New Beginnings

It always amazes me that very close to, or this year coinciding with, the time when the leaves change color, our Jewish calendar starts a new year. Beginnings are good – a clean slate and a new start. A new year offers us an opportunity for changing, for setting priorities, for trying to do things better this time around.

The problem is that we often revert right back to our old ways – over/under-eating, over/under-exercising, watching too much tv, ignoring our promise to ourselves to better balance work, family/friends, and fun. Still, even though we know it will be difficult, we tell ourselves this time will be different and we’ll be more successful!

It’s something we should remember about our students. They, too, want a new start – to shed their old labels, to begin anew and try to do better. This time they will hand in their homework; they will complete projects on time; they will pay attention in class. Even though it’s hard to change, they will attempt to live up to their own promises.

Teachers and students may not have difficulty with the same behaviors. Usually, teachers had positive experiences in school – otherwise why would they choose to spend their working days in schools? So teachers tend to be good readers. We like to learn. We are at least fairly well organized. But these are important school behaviors that many students, especially those with special needs, find difficult. Disorganization is a common issue for students with learning disabilities, AD/HD, or executive functioning issues.

As teachers, we must remember how difficult it is to change one’s behavior. Then we should give our students the positive reinforcement and encouragement they need to change their own behavior. No matter how small a change, it could be first step towards school success.

Accomplishing the TO DO List

It’s been a long while since I’ve written – classes, bike rides and the hecticness of life put the blog on the back burner for a while. Once there, it was hard to move it to the front burner. So I did what we suggest for individuals with organizational issues and for all students with special needs – make a list, break down each task into small and “doable” parts, and check items off when you accomplish them.

And now, I’m back to writing – OK, I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a wimp and the fall temperatures have gotten a bit too cool for my bike. However, it is the list I keep going back to, and it’s what seems to keep me moving ahead on the things I need to do. Without it, what I call the “mundane stuff of life” takes precidence and I forget about the bigger and probably more important things, which then never get accomplished.

So my “TO DO LIST” is long and colorful (I group the areas of work by colors). My rainbow list now has lots of bold Xs on it, a testament to my perseverance and the ultimate success of the strategy I’ve used with so many of my students – write tasks down, break the tasks into small component parts, do it, and X it off the list.

That’s what works for me. What works for you??