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My SMART Goals for this project were:
1. Learn to make eye contact and have conversations with teachers and classmates.
2. Successfully transition from one activity to another without deviation.
3. Obtain 80% accuracy from a district-approved sight-word list.

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For my service learning project, I was given the chance to volunteer in my community and work with young children. Over the course of the semester, I spent 20 hours in a classroom with 5 special needs students who are in the 1st and 2nd grade. I assisted the teacher with various tasks, helped the children complete their work, and observed many different situations and interactions.

Every day begins with the students coming in and performing their assigned "jobs". They are divided into being "chair managers" (placing chairs out at each desk), "computer techs" (turning on each laptop), and "distribution managers" (handing out papers to each student. This gives each student responsibility and a sense of accomplishment after they complete each task.

Once everything is ready, the students sit at their desks and their teacher, Mrs. Thomas, takes attendance, discuss the date using a calendar, and review their ABC's using an interactive website on the Smart Board. Afterwards, half the students begin "I-Ready Reading" on laptops while the others work on their writing and comprehension skills. During this time, speech therapists come in and take certain students out of the class to work with them individually. After some time, the students switch from computers to writing and vice versa.

At 10:30, they go to lunch which is followed by two different types of recess. The first is individually tailored to the children and their special needs. The second is a more "typical" physical education, mixed with the other students in their grades. Afterwards, they return to the classroom and work on social skills, science, and mathematics. Like earlier in the day, the students rotate between computers and working with the teacher. On certain days of the week, the children do special activities like art or music. The day comes to a close with snack time and a review, and the children are on their way home by 2:30.

This is the daily routine that the teacher relies on to get work done everyday. Sometimes, challenges arise in the classroom and can slow down some activities/lessons.

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A special needs classroom runs a lot differently than a "typical" classroom. There are classroom aides present to help assist the children with completing their work, eating their lunch, going to the bathroom, etc. The children are prone to distractions and teachers may need to take extra steps to keep them focused during lessons and activities.

The classroom I was in was very small. There were 5 students, 2 aides, and 1 teacher. The students all had various disabilities, including autism, down syndrome, and behavioral issues.

One major challenge in the classroom was dealing with the class when a child was acting out. Some children were more prone to tantrums than others. When they were upset, they would lie on the floor, disobey instructions, yell, and run. This makes it difficult to continue teaching a lesson or continue working on something. Although there were aides present to help in times like this, it still was distracting for the rest of the class. Sometimes it took a few minutes to have the student rejoin the class, but other times their meltdowns were too big and it took nearly a half hour. In cases like that, the student was directed towards a "quiet" corner of the room where they would sit by themselves until they composed themselves.

One student was very motivated by small rewards, like candy or small balloons. These treats were used to try to motivate her to complete her work, however sometimes they had the opposite effect. Her mind would become so preoccupied with getting the treat, that she did not want to do anything else. This would lead to meltdowns like mentioned before.

Another student had difficulty getting from point A to point B. For example, if she was called upon to go up to the board, she would wander to a different place on her way from her desk to the board. Due to the nature of her special needs, she required extra attention to help with "simple" tasks that the others could complete.

Many of the students had regular visits with a speech pathologist. However, some students had more difficulty speaking clearly than others. It can be difficult to fully understand what a student needs if you cannot understand what they are saying. This requires extra time and patience from both the student and the teacher.

Seeing the challenges that arose and watching how the teacher and the aides responded was very educational. I learned a lot regarding the best methods of responding to different challenges.

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I learned that the classroom can be very unpredictable. You can have days where everything runs smoothly and all tasks get accomplished. You can also have days where nothing seems to go right at all. As a teacher, you have to be adaptable and flexible.

I learned that you have to have a great deal of patience, kindness and respect  towards your students and fellow colleagues, and even with yourself. Sometimes, you may become overwhelmed and need to ask for help, and that is okay.

I learned the importance of positive reinforcements and the benefits of using it in a classroom. When a student does something that is good or answers a question with a correct answer, they should be told that they did a good job. This will make them feel good inside and motivate them to keep working towards greatness.

I learned that there is a lot of effort that goes into teaching. While a teacher is not in the classroom, he/she could be working on grading, lesson plans, IEP's (Individualized Education Programs), at workshops, meetings, etc. There is a lot that goes on "behind the scenes" that ensures smooth sailing in the classroom.

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Over the course of four months that I sat in the classroom, I watched the children grow. They became better at raising their hand when they had a question or wanted to participate, rather than just calling out. Each morning, the students came up in front of the class after their name was called for attendance and said "good morning class". Over time, their eye-contact with the class and teachers strengthened. They became more social and comfortable around others. While some may not think that is a big deal, it was a big step for these students.

Throughout the day, the children rotate between many different rooms around the school. Although there were only 5 students, this could sometimes be a difficult process. By assigning the children with their own number, they were able to line-up more efficiently. The children took great pride in knowing their number and following instruction when their number was called. By building excitement for the next activity, students were motivated to follow the teacher and the aides around the school.

The children worked on learning their district-approved sight words in numerous ways. Some activities included: flash cards, reading books, online games, worksheets, and interactive educational games. One activity that worked really well was called "Power Pen Learning Cards". It is an activity involving a special pen that would light up and make noise after tapping it on the correct answer on a card. The students used a set that revolved around Consonants. They were excited about the pen and it motivated them to complete the entire pack of cards successfully. Bringing exciting things like this into the classroom is a great way to keep students interested in learning.

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This project allowed me to realize that teaching is what I want to do. Yes, the classroom can be a crazy place. As a teacher, you must expect the unexpected. There can be awful days and there can be great days. Regardless, I love it. For me, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. Seeing a child's face light up as they learn new things is one of the most rewarding feelings.

Having the opportunity to interact with a smaller, special-needs classroom was wonderful. Before this project, I had never been in an environment like that, so everything was new to me. It was interesting seeing the similarities and differences between their classroom and classrooms I had been in at their age.

After being with these students, I am interested in looking into getting certified to be a special education teacher. I'm not sure if I will do it for sure, but I'm grateful to have gotten a little experience in that type of classroom. Being a teacher is a rewarding job, but being a special education teacher has the ability to make it an even more rewarding experience.