands clasped to the side, shoulders shrugged and enthusiastic, "Sure I will!" This type of "flirting" went back and forth between the two "love birds" for the entire session. There was even jealously beginning to arise when one boy "S" raised his hand, ever so politely, and asked "Why does she always ask him her questions and not the rest of us?" And this is where I had to jump in and ask "M" to direct her questions to some of the other students in our "get to know you" group. Who knew that these things started at such a young age? I sure didn't have any interest in boys when I was in second grade... at least I don't think I did!
So my day was filled with donuts and love. A perfect day in my eyes. Donuts and Love will always prevail in days where life seems to get you down. So I leave you with this:
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
--Robert Brault
On another note, love was definitely in the air today. I spent some time with my mentor's second grade class today. We broke into groups and I got to sit with a few of the students that I will be working with and a few of the other students. We all took turns asking each other questions about our hobbies, interests, families, pets, etc. It was the first time I got to really sit in and spend time with any of the kids in the school. Second grade is full of a lot precocious little buggers. They aren't the babies anymore; they are veterans and they know what is expected of them. They have had two years to get to know their peers and two years of getting to know the school. My two favorite kids in the group won't be receiving speech and language therapy at all but boy did they put a smile on my face. We somehow got into the topic of recess (which I guess isn't that difficult of a topic to get into when you're a kid) and the little girl, we'll call her "M", burst out "You know what I like to do at recess? I like to run around a chase boys" and the entire time she's staring at one of the boys, we'll call him "D". So "D", without skipping a beat, says, in his confident yet hopeful voice, "So does that mean you're going to chase me around at recess?" "M" chimes right back in with a true Minnie Mouse batting of her eyes, hands clasped to the side, shoulders shrugged and enthusiastic, "Sure I will!" This type of "flirting" went back and forth between the two "love birds" for the entire session. There was even jealously beginning to arise when one boy "S" raised his hand, ever so politely, and asked "Why does she always ask him her questions and not the rest of us?" And this is where I had to jump in and ask "M" to direct her questions to some of the other students in our "get to know you" group. Who knew that these things started at such a young age? I sure didn't have any interest in boys when I was in second grade... at least I don't think I did!
So my day was filled with donuts and love. A perfect day in my eyes. Donuts and Love will always prevail in days where life seems to get you down. So I leave you with this:
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
--Robert Brault
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