October 7-15 was spent working on our pots for our teachers and our barriers to educations books for Mrs. Vaughn's Kindergarten class! 

For our pots we had to pick 6-7 teachers to adopt for the school year! We spent class time decorating the pots and making them special for our teachers! We also had class time to work on our barrier books, we each picked a topic, and we had to make a life size book to share with Mrs. Vaughn's class! 

On October 16th we met at Mauldin Elementary to read our stories to the Kindergartners! The books contained puppets, sensory objects and activities for the children so they could interact throughout the story! 

Tiffany hanging out with sweet Elizabeth! 

Students showing us how awesome sharing is! 

Teacher Cadets and Mrs. Vaughn's kindergarten class! 

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week everyone in the class signed up to go visit different special needs education classes.

On Monday I went to Hope Academy and visited with the 5k/1st grade class. I could immediately tell who the two children with autism were because they both had shadows and one of them kept lashing out. It was really neat to see how the other students reacted to both of those boys like it was no big deal they were in there and they didn't treat them any differently.

On Tuesday I went to Mauldin Middle School and visited Mr. Finch's class. The kids in there had different special needs from autism to downs syndrome. I really enjoyed vising his class because I could tell he really had a heart for what he was doing. Some of the kids in there really struggled to stay on task and follow directions for even the simplest tasks and I know it takes a lot of patience to have a job like that.

On Wednesday I went to Mauldin Elementary School to observe Mrs. Rainey's neurological class of 5k/1st graders. Some of them had autism, downs or just a speech impediment. They were all so cute and Audrey and I got to read books to them for the first part of the observation. In the morning they were integrated with regular students to do morning work and then came back to their class.

Senior Pink Day!

On Thursday and Friday in class we worked on our flower pots which we made to hang up on teachers doors so that throughout the year we can write encouraging notes to put in their pots. We each selected 6-7 teachers to sponsor and we are responsible for making their pots and giving them notes throughout the year.

September 27th

Mrs. Susan Sachs from Hope Academy came to tell us more about the wonderful school.  She went into more depth about Autism, and explained the types of classrooms that Hope Academy offers.  You can tell that she absolutely loves her job, and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  Raising a son with Autism, she knows first hand what it is like to take care of someone with special needs.  She is a very patient woman, and she is very good at what she does.

September 26th

Today, we watched a video about Autism.  It was made by Hope Academy.  We learned that people with Autism struggle in three main areas:  Communication, Social Interaction, and Behavior.  Also, there is a spectrum for Autism.  Severe cases are referred to as "Classic Autism" and mild cases are classified as Asperger's. One in 50 children have Autism.  The number of children diagnosed with Autism is increasing quickly.  People with Autism may require more help, but they are some of the most fun and loving people.

September 25th

Today was Disability Day.  It had such an impact on everyone in the class.  We had different stations that helped us understand what it was like to have certain disabilities.  The stations were dyslexia, blindness, speech impediment, no use of arms, and webbed fingers.  All of the stations were difficult to complete.  It made us have a new respect for people with disabilities.

September 24th

Mrs. Poole from Anderson University came to visit our class!  She shared information with us about our autobiography, mid-term brochure, newsletters, and teacher interviews.  She was a great representative of Anderson.

September 23rd

Today, we read Mrs. Spitzer's Garden.  The book was about a teacher who was about to start the school year.  Instead of teaching children, she planted seeds.  Throughout the year, she watered the garden to ensure that every plant was growing.  Also, it mentioned that every plant was different and special in its own way.  This is a wonderful example for how teachers should view their students.

In addition to reading the book, we all picked teachers that we would like to encourage each month.  Doing nice things for the teachers is a great way to thank them for everything they do.