First of all, this topic is way more than I can cover in one short post. For one thing, it's my job. For another thing, it's my life with a special needs kid at home.
I am at a training today given by my school district in regards to new laws about seclusion and restraint of students, including those with special needs. I have to say it is very comforting to be surrounded by people who have felt the same things and dealt with the same things as I and have survived with a sense of humor and faith in humanity. Working with kids can be a huge challenge, and as special educators we often get the kids that other people have given up on (often with reason). It is also the most rewarding thing I can imagine doing short of 1) being a parent or 2) being an obstetric nurse.
I get to build close relationships with kids who have immense amounts to give to the world but who haven't figured out how to appropriately access their abilities. As a new teacher last year, I would be high one minute on having a student succeed and crying in the bathroom the next minute because of a sudden escalation. My goal this year is to regulate myself a bit better and insulate my life separate from my work. Part of the reason for starting this blog is to remind myself to move on at the end of the day and pay attention to the family time I have in the evening. I have to learn to not take my student's struggles so personally and be able to congratulate myself on my minor accomplishments. I hope that being part time this year will give me the room for reflection that I need to keep gong without getting burnt out.
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