Well, I found my class's personal and social development sheets and have just finished updating them. I have signed my reports and they are now ready for the Head's signature. Other members of staff are starting to talk to me nicely about what they would like from my classroom as regards resources. As there will be one class less next term, my room will become vacant, so it's first come, first served for the pick of the spare resources and equipment.
2 weeks and 4 days left!
Having fun!
I am really getting into this html lark. Not that I am actually using it properly - more doing it the lazy way - copying and pasting - mostly from the Bravenet site, which seems to have tons of help, handy hints, information etc for a novice such as myself.
So you will see that I now have a selection of freebies on my sidebar. Yes, I know I've probably overdone it - Keith reckons it will soon take about 4 hours for my blog to load - but I view it more as 'learning by doing.'
AND it's Task Avoidance Strategy, for, while I have now finished and printed off the children's reports (YESSSS!!!!!) I now have to update their Social Development Profiles. But that's not the only problem......
First, I have to FIND them! (Don't tell the Head!!) :-0
So you will see that I now have a selection of freebies on my sidebar. Yes, I know I've probably overdone it - Keith reckons it will soon take about 4 hours for my blog to load - but I view it more as 'learning by doing.'
AND it's Task Avoidance Strategy, for, while I have now finished and printed off the children's reports (YESSSS!!!!!) I now have to update their Social Development Profiles. But that's not the only problem......
First, I have to FIND them! (Don't tell the Head!!) :-0
Special Needs
Some children in schools have what are known as Special Educational Needs. These are the children who need varying degrees of support to help them learn. Some also have physical disabilities to contend with. If they were in special schools, they would have all the extra support to hand - physiotherapy, toileting facilities, speech therapy etc. However, current thinking maintains that it is more beneficial to most children to be in mainstream education, unless they have severe physical or learning problems. (It's called inclusion.)
A good point, except that mainstream schools, ordinary neighbourhood primary schools, do not have the same pupil/teacher ratio, nor do they have access to anywhere near the same level of other professional support. While it is good for special needs children and other children alike to have time together, perhaps this arrangement does not benefit the former to quite the same extent.
Still, our ordinary mainstream schools are able to call on the support of professionals such as the Local Authority Support Service, speech therapists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists, aren't they?
Not exactly. Speech and occupational therapists, physiotherapists and the like are in constant short supply - so much so that children have to be seen on a rota basis.
Educational psychologists?
Well, they apparently come from a different planet and are also in short supply. In fact good ones seem to be very hard to find. The best one can hope for in the real world is one with whom the class teacher can build up such a relationship that she can 'tell him what to think'. In practical terms, this means that the Ed. Psych.
1)comes in to discuss and observe a designated child. (It is a bonus if he can focus on the correct child.)
2)asks the class teacher for her opinion on
a) the problem
b) the required course of action.
3) Goes away and writes his report regurgitating information gleaned from the class teacher.
N.B. If he is really lucky, the said class teacher will have written down her thoughts, observations and opinions, so all he needs is a scanner and printer!
In the past, at least, if his report was relevant to the child's needs, the result would be increased funding to pay for classroom support or necessary resources. Now, we are lucky if the school even gets that.
Improvement through Inclusion? I don't think so!
A good point, except that mainstream schools, ordinary neighbourhood primary schools, do not have the same pupil/teacher ratio, nor do they have access to anywhere near the same level of other professional support. While it is good for special needs children and other children alike to have time together, perhaps this arrangement does not benefit the former to quite the same extent.
Still, our ordinary mainstream schools are able to call on the support of professionals such as the Local Authority Support Service, speech therapists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists, aren't they?
Not exactly. Speech and occupational therapists, physiotherapists and the like are in constant short supply - so much so that children have to be seen on a rota basis.
Educational psychologists?
Well, they apparently come from a different planet and are also in short supply. In fact good ones seem to be very hard to find. The best one can hope for in the real world is one with whom the class teacher can build up such a relationship that she can 'tell him what to think'. In practical terms, this means that the Ed. Psych.
1)comes in to discuss and observe a designated child. (It is a bonus if he can focus on the correct child.)
2)asks the class teacher for her opinion on
a) the problem
b) the required course of action.
3) Goes away and writes his report regurgitating information gleaned from the class teacher.
N.B. If he is really lucky, the said class teacher will have written down her thoughts, observations and opinions, so all he needs is a scanner and printer!
In the past, at least, if his report was relevant to the child's needs, the result would be increased funding to pay for classroom support or necessary resources. Now, we are lucky if the school even gets that.
Improvement through Inclusion? I don't think so!
A grand day out
8.30a.m. saw us on the road heading for the Lleyn Peninsular. Yes, I did say 8.30a.m. As I get up at 5.30 during the week, I could be forgiven for looking forward to a bit of a lie in at the weekend, but the prospect of a ramble around the wilds of North Wales was too tempting, especially as the weather promised to be good. We both really enjoy our days out and this was no exception. Every time we go, we find somewhere new, with spectacular scenery. North Wales is definitely undersold. (See photos).
Mind you, you see unusual sights too - like cormorants and sheep on the beach at Llanfaer - not together, but sheep in Wales don't stick to fields like they do everywhere else. Then there was a huge lump of rusty iron that Keith got very excited about - he said it was a lathe. Couldn't quite see the attraction myself. You obviously need a male mind to appreciate such things!The golf course at Morfa Nefyn was unusual to say the least. It's right on the coast. Where else would you have to practically climb a rock face to reach the tee for the 15th hole! The building behind me in the photo is the site of the tee. As far as we could see, the green had to be in Ireland and it was a par 2353!!!
We did a lot of walking too - as you can see from the photo of Keith....er, resting :-)
Mind you, you see unusual sights too - like cormorants and sheep on the beach at Llanfaer - not together, but sheep in Wales don't stick to fields like they do everywhere else. Then there was a huge lump of rusty iron that Keith got very excited about - he said it was a lathe. Couldn't quite see the attraction myself. You obviously need a male mind to appreciate such things!The golf course at Morfa Nefyn was unusual to say the least. It's right on the coast. Where else would you have to practically climb a rock face to reach the tee for the 15th hole! The building behind me in the photo is the site of the tee. As far as we could see, the green had to be in Ireland and it was a par 2353!!!
We did a lot of walking too - as you can see from the photo of Keith....er, resting :-)
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