the 'r word'

If you know me at all you will know that I'm very passionate about children and people with exceptionalities.  You will also know that I absolutely cannot stand for these people with exceptionalities to be made fun of or talked about negatively.  So with that, the 'r word' or retarded absolutely drives me insane and I do not like for anyone around me to say it, ever.  I cannot think of one example where it would be okay.  One of my really good friends sent me this article on a blog that she came across, and I don't think that this woman could have said it any better.

Holmes, Phoebe. "Being Retarded." Herding Cats... 23 Dec 2011. Web. http://phoebeholmes.com/2011/12/23/being-retarded/. 18 Jan 2012.

Phoebe Holmes, the woman whose blog this post came from has a daughter named Maura that has special needs.  This blog post, with good reason is basically a rant on how Phoebe hates when people use the word retard(ed).  The main reason she doesn't like the word is because people use the word in place of saying something is stupid.  So, when people use the word retard(ed) they are indirectly calling her daughter and every other person with special needs stupid.  Phoebe says, "Yes she is slow to learn things. But she is not stupid."  

Overall, I really enjoyed this blog post, because we share the same beliefs.

My own experience:

I have a really good friend that is majoring in Elementary Education.  She uses the 'r word' very often.  The other night when we were hanging out she said it once and I asked her to please not say that.  She knows how I feel about the word.  Well, she said it again and I finally said, "You are not going to be able to say that when you become a teacher.  It is not polite, makes you sound ignorant, and is highly inappropriate."  She did not react well, but I am just looking out for her.

until next time.

happy learning.

Carly with Autism

Carly is a 14 year old girl from Toronto, Canada.  She has a twin sister named Tara.  When Carly was two her parents realized she wasn't quite at the same level as her sister Tara.  Tara was diagnosed with Autism and is nonverbal.  She often times well have episodes where her body flails and she cannot get control of it.  This is embarrassing for her and she wants to be normal just like any other teenage girl her age.  Recently her therapists, teachers, and family have discovered that she can type out exactly what she wants to say.

I think that this is amazing.  As a special educator this could be very useful for me.  When in high school, I would take a boy in the special education class home after school.  He was somewhat verbal, but it was never predictable.  If his teachers and therapists worked with him to type, this might be a way for him to communicate with us.  It is also interesting because a lot of times student's realize what you're saying, but they just can't say anything in response.  So, it is important to realize that as any type of educator and not treat a child like they are not important.

Autistic Girl Expresses Profound Intelligence [Video]. (2010). Retrieved 20 Jan 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4XMlhCfp3Q&feature=youtu.be.

until next time.

happy learning.

Welcome to Miss Brennan's Class!

Hello!

So for my class we had to design our own classroom.

The rules are: no constraints on size or money.

I have to have space for 25 student's, at least 4 windows, and technology included.

Here it is:

More than likely you probably can't read all the captions, just click on the picture and it should become larger so that you can actually read them!

My learning philosophy and a little more detail about my classroom:

My teaching philosophy is to have a diverse learning environment.  I believe that it is important to have an open environment for teaching and learning.  Since our society is very diverse, I believe it is important to be attentive to everyone's needs and wants.  I have an open classroom with tables and a smart board for group work and hands on learning.  I have a separate room for desks that includes a projector.  This room would be more appropriate for individual learners.  I also included a media room for those who work well with technology. In the media room I included computers, iPad's, and microphone programs.  The art room is for those who learn best with their creative abilities.  Finally, I included reading, puzzle, game, and  iPod sections of the room for end of the day wind down activities, where the children will continue to learn.