New Beginnings

This week I begin training for my new job.  I am the special education teacher/consultant for two Lutheran schools in town.  I will teach two days a week, which is the maximum amount of time I want to work.  I am happy that I will be spending the majority of my time home with Liam.  I will spend Wednesday and Thursday mornings at Suburban Bethlehem and afternoons on Wednesday and Thursday at Ascension Lutheran.  I will spend the majority of my time working with students one-on-one or in small groups on literacy development.  There are only a few students that have IEPs (Individual Education Plans), so most of my students will be those that struggle with class work, but are not diagnosed with a LD (learning disability).  I will also help teachers think of ways to help individual students within their own classroom.  This is also my last year of taking classes towards my Masters in Special Education.  I am thrilled that this job counts for my student teaching.  I don't know how we would have managed eight weeks of full-time teaching with no pay.  So, I am very thankful I can make enough money to pay for a sitter so I can fulfill my hours in a special education classroom.  I am nervous and excited.  Neither school has had a special education program before.  I have a lot of work to do at the beginning to gain trust from the teachers and set-up my program.  However, I am glad for this opportunity.