So, I have gone through orientation and I officially have my classroom. Notice I don't say class...
I am sharing a classroom with the sweetest lady ever, Megan. I am so happy to be her team teacher. She has been amazing in showing me everything and I have already learned so much from her and the way that she interacts with her students. The classroom that I am in is specifically designed for kiddos with intellectual disabilities, orthopedic impairments, medical conditions or some combination of these things. Its been great to take a back seat these first couple of weeks and observe Megan and learn some of the strategies that she uses with the kids.
Her students come in the morning, and theoretically, mine come in the afternoon. School has been in session for a week and a half, and I'm yet to have any students of my own yet. I learned yesterday that PUSD has 500 special ed referrals that they are working through (assessing and placing) and I was hired in anticipation of an influx of kiddos who have the above mentioned issues (since they wouldn't fit well in a traditional SDC (special day class). Fun fact: my caseload (as well as Megan's) most likely won't be above 6 kiddos (because of the severity of their needs).
All that to say, we are basically waiting on the district to assess and filter kids through the system to get them to me! It's been a nice slow start to my career. I've had a lot of time to organize and decorate the room, which has been great, but I'm so ready to meet my kiddos and get started!
