(no subject)
I was called in to sub at 7:30 this morning. At my old High School. I managed to get up, showered, dressed and to the school in fifteen minutes. Not bad.
My assignment was to be a one-on-one aide to a sophomore. That's what I was told. The assistant principal told me that he is a "handful" and that my job was to "keep him from running up and down the halls". They handed me his schedule and my ID pass and sent me on my way. That was it.
This handful turned out to be Derrick, a fifteen year old boy with Tourette's and ADHD. He was more than a 'handful'. I wasn't even handed his IEP until third period (mind you, periods are an hour and a half each). I wasn't told anything on how to deal with him until the special needs teacher called the special needs head and she came down and talked to me. During that class, he got to the point that the principal had to be called down because he refused to move away from the computer to do the work that he had earlier refused to do in English class. He yelled a little, but not much, and the principal was able to calm him down and get him to work. After that, he was a little more receptive to listening to me, but not much more.
He was asked to leave history class because he would sit in his assigned seat. I didn't know where the proper door was, and we had a bit of a problem with him not being willing to tell me, but eventually we got there. The principal sent him back after a moment, and he did take his proper seat. Half an hour into the history class (after he'd been sitting quietly and occasionally even listening to the lecture) he asked if he could go to the library. The teacher said yes, which I didn't like because he was behaving just fine. But we went down to the library and he spent the next hour sitting very quietly, reading a manga magazine. Four minutes before the end of the day, he wanted to go down to the bus, I let him stand near the window, but he couldn't leave until the bell rang, which he did.
I have never had any special needs training and I didn't know what to do with him all day. I was very upset that they tossed me into this and didn't give me any advice or idea of what I was supposed to do. If I was Derrick's mother, I'd be very unhappy that my son, who needs one-on-one attention was handed someone that's never done that before and has no training. I did my best for him, but there wasn't much I could do. It's difficult enough when you have a degree in this, but I've never so much as taken a class. It was very frustrating.
I'm glad to be home.
My assignment was to be a one-on-one aide to a sophomore. That's what I was told. The assistant principal told me that he is a "handful" and that my job was to "keep him from running up and down the halls". They handed me his schedule and my ID pass and sent me on my way. That was it.
This handful turned out to be Derrick, a fifteen year old boy with Tourette's and ADHD. He was more than a 'handful'. I wasn't even handed his IEP until third period (mind you, periods are an hour and a half each). I wasn't told anything on how to deal with him until the special needs teacher called the special needs head and she came down and talked to me. During that class, he got to the point that the principal had to be called down because he refused to move away from the computer to do the work that he had earlier refused to do in English class. He yelled a little, but not much, and the principal was able to calm him down and get him to work. After that, he was a little more receptive to listening to me, but not much more.
He was asked to leave history class because he would sit in his assigned seat. I didn't know where the proper door was, and we had a bit of a problem with him not being willing to tell me, but eventually we got there. The principal sent him back after a moment, and he did take his proper seat. Half an hour into the history class (after he'd been sitting quietly and occasionally even listening to the lecture) he asked if he could go to the library. The teacher said yes, which I didn't like because he was behaving just fine. But we went down to the library and he spent the next hour sitting very quietly, reading a manga magazine. Four minutes before the end of the day, he wanted to go down to the bus, I let him stand near the window, but he couldn't leave until the bell rang, which he did.
I have never had any special needs training and I didn't know what to do with him all day. I was very upset that they tossed me into this and didn't give me any advice or idea of what I was supposed to do. If I was Derrick's mother, I'd be very unhappy that my son, who needs one-on-one attention was handed someone that's never done that before and has no training. I did my best for him, but there wasn't much I could do. It's difficult enough when you have a degree in this, but I've never so much as taken a class. It was very frustrating.
I'm glad to be home.