Work -_-

[xLostWingx]

I've got like an hour of work left.  If I already did about 140% of a typical days work do I need to be productive for the next 60 minutes lol?  Someone come decide whether this kid needs special ed support in all his classes or just math (its actually about 48 times more complicated than that...but without typing here for that 60 remaining minutes could never adequately explain in a few words).  Well...guess I'll just go and be minimally productive - the past three days have involved like 5 or 6 days worth of work!!!

[Template]

I'm told American's work more than avg for industrialized nations, by a good stretch. I don't have that issue and idk if it's entirely true, either. But I'm amazed at how everyone always seems to be running off to work all the time. What a lot of people actually DO seems so arbitrary to me, but I've done some work in the education sector... and these are some heavy impacting jobs sometimes, without much accountability, at least in the states. Educators and administrators in the school systems are key elements to the outcome of the entire worlds' future. They should be paid more and scrutinized much more carefully. My hat is off to you for actually staying in the edu. sector, and I know you'll manage more than being minimally productive on behalf of that student.

[LeonhartGR]

Were you preparing a report? ... Classic It has become a routine for me the last 7 years... If you need an extra opinion let me know I'm a special eds professional...

[xLostWingx]

Oh shit, Insomina has paid off.  Not one awesome new member, but also I forgot you had mentioned that before Leon.

School Psychology Intern (though I've got M.Ed Ed. Psych, Ed.S. School Psych, State and Nationally Certified).  Anyway, yeah this student is from minority population, back and forth between foster homes, parents, step parents, physically abused, small for his age, in alternative educational placement due to extensive disciplinary issues for past 2 years, behavior rating scales indicate high levels of depression and atypicality (he's not the same as everyone else [had a few drinks and this is the best way to phrase it]), He's got 74 Full Scale IQ, 69 Verbal, 74 Nonverbal, 76 Working Memory, 100 Processing Speed, Academic skills are in the 70s for Reading, 50s for Math (Fuck![3rd grade level, he is 16]), 70s for Writing.  Adaptive Behavior is in the mid 80s overall, Clearly non functional academic skills when combined with cognitive skills like that.  Haven't had a case like this before, but there are plenty of discrepancies in predicted achievement to get him all the learning supports he needs.  Not gonna be able to meet state eligibility requirements for emotional support though, but telling family to seek out community resources and outside agencies.  So yeah....job well done I suppose.

Template, I've seen some of your posts.  I thought you might be someone I'd get along with lol.  And also Leon, I'm actually looking for a job working with a BCBA (Behavior Analyst).  School Psychology is something I've learned I really only feel likewarm about.  I'm helping children in an area of their life that is extremely important, but I just find myself thinking that I'd much prefer to help them with the things that are really causing the most damage in their lives.  BCBA will be my next step towards professional practice and I'd also like to teach at a college and university part-time.  The Psy.D/Ph.D./D.Ed. options appeal to me, but I just spent two decades in school and I do not want 3-5 more years of coursework and a dissertation - at least not right now.

Yes, what people actually DO, is mostly arbitrary unfortunately.  There is tremendous variance in the quality of the principals, and teachers in each of the schools I work in.  Combined with distinct populations of student in each school, even within this one district there are vast disparities in the quality of education being delivered in each building.

What special eds pro are you?  I know you've told me before, sorry.  Speech & Language?  Guessing.

EDIT:  Template, sorry.  I guess you're not a new user, I just hadn't noticed your posts until recently lol.  Ooops!

[LeonhartGR]

Oh God... poor kid, has been through so much and the smarter he gets the harder it becomes...

I'm not familiar with your country's legislation but since you mentioned it I don't  believe the real issue is "math" support at his current state of life... of course a multi-scientific approach is demanded especially for his psychological state, but what he really needs is a rich, caring and patient family to hug him affectionately (since those type of persons empathize with their surrounding environment and can easily detect hypocritical love) along with a specialized scholar to guide him. Of course the multi-scientific environment who interferes with him must become their "circle of trust" by any means and for the later years of his life and stay close to him the times he needs them...

Those type of cases are really hard to approach because of their traumatic history... I'm also going to consult my mother who is a special education teacher, she was retired 2 years ago after 30 years of public service in the State's Assessment committee and hope to report back asap with any updated info that you might find useful...

Also Neurofeedback HEG (not EEG) sessions and the "Davis" method are kinda helpful tools for support and we use those to help people with severe depression and dyslexic behavior (of course under the patient's doctor supervision) in my small clinic...

Maybe yoga and meditation sessions along with some spiritual martial arts training like tai chi, kung fu or Chi-Gong will help control his body over mind and vice versa...

You can use google translate to translate the link below for more info on HEG:
www.dyslexiagr.com or just google "HEG neurofeedback" to find practitioners in your area.

My field is the "Speech & Language Pathology", you were right! I'm specialized in earlier identification-intervention on Dyslexia with assistive technology and a multisensory method.

Hope to have helped a little... It's an honor that you reported your case to me... and I wish things will find the way that the "poor" kid deserves!

[Template]

Well, I'm just mostly a lurker I try to troubleshoot every now and then. Lately Dan posts less, I post more. hehe

[dkma841]

Well, I'm just mostly a lurker I try to troubleshoot every now and then. Lately Dan posts less, I post more. hehe

If you didn't know yet Dan is on his 3999th post and on his 4000th he will release his final MO so he's holding out on that post till he releases so won't post till then

[Template]

I wouldn't have said it, except I think it's funny he can't post til he finishes it. I'm sure it's a strategy designed to give him more time and energy    not to speed up the release.

[xLostWingx]

I couldn't sleep (unrelated matter) and it was a good opportunity to see how much information I could recite from memory.  The meeting is getting squeezed in on Monday! Jeez...never had a meeting literally the next work day after the report.  I hate the end of the year.

[EQ2Alyza]

A tad late, but I'd like to chime in and say I'm certified grades 6-12 (B.S. Mathematics, M.T. Secondary Education) and teach 7th Grade Math currently. Despite the fact it's a high stress and lower paying job, I love what I do and wouldn't trade it for anything. In my eyes, we are huge role-models for our children, and I suppose the responsibilities attached are what challenges me to keep working hard. My mother tells me my work is my life because what I've become as a teacher bleeds into everything I do. I suppose I show some of that with my Tutorials and helping others here lol

The kids just ended school yesterday. Woohoo, summer time! This is not to say the school year has ended for me as I'm sure in a couple weeks I'll be back to revising lesson plans and tutoring. The job is year around, despite what some may poke at about us for working "only 9 months of the year." Whatever, they have no idea 

[xLostWingx]

7th grade math?  That's a pretty pivotal time period in math for most students I think.  Always good to know there are good educators out there.  Yes, it is high stress, and often lower paying.  I've seen a lot of variability between regions of the country here in the US - in pay that is.  And I've seen a lot of variability in the quality of teachers and administrators in my brief time in the school system as well.  Loving kids and wanting to help people surely helps too lol.  Yes, summer time means a little time off.  I actually may be moving out of the school system and trying to get certified for behavioral analysis.  Could work a decent job while earning certification simultaneously and I think I would enjoy it a bit more and it would be a bit less stress. 

[Template]

What if it paid twice as much to teach? Would that be enough LostWing? What would be a reasonable pay boost?

[xLostWingx]

Oh.  I think some educators are overpayed.  I think some are underpayed.  The middle 50% are probably adequately payed.  In my own personal opinion based on what I see in Pennsylvania anyway.  I feel that teachers are overall adequate in this geographic area...I'm satisfied with these conditions.

I'm a School Psychologist however.  They wanna pay me about $35k starting in PA...$40k in New York, $45 in Colorado, and $50k in California.  The job is quite stressful.  And I have high aspirations - I want a private counseling practice and to teach adults psychology lol.  I might not be directly helping as many children... but I'll still be directly helping certain people and indirectly helping many more.

[yarLson]

if you wanna help people, stop contributing to the global US Dollar ponzi scheme.  Grow a beard, invent a free energy device, stop eating food and drinking water and hope that your enlightened enough to not die, transcend to the next dimension and then figure out why it is that we humans are so resistant to change even to the point of choosing extinction over change.  Then somehow figure out a way to stop the this global train wreck...

just 2 cents :p 

[xLostWingx]

I think that's a few more than 2 cents lol

[Template]

if you wanna help people, stop contributing to the global US Dollar ponzi scheme.  Grow a beard, invent a free energy device, stop eating food and drinking water and hope that your enlightened enough to not die, transcend to the next dimension and then figure out why it is that we humans are so resistant to change even to the point of choosing extinction over change.  Then somehow figure out a way to stop the this global train wreck...

just 2 cents :p

I grew the beard and I just pretend to do the other sh*t. People see right through me but my beard catches some of the food that I'd normally not get to eathave to eat off the floor.