A day in the life of an Ohioan turned New Yorker
Published on September 29, 2008 By alison watkins In Misc

As I have mentioned I teach elementary music for an at risk school district on Long Island.  My duties involve grades 1-2 and special ed classes in 3 different buildings.  14 periods out of 36 a week end up being a special learning environment.  I teach students from all different scopes.  This includes speech and hearing problems, multiple learning disabilities, emotionally disturbed children, and my personal fave- the autisim spectrum. 

Mondays tend to be one hell of a day because I have 4 special ed classes in a row.  The first two periods are the students who lie somewhere within the autisim spectrum.  These classes tend to be like night and day.  One week they will just be so into whatever lesson I have prepared, the next they are banging their heads off of a desk and screaming.  Today just happened to be one of those off days.  Both classes were like walking into a vortex of hell.  No music making took place.  Every time we tried an instrument went flying. 

While on the one hand this situation can be thoroughly entertaining because kids say and do the darndest things, for the most part, it is very sad.  I want to do nothing more than to help these kids.  I feel even worse for the parents.  Often times it is just one parent, a single mother, who is at her witts end with what to do.  I wish I was more prepared to teach these children.  I wish doctors would find out more about this sad condition.

On the other hand, it can be very rewarding.  Last year one of my Aut classes ended up working up a choreographed dance to be put into a show.  We brought down the house!  After the concert a mother came up to me in tears and told me how she was just so amazed because her child didn't speak a word until he was 4 and now he was performing in front of the entire school.  That statement was the highlight of my 4 year teaching career.

I just wish my undergraduate degree prepared me on how to teach music to special learners.  I just find it so fascinating.


Comments
on Sep 29, 2008

I don't feel equipped to work with many of my learners with special needs.  Even with all of the special ed teachers working with my students, I feel like I don't have any idea.  I feel like I'm getting a little more experienced as I continue on this career path, though.

on Sep 30, 2008

Exactly!  During my undergrad I never even thought I would have to teach these classes because I was not qualified to do so.  I remember just being kind of thrown into it while I was subbing and eventually learned a couple of things.  I think this is why I'm getting a masters degree in it! hehe. 

It's good to hear from you!

on Sep 30, 2008

Alison,

As the parent of a child with Asperger's Syndrome (and thus would fall into your Autistic Spectrum classes), I can tell you that having teachers who really want to help the child (rather that won't admit that it's actually a problem) is blessing to us. 

On the off days, which can be sparked by anything (even though most of the kids have specific triggers), it's painful, frustrating and heartbreaking 'cause you know the kids WANT to.  It's just that they can't always DO.  And it's just as painful, frustrating and heartbreaking for the kids 'cause, as they see it, WE are the ones who are having the "off day". 

Just keep on working with them, being nice and understanding to them, and loving them.  That's the best that we as teachers and parents can do.  Offering them a place of consistency, love and compassion in a world that usually is none of that makes a big difference in these kids lives.  Even with my wife and I working with him, our son does better with a teacher that cares and tries than one that doesn't.

Keep up the good work!

on Sep 30, 2008

Chaos:

Wow..kudos to you and your wife!  It is great to hear supportive stories from parents who deal with this first hand.  I bet the growth that you have seen throughout your child's life can't even be put into words!  It really is all of the small things that mean so much. 

Thank you for the advice and words of encouragement.  You are absolutely right...consistency is the key!

on Sep 30, 2008

It definitely opens your eyes to things around you that you normally ignore.   Like adopting a 5 week old kitten 'cause they ran over them (literally, they drove over the kittens on the highway) or watching a caterpillar climb up the deck post and wondering where he's going.  I've noticed that he (of the 4 kids) is the one that seems to grab life and squeeze as much out of it as he can.  And then he wrinkles it up and tosses it on the floor.    Of course, helping him keep a schedule has definitely helped me out, too.  And he's caught me a couple times when I wasn't exactly paying attention to how much gas was left in my truck.     Even more so that other children (and to me, all children are blessings), a child with an ASD is a blessing.  He's just got a few more quirks than most.