Sorry for the delay.....

I must first apologize for the lack of posts on my blog. In my first two months of being a new special education teacher, I just haven't found the time to blog. But tonight is the night that I decided that I HAD to write. I had my AH-HA moment. I teach 5th grade so my students are required to take the 5th grade writing test. However,there are no accommodations or modifications for my group so they are required to write the 5 paragraphs. Like any normal person, I was shaking in my boots. How in the world was I going to get my students to write 5 paragraphs when they had issues getting just ONE thought on paper? Like any good teacher, I attend a lot of professional development workshops. Last week, I attended a writing workshop. The presenters taught us a technique called "The Power of Three". First the student draws a triangle and writes a one word topic in the middle. Then the student writes one detail on each side. Next, the student writes a conclusion below the triangle. The items on the triangle are then transported to regular lined paper and wah-lah, a complete paragraph! Today, I started a new writing activity after having so many other false starts. Today, ALL of my students were able to write a complete and concise 5 sentence paragraph about their favorite thing to do on the weekend. That was my AH-HA moment. I presented the idea of writing a paragraph as a shape rather than lines of words. As my assistant and I walked around monitoring and helping the kids, I thought to myself, 'I can't believe that I am a real life teacher.' I felt so fuzzy and warm inside. My kids were so excited that they had written complete paragraphs. I then preceded to cheer with my students because we would soon write multiple paragraph papers. Me: Next we'll write 2 paragraphs Kids: THEN THREE! THEN FOUR! THEN FIVE! The little scuff with a parent from the day before meant absolutely nothing. Any negative energy I receive while I'm in this position means nothing. I'm sitting here in tears because I know that God placed me on this Earth just for this. God is sooooo good and it's only through Him that I am where I am today and where I will be in the future. Until next time, I will "Keep Calm and Teach On." <3