Silence to Come

A little update ....

I am so sad to hear of the tragedy in Connecticut.

As a teacher, i am amazed at what educators did to save children's lives. 

I know that if the same thing happened elsewhere, any teacher would do the same. 

The truth is we treat our students as our own. We care for kids each and everyday and we come to love them! I can't imagine what that community is going through and in honor of those lost, I will be participating in a Blogger Day of Silence

Here's some more info from Michelle over at The Vintage Apple

On Tuesday, December 18th, there will be a blogger day of silence. We will post the button and that's it. Please try to not post anything else that day if possible.

We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services. Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to: 

"Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING."

Please visit THIS PAGE to make any donation you would like!  

So on Tuesday all you will find on this here little blog will be the pic you see above. 

Also, because i am moving, you will see a bit more silence! I am gonna take a week or so to get moved and settled. I am hoping to make a return right before Chistmas and if not, i will see you all around after the holiday! You can guarantee  I will be around on Instagram (@Simoney234), Facebook, and maybe even a little bit of Twitter! 

Love You all! 

Options Available

Last week I was pretty disappointed. 

I had applied to Donor's Choose to add my school to their list of sponsored schools. I honestly thought that my school just wasn't listed because no one had added it before  Welp, it turns out it is because they will not add my school. 

Here's the gist: They won't add a school unless it is a public school. 

Here's my opportunity to explain a bit about where i work. 

Many of you know that i am a special education teacher. I am, but the type of school that i work at is different for sure. I work at a Non-Public School. This means that my school has students who come from districts on a contractual basis. Our students are kids who need a controlled environment and really respond well to positive behavioral supports. We run a positive reinforcement program and the students are constantly earning something because of this. The kids are graded every period based on points that are earned or not in 10 different categories, 5 academic and 5 community citizenship points. It is all very involved, but basically the students are earning all sorts of stuff at all times! 

The negative side of my job is that these kiddos tend to have some pretty rambunctious behaviors. They can and do act out violently often. In this case, my campus has a time out room available and all staff are trained to hold students when they have become a danger to themselves or others. This can be really difficult for the kids and the staff. I have worked for this school for going on 10 years (even prior to getting my credential) and i have seen how it works for students. I have seen students struggle, succeed and even make gigantic amounts of progress. Parents see how their child can make gains in just one school year. It really is about holding students accountable for their behavior and thier academics. 

So, because the school has limited funding, I thought i would attempt to get a projector and a projector screen funded through Donors Choose. Well, my plan failed. But i was happy to know that they gave me some other resources to try out. Here are some other options that Donors Choose shared with me: 

Adopt A Classroom

Modest Needs

Goods360

I still have to do my research to figure out which one i will use, but wonder if anyone has ever donated, requested classroom materials, or even researched one or more of these sites? 

When i do decide, i will be sure to post it here!