Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Autism Awareness Month
This month is very important to me. I spend a lot of my life working with autism, thinking about it and worrying about the way it is spreading. I have been truly blessed to work with amazing children over the past 7 years and I wouldn't trade in one bruise, bite or other injury if given the chance. Now, we are all "aware"! Everyone knows it's Autism Awareness Month..... But what does that mean. 1. Educate yourself. And then educate the people around you. Ignorance is not bliss. YOU NEVER KNOW when it will strike close to home. 1 in 100 people has autism. 5 years ago that number was 1 in 160. Only a year ago it 1 in 110. Know the signs. Understand the symptoms. Go to http://www.autismspeaks.org to learn more! 2. BE UNDERSTANDING! Don't be so quick to judge when you see a tantrum at the grocery store. Don't automatically assume that it's some parent who can't control their kid. There's no sign hanging over our kids. They don't wear a sign or wear a shirt that says "I have Autism". Don't stare, gawk or make more of a scene. You JUST NEVER KNOW! 3. Now, light it up blue. Show your support. Buy an autism sticker. Wear a blue shirt to work on Friday. Get a blue lightbulb from home depot for your front porch. Show your support. And when people ask questions..... EDUCATE THEM with what you now know. The most important thing you can do is know that the kids and families affected by Autism need all the help they can get. There's no test, there's no cure.... There's just help. Get involved....get educated.... LIGHT IT UP BLUE! For the kids of 221, 317 and Room 5. Thank you all for making me a better person. XOXOXOX
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wicked Excited!
SO..... I love when my friends come to visit and I love them all, BUT my auntie and Uncle are coming to visit and I'm just a little bit more than excited!!
It's exciting for a lot of reasons. They've never been here before so they will have a great time and there's so much to show them...but I'm also excited that someone from the family gets to see what my life is like. I know they worried about me moving out here...especially because it happened so fast... So I'm hoping they get to see how happy I am and how much I love it here...
So, as of now I will get to see my auntie and my uncle in April, May, June and July!
Makes me smile!
Love, Love, Love!
It's exciting for a lot of reasons. They've never been here before so they will have a great time and there's so much to show them...but I'm also excited that someone from the family gets to see what my life is like. I know they worried about me moving out here...especially because it happened so fast... So I'm hoping they get to see how happy I am and how much I love it here...
So, as of now I will get to see my auntie and my uncle in April, May, June and July!
Makes me smile!
Love, Love, Love!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
It's the most insane time of the year
For my non-teacher friends..... It's hard to describe to you what the end of a trimester is like. Testing, report cards, assessments, phone calls, meetings and in the case of special ed...that sinking feeling that you have to send home more documentation to parents that outlines exactly how their kid isn't measuring up to the regular Joe-Schmoe across the hall. It makes me sick to my stomach to send home a regular kindergarten report card to my kiddo's families. I might as well just slap them in the face. It's one of the few things about my job I do not like.
That being said....we've seen some difficult times on the behavior end of things in my classroom. (nothing at all like the ass kicking, getting pee in my eye league school days but stressful all the same). It's been kind of crazy and some kids are proving to be incredibly challenging. And it's haed to be the only person on staff besides my facilitator who has a REAL clue about what autism is and how it presents itself. I miss weekly meetings with 8 people who know exaclty what I mean and have years of experience to pull ideas from. I also miss having some big dudes to take the blows for me. Not that these ankle biters can do that much damage....
BUT I think we may be seeing some light at the end of this VERY long, loud tunnell. Some things we put into place are working and the data is looking good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Please do the same. I need to be able to relax a little!
All I can say is I am thankful to have worked with some VERY amazing people at League School. I learned everything I know from the staff, kids and parent's there and I use that knowledge every day. I miss that place more than I can say but I think of it and them daily! So for my leaguers who are reading this THANK YOU for giving me the tools I have needed to get through this difficult time. Be proud of what you do and know that there is a little piece of all you in Vegas...... <3
Love, Love, Love!
That being said....we've seen some difficult times on the behavior end of things in my classroom. (nothing at all like the ass kicking, getting pee in my eye league school days but stressful all the same). It's been kind of crazy and some kids are proving to be incredibly challenging. And it's haed to be the only person on staff besides my facilitator who has a REAL clue about what autism is and how it presents itself. I miss weekly meetings with 8 people who know exaclty what I mean and have years of experience to pull ideas from. I also miss having some big dudes to take the blows for me. Not that these ankle biters can do that much damage....
BUT I think we may be seeing some light at the end of this VERY long, loud tunnell. Some things we put into place are working and the data is looking good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Please do the same. I need to be able to relax a little!
All I can say is I am thankful to have worked with some VERY amazing people at League School. I learned everything I know from the staff, kids and parent's there and I use that knowledge every day. I miss that place more than I can say but I think of it and them daily! So for my leaguers who are reading this THANK YOU for giving me the tools I have needed to get through this difficult time. Be proud of what you do and know that there is a little piece of all you in Vegas...... <3
Love, Love, Love!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Puppy Ups and Downs
So....it's been insane around here lately. Keeping up with bandages for the dog and vet appointments and meds has us going nuts.
We thought a trip to the park on Staurday was in order. So we bandaged up Jasmine's foot real tight and off we went.
About 10 minutes in Jasmine stops to perform her *ahem* duties. (hehe) I look over at her and see a suspicious (and familiar) pink, swollen ball near her puppy butt. SO off to the vet we go.
Thankfully we have the best vet in all the world. When we called, it was 15 minutes before closing but she said to bring her in anyway. If it was just a squeeze of the glands they would empty them. If it required surgery, they'd send us to the emergency vet.
We get there and the wonderful doctor Mouro takes Jasmine and, OF COURSE, she needs surgery. BUT, because she is the best doctor in all the land, she said she would take care of it for us. The wonderful staff at Haven Animal Hospital stayed late and performed the surgery.....
Poor dog. 2 surgeries in under 7 days. We had to postpone our Saturday night plans (sad face) but we're glad she's ok..... It was funny to see Jasmine all doped up with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. I wish I had a picture of that. And I also came VERY close to bringing two more dogs home....
Jasmine is fine today. Much better and back to her crazy self. I'm hoping she gets a break for a while....
We thought a trip to the park on Staurday was in order. So we bandaged up Jasmine's foot real tight and off we went.
About 10 minutes in Jasmine stops to perform her *ahem* duties. (hehe) I look over at her and see a suspicious (and familiar) pink, swollen ball near her puppy butt. SO off to the vet we go.
Thankfully we have the best vet in all the world. When we called, it was 15 minutes before closing but she said to bring her in anyway. If it was just a squeeze of the glands they would empty them. If it required surgery, they'd send us to the emergency vet.
We get there and the wonderful doctor Mouro takes Jasmine and, OF COURSE, she needs surgery. BUT, because she is the best doctor in all the land, she said she would take care of it for us. The wonderful staff at Haven Animal Hospital stayed late and performed the surgery.....
Poor dog. 2 surgeries in under 7 days. We had to postpone our Saturday night plans (sad face) but we're glad she's ok..... It was funny to see Jasmine all doped up with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. I wish I had a picture of that. And I also came VERY close to bringing two more dogs home....
Jasmine is fine today. Much better and back to her crazy self. I'm hoping she gets a break for a while....
Monday, March 7, 2011
Bandages, boogers and bananas!
What a crazy couple of weeks it has been. It's that insane time of year where the stretch to the next vacation seems impossibly long. And it's doesn't help that the entire state of Nevada has either a respiratory infection or strep throat. My classroom feels like it is coated in boogers.
Poor Jasmine has had to have surgery again. She had a growth on her paw in between the pads. The surgery went well but they couldn't get it all. We're waiting for the pathology results to see what we should do next. In the meantime, she has a stylish green bandage on her foot. I would have preferred pink. :)
Today I found some smushed up banana under my desk. I am more than confident that I know which cherub of mine is responsible for that....
Love, Love, Love....
xoxoxo
Poor Jasmine has had to have surgery again. She had a growth on her paw in between the pads. The surgery went well but they couldn't get it all. We're waiting for the pathology results to see what we should do next. In the meantime, she has a stylish green bandage on her foot. I would have preferred pink. :)
Today I found some smushed up banana under my desk. I am more than confident that I know which cherub of mine is responsible for that....
Love, Love, Love....
xoxoxo
Goodnight my Angel....
A wonderful person has left this world. May you rest in peace Beth and may those you have left behind find peace and comfort in the Angel that now looks over them.....
Monday, February 28, 2011
Heavy heart.....
It's truly amazing how fragile and unpredictable life is. We go through our day not thinking about the important things like that kiss we didn't share, that phone call we ignored or that email we'd "reply to later". And then one day you wake up and all of a sudden it's gone. You're chance to reply to that email, return that call or kiss that person has been ripped away from you.
There has been a significant amount of loss in my life and the life of my friends in the past year or so. I never thought, that at 32, I would be saying goodbye to friends or even family. I never thought that friends would get sick or pass away. I figured we had plenty of time before we would have to deal with that. But we don't. You never know what path your life will take....and you never realize that it may be much shorter than you ever imagined.
A friend of mine from high school is in the hospital tonight....she and her family have just been told there is "nothing more they can do". She will go home to live out the last few weeks of her life, surrounded by the many people who love her and will miss her terribly. She is 34.
Tonight I ask you to kiss someone you love "just one more time", answer that phone call even if you think you don't have time or answer that email that's been sitting in your inbox for far too long. You never know when the chance to do those things will slip away from you forever....
Beth, may peace be with you and your family in this incredibly difficult and painful time.
So much love to all of you....
xoxoxox
Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.
There has been a significant amount of loss in my life and the life of my friends in the past year or so. I never thought, that at 32, I would be saying goodbye to friends or even family. I never thought that friends would get sick or pass away. I figured we had plenty of time before we would have to deal with that. But we don't. You never know what path your life will take....and you never realize that it may be much shorter than you ever imagined.
A friend of mine from high school is in the hospital tonight....she and her family have just been told there is "nothing more they can do". She will go home to live out the last few weeks of her life, surrounded by the many people who love her and will miss her terribly. She is 34.
Tonight I ask you to kiss someone you love "just one more time", answer that phone call even if you think you don't have time or answer that email that's been sitting in your inbox for far too long. You never know when the chance to do those things will slip away from you forever....
Beth, may peace be with you and your family in this incredibly difficult and painful time.
So much love to all of you....
xoxoxox
Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Not today Ms. Shannon.....
Oh the classroom. An actual conversation
Me: "K?"
K: "what?"
Me: "Can you come clean up please?"
K: (after a thoughtful pause) "No Ms. Shannon"
Me: "I'm sorry. What?"
K: "Not today Ms. Shannon. It's just not my day for that"
I feel that way sometimes. It's just not my day for that..... I'm STILL in class. And I know techinically this class runs until 9:50. And it is our last one. And yes, we have gotten out early every night. But really....on the day I'm MOST tired? It's 9:02 and I just want to be in my bed.
We are finally leaving! Thank you god!
Love, Love, Love!
Me: "K?"
K: "what?"
Me: "Can you come clean up please?"
K: (after a thoughtful pause) "No Ms. Shannon"
Me: "I'm sorry. What?"
K: "Not today Ms. Shannon. It's just not my day for that"
I feel that way sometimes. It's just not my day for that..... I'm STILL in class. And I know techinically this class runs until 9:50. And it is our last one. And yes, we have gotten out early every night. But really....on the day I'm MOST tired? It's 9:02 and I just want to be in my bed.
We are finally leaving! Thank you god!
Love, Love, Love!
Right click...delete
I decided that I needed to start this blog over. It had WAY too much crap in it. So....here we go.
I've learned that you learn A LOT about yourself in the following situations:
1. when you move
2. when you are getting married
3. when you are faced with a person or people that have hurt you in some way
Let's discuss....
When you move....especially far away from home.......you begin to realize a lot of things. The most important being that no matter where you are your family is always going to be your family. Being away from them is hard but keeping in touch is easy with email, skype, cell phones and airplanes :)
Friends...well that's a tougher issue. Everyone says "oh we'll keep in touch and we'll come visit" and they don't. That's to be expected. For the most part I have been very lucky in this aspect and my friends have remained close. Facebook and blogs also make this fairly easy. And then of course there's text messaging :) But there are a few who have just dropped off the face of the earth. And I have learned that if it's that easy for them to disappear then there's no love lost.
New Friends. I am VERY lucky in this area. VERY lucky. I have made some really great friends at work, friends I love and trust and who are supportive of me and the work I do as well as of my personal life. They are wonderful and they make me super happy!
I have made friends at school. I am lucky to be taking a year long autism program with a cohort of really amazing people. They understand, they support, they listen, they help and every day they fight the same fight that I do. It was something I was bitter about having to do, but I have grown to enjoy it.
And of course there are friends I have made through Sean. This is where I feel extra blessed. I feel like we have some really great people in our lives....very close to family. Thanksgiving here is already a tradition and I love it! We have a support system that I don't think he's really experienced here yet and I'm so thankful for Chris, Amy and Danielle. And the new friends I met this weekend Adam and Jami see pretty cool too :)
Now, onto getting married.
Let me start this off by saying that by no means am I a "bridezilla". What I am is nervous. Nervous that everything works out the way we want it to. That it doesn't turn in to a fiasco and that we get our marriage license in time for the wedding. It's been a crazy road and I've learned that with the right person life can be pretty amazing. We are by no means perfect but we are beyind happy. He's my best friend and I love him with all my heart. It's more than I could ever have asked for.
I've also learned that when it comes to details... I freak out a little too easily :)
and # 3....
Well I'm not really in the mood. Maybe another day.
I'm glad this blog is back. I'll try to keep it up! <3
Love, Love, Love
I've learned that you learn A LOT about yourself in the following situations:
1. when you move
2. when you are getting married
3. when you are faced with a person or people that have hurt you in some way
Let's discuss....
When you move....especially far away from home.......you begin to realize a lot of things. The most important being that no matter where you are your family is always going to be your family. Being away from them is hard but keeping in touch is easy with email, skype, cell phones and airplanes :)
Friends...well that's a tougher issue. Everyone says "oh we'll keep in touch and we'll come visit" and they don't. That's to be expected. For the most part I have been very lucky in this aspect and my friends have remained close. Facebook and blogs also make this fairly easy. And then of course there's text messaging :) But there are a few who have just dropped off the face of the earth. And I have learned that if it's that easy for them to disappear then there's no love lost.
New Friends. I am VERY lucky in this area. VERY lucky. I have made some really great friends at work, friends I love and trust and who are supportive of me and the work I do as well as of my personal life. They are wonderful and they make me super happy!
I have made friends at school. I am lucky to be taking a year long autism program with a cohort of really amazing people. They understand, they support, they listen, they help and every day they fight the same fight that I do. It was something I was bitter about having to do, but I have grown to enjoy it.
And of course there are friends I have made through Sean. This is where I feel extra blessed. I feel like we have some really great people in our lives....very close to family. Thanksgiving here is already a tradition and I love it! We have a support system that I don't think he's really experienced here yet and I'm so thankful for Chris, Amy and Danielle. And the new friends I met this weekend Adam and Jami see pretty cool too :)
Now, onto getting married.
Let me start this off by saying that by no means am I a "bridezilla". What I am is nervous. Nervous that everything works out the way we want it to. That it doesn't turn in to a fiasco and that we get our marriage license in time for the wedding. It's been a crazy road and I've learned that with the right person life can be pretty amazing. We are by no means perfect but we are beyind happy. He's my best friend and I love him with all my heart. It's more than I could ever have asked for.
I've also learned that when it comes to details... I freak out a little too easily :)
and # 3....
Well I'm not really in the mood. Maybe another day.
I'm glad this blog is back. I'll try to keep it up! <3
Love, Love, Love
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