What do You Want to do Before You Die?

Inspired by the Buried Life and surrounded by all sorts of teaching talk and classes, I have continually thought about what I want to accomplish before I die and the phrase 'make a difference' continually runs through my head.  I had no idea what I wanted to be growing up but my senior year of high school transformed me into who I aspire to be today.  After dropping an honors English course with a teacher who kicked me out of her class the previous semester no less than once a week, I was placed into a 'peer tutoring' class in a special education room.  Having no experience with special education, I was apprehensive to say the least.  I thought maybe this would just turn into study hall or I wouldn't even have to show up but I was so wrong.  I was introduced to the most life changing experience I could ever have.  I found myself out of my comfort zone and learning to deal with adversity like no other event had ever showed me how.  I was found talents I never knew I had, but most importantly though I found my niche.

As the semester concludes and eventually the year, I hope to pursue my dreams of becoming a special education teacher and look back and say, "I made a difference."  My hope is that all of you reading this can do the same and maybe add this to your bucket list not as something you can ever cross off, but something those who find your bucket list will be able to cross off for you.  I hope you look back on all your experiences here and use what you have learned to truly reach your full potential and make a difference in whatever path you take.

Bloggers Beware!!

Just released today and blowing up all over the Autistic community is this article published in the Huffington Post.  If you have the chance to read it you really should! It is extremely interesting as well as promising for the Autism community.  The article is not what this post is about though.  It is about the comments below the article that have me almost to the point of shaking I am so frustrated.

Take for example this comment..."It's immunizations...that 's why the dramatic increase in recent years."  I have a few questions for you there: What are you basing your opinion off of? Where did you get this information? Did you even read this article? Or this nice fellow..."I think it is chemicals and pollutants also."  I would like to pose the questions above to you as well. 



Case in point...blogging has not only created a community for the intelligent to share ideas and collaborate instantly, but also opened the door for the idiots, the morons, the uneducated, and the stupid to grace us with their input on serious issues.  So please remember...be careful of what you post and be smart about it.  Take others opinions into consideration.  And make sure the community you are creating by posting is constructive rather than the opposite. 

Teknologikly Addvanced

O how I love spell check!  Over the past semester we have learned about so many different assistive technologies to help children learn but what we must not forget is the technology we have used over and over again, often without even realizing it.  Think about when you sit at your computer and type out that dreaded final paper and see that little dotted red line appear when you spell a word incorrectly.  The purpose of this post is to encourage you to explore what you already have available at your fingertips and master it.  Find a purpose for it.  As our nation's school districts struggle with money, you will need to be innovative in your thinking about how to help your struggling students.

Just this past week I had a professor tell me that she cant write well, often forgetting how to correctly make a certain letter.  So how does this problem get solved? She only types.  She didn't need the latest iPhone app, didn't need to download a new program, simply needed a computer to best help her learn. 

How many of you know how all the Excel formulas to help you with your math homework? Think about how much easier that math homework would be.  Why don't we teach our students how to use all of these? They can even check their homework themselves in some cases (This is a good thing as it lessens your workload)!

So I leave you with this advice...know your software inside and out. All of it.  Spend time figuring out every nook and cranny your school software has to offer and think about where it can be incorporated into your teaching strategies.