Now that I have time and energy to breathe and reflect, I thought I would make a top ten list of all the things I learned (or was reminded of) teaching out of my comfort zone for the past 10 months ...
10. Document, document, document
9. Assignments can be modified beyond what I thought possible.
8. Without student motivation, it doesn't matter how you've modified said assignment. The key is always finding out what makes a student tick.
7. A sense of humor is invaluable.
6. One cannot underestimate the importance of a good educational assistant/classroom aide.
5. Sometimes kids don't get what is best for them because of things out of your control, so sometimes your best within the situation has to be good enough.
4. Teacher collaboration/planning is becoming more and more essential. This is hard for me as I considered myself bossy and a smidge controlling when it comes to the classroom. I learned A LOT about this and am really glad I did.
3. Kids need to feel successful at something every day.
2. I can handle more than I thought I could!
1. While words cannot express how grateful I am for the experience, Special Education is not for me and I cannot give enough credit to those who are passionate about it and feel it is their calling. My heart and strengths lie in the general education classroom, so next year - THIRD GRADE!!!!
