First Week of School for ALL of Us!

Jacob, Elijah and I all started school this past Monday. Now, I am a teacher, so many of you may think that I just went back to teaching. I also started GRAD school this past Monday online through Texas Tech! I didn't even get to look at my assignments until Monday night, and by then I thought I was crazy for even trying.

Let's backtrack a little, though. Jacob had a great start to school. He is now OFFICIALLY a SENIOR! How did that happen?? He likes all of his classes and really likes his computer maintenance class. He gets out of school at 2:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays! He is still working at Albertsons, but only two days a week!

Elijah started seventh grade at the junior high school. He also had a great first week of school. He is using his status sheet again, and had NO REDS! He can earn a green, yellow or red for each class. If he gets all greens he can have the iPad that night. We also count the number of greens he gets each week and he can earn a trip to SWEET FROG for frozen yogurt or something else we decide on!

Now, let's get back to me! I rarely get to talk about ME! I am taking two online classes through Texas Tech to earn my Masters in Special Education and Diagnostician's Certificate! I am finding both classes very interesting. As of today, I have all of my lessons for this week turned in and have started my lessons for next week! My plan is to stay ahead, so that way I don't have to rush! I have observation hours I need to complete, but can use all of my hours from teaching last year towards that, so that is a load off of my mind.

I am so caught up this morning, that I even worked on a Power Point lesson for one of the new deaf ed. teachers in my district. I'll be home this morning, and then Elijah and I are going to the library this afternoon. I figure I can work there on my laptop and he can play in the Teen Center. It works out good for both of us!

I'll try to keep y'all posted on how we are doing, but if you don't hear much from me then I AM BUSY!

Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is almost upon us! Jacob starts his Senior year and Elijah starts his first year in junior high school. I return to work, after a week of inservice last week, AND start graduate school. I won't even be able to sign in until after I get home from work tomorrow to check out my classes. 

I am driving Elijah to school and my honey is driving Jacob. She is using his car because her car is in the shop. After school, he and I will go and pick up his car that she will leave at the mechanics after picking up her car. She has to work tomorrow afternoon and can't go with us to get her car! I know it sounds confusing, but we have it all worked out.

Hopefully at some point, I can check on my classes! I will hopefully get to update you all soon on how it all went!

Having a Schedule

Tomorrow is the big day that I go back to work. Jacob and Elijah still have one more week until school starts. Jacob will be staying home with Elijah to babysit! I sat down this morning and made out a daily schedule for Elijah. He does much better at home, if he has a schedule. Jacob has even agreed to play the Wii with Elijah twice a day! Elijah will be sure that Jacob sticks to the schedule. We even write in lunch and a snack time!

Elijah also has a schedule at school he follows. When I met with his principals, I let them know that on days that the schedule changes, they need to let Elijah know a day ahead of time. He knows how to tell time, and he doesn't like it when his schedule changes. Some people may think it is a hassle to have to do all of these extra things for Elijah, but I am glad I finally have figured him out! I am sure I will have more figuring out to do in the future. OH and his chewing tic is back. He is munching down on chewelry.

Graduate School

Today's blog is more of an update on ME! I am returning to college and will be working on my Masters in Special Education focusing on becoming a diagnostician. I had been wanting to return to school for several years, but had never followed through. Now that the boys are older and Elijah is more mature(I hope!), I can finally focus on me a bit. I also wasn't sure what I wanted to study if I returned to school, so that had kept me from pursuing a Masters.

I did some research and found that I could attend Texas Tech online and complete my Masters in three years. I can do it in two and a half if I take two classes for one summer. I decided to focus on becoming a diagnostician, because there are very few, if any, diagnosticians in our state that know sign language and who have an understanding of how deaf kids function. I have worked with some great diagnosticians, but there is a piece missing when an interpreter has to be used.

I am excited about starting my online classes on August 26th. I have ordered my books and am all registered. I applied for financial aid and received a grant and a loan. Jacob is going to be a senior and Elijah will be in seventh grade. It will be a very busy year, but in the long run, I think this will give me many more options in my career.  I will let y'all know how it is going!

Igneous Rock

One things that amazes me about Elijah is how well he learns new vocabulary words. He is a deaf child, who does wear cochlear implants, who has a strong vocabulary. Many of the words he uses, I have not taught him. He has learned them at school or incidentally through experiences in everyday life.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about him telling me about obsidian rocks. Well, the other day we were out driving and I asked him again about studying rocks. I asked him what his favorite rock was and he told me obsidian rock. He then added, "It is an ignus rock." I then said, "An igneous rock?" and he replied with "YES!" All I can say is WOW! His pronunciations aren't always great, but he does know what he is talking about. I wasn't sure if obsidian rock was an igneous rock so I looked it up and of course, Elijah was correct!

Elijah is so very smart, and I am hoping that he will show it more in school and in his life. He loves science, so of course, he has soaked in this vocabulary. However, he hates doing homework, so he doesn't want to work on any school work. ARGH! Not good for someone who wants to study rocks and go to college!

We will be visiting his junior high school in a little over a week. Due to some rezoning of the school district, he will be attending a different school than we had planned on at his ARD. I am going to be sure to tell them about his love for science!