Have you ever seen The Wizard of Oz? You know, tornadoes, a flying house, ruby red slippers, yellow brick road, a scarecrow, a tinman, a cowardly lion, flying monkeys, a melting witch, a powerful wizard, and clicking heels? If you haven't seen it, that was a short synopsis! And also, in case you haven't seen it...when Dorothy is in Kansas the movie is in black and white...when she lands in Oz, the movie is in bright, bold colors!
So, for the last four years, I taught in a special ed classroom in a public school. I loved my students and a couple of my co-workers, but for the most part, I was ignored. Sure, teachers would say hi to me in the hallway, but no one ever really stopped by my room to say hey, or anything, really. It was different from other schools that I had been at in other states. Even in the special ed department, aside from the couple of teachers that I talked with, no one really paid me any attention.
I started at my new school this week, working with a couple of students to transition to middle school. My fiance also transferred to the same school as well! We've been up there every morning this week, me to work with the kids and him to set up his classroom. Let me tell you,! I feel like Dorothy landing in Oz! My old school is Kansas...black and white....my new school is like Oz, full of color! I've had pretty much all the teachers around me, stop in and say hi, tell me to let them know if I need anything! Administration has been great, guidance has been great! We went out of lunch yesterday with our younger cousins and two teachers from the school. I told my fiance on the way that this was the first time I was invited out to lunch with general education teachers! I am super excited for the school year this year!
And a quick student story from this week. I was working with a student who has behavioral issues. Yesterday, he trashed my classroom...today, I went in with a different approach. He did not trash my classroom, but he did grab a can of Lysol aerosol spray that was in the bathroom and started to spray it. In the process of trying to grab it from him without getting sprayed in the eyes, I managed to get sprayed all over the rest of my body! A little annoying, but, at least I am germ free going into the school year!!
