Who is Johnny Cash?

Today was chaotic, much like any day, especially a Monday. On Mondays we are the "C" schedule, which confuses all my kiddos (and me) so a few of them usually start the morning off in a panic. Then a few paraprofessionals were absent, which sent a few more into stress mode. However, by lunch time we had things pretty much under control....well at least for like 20 minutes. Then a student ran in screaming that he,"was pissed off and wasn't going back in that crazy teacher's class. Ever. He was done." Ok. Got it. At the same time another student turned over a chair, which made another student scream. Ok. Chair turned up right. Scream stopped. Upset student now calmly listening to music. Then in walks Sam dressed completely in black- black slacks, buttoned up black shirt, and black dress shoes. His hair, also black was slicked back and he was speaking in a British accent. He has a thing with accents. Anyway, amidst the chaos in the the rest of the room he was seemingly charming and cheerful. I commented that he looked nice and was like Johnny Cash. He became frustrated with me, because he didn't know who Johnny Cash was. I hurried to Google him so Sam could see, but he had to get to lunch.He left the room a bit frustrated, but still his British English. So, our day continued much the same as the morning with a few more out bursts followed by some social skills lessons, handwriting practice (which no one likes), and a visit from a Dynavox rep.
 By the afternoon while waiting for the buses Sam's curiosity about "The Man in Black" had returned. He begged me(in accent) to look up Johnny Cash on my phone. However, I could not get a signal at all on my phone. Then the bus arrived, and he had still not been able to see Johnny Cash. Though, he will have to wait until tomorrow to realize the awesomeness of "Ring of Fire", Sam's British accent and Cash curiosity brightened my day. Sometimes it is the little things, the little moments that make my day. Tomorrow the first thing I plan to do when I see him is show him who Johnny Cash is. I am hoping that he can use his voice and accent talent to sing us some tunes, Cash style.

What hour is it?

    We have been back in school for three days after having a two week break. I have heard the questions, "What hour is it?" and "Where should I be now?" about three thousand times. There are several reasons these questions have been asked, but the main one is that we have an insane A,B,C block schedule. What does this mean? It means that my students stay confused even during normal weeks about where they are supposed to be (I am usually confused also). So on Mondays we go to all 8 classes and the classes are about 40 minutes each, but on Tuesday and Thursday we have 1st,3rd,5th, and 7th hours and the classes about about 90 minutes long and then on Wednesdays and Fridays we have 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th hour classes, except if it is short week, which then changes the whole thing yet again. Oh and we have advisory on Mondays and sometimes on Tuesdays. Confused yet? Me too. So we came back from break on a Wednesday, but we were on C schedule instead of B. Whatever. Don't ask me where you are supposed to be I have no idea. Why do I have no idea? Well, we also started a new semester on Wednesday, so everyone schedules changed, which means that the neat, organized schedule binder I made last semester is now totally obsolete. Wait... I know I can look up their schedules on the computer. Nope. Computer system is down. Super. This means that I have no clue where the kids are supposed to be or who is supposed to be in my class. Awesome!
Well we managed to make it through three days. Eventually (two days later) the computer system began working correctly. However, will any of us ever figure out this block schedule? Probably not. Students on the spectrum generally crave consistency and like to know what to expect. This constant changing of the schedule just heightens their worry and anxiety. Hopefully one day I will have a say so in the bell schedule. Until then, I will continue to be asked "What hour is it?" each day, no matter how many schedule charts I hang up or how many personal schedules I color code.

What can we do to help Autism awareness in 2012?

There are little things that we can all do to help raise Autism and developmental disability awareness this year. Here is a list I have made, what other ideas do you have?

1. Be kind to people with disabilities. Smile and speak to them as you would anyone else.

2. Fundraise for a cause such as Autism Speaks. April is Autism Awareness month and many local and national organizations have walks and events.

3. Become a mentor or friend to someone with Autism. Your local Autism society or advocacy group can help pair you with someone.

4. Spread the word about Autism and the need for further research through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

5. Volunteer at a local school or organization and work with students on the spectrum. You will love them!


-School Starts back this week. Remember that all of these schedule changes can be stressful for all of us, especially those on the spectrum. Help your child by making a social story explaining the changes and a visual schedule to follow the first few days back to school for a smooth transition.

Happy New Year!