Funny Exam Answers

My daughter sent this link to a site of funny exam answers.

http://www.kathyskids.org Ms. Kathy's Kids Blog: http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com/ --- On Thu, 5/7/09, Adrianne Lee <misa@blazemail.com> wrote: From: Adrianne Subject: Funny Exam Answers To: Mom; Aunt Carol Date: Thursday, May 7, 2009, 1:15 PM http://funnyexamanswers.com/ Fight the Power! Blazemail

Cheap Finds to Use with Children with V.I.

LASER TOP: This toy was at Walgreen's drug store in the sale bin It requires batteries. I thought of it as visual stimulation for low vision multi-disabled kids as it can be spun for them on their wheel chair trays. It lights up, spins and makes a sound. It has a hazardous choke warning so for children who can grab and handle it themselves I'd be certain they have an MA of 5 years and over, as it says on the package, so they will not be tempted to put any parts of it in their little mouths.



VIBRATING BALL: I've had this one for a few years, also with multi disabled children in mind. I had a child with cortical visual impairment and deafness. Pull the string and this one vibrates. Use much supervision as the string may detach. For the kids I used it with, I would pull the string for them. Some were able to let me know they wanted the action repeated by either grabbing my hand or in the case of a nonverbal child with modified signs, she would sign "again." It doesn't make a sound, though. This one is hand sized. There is a larger version of this one that runs by batteries and makes a sound as it vibrates.



TEACHING COINS: I saw these in another teacher's class and thought, Wow! I have needed something like that for my low vision kids when I was teaching money!

She was going to let me borrow hers to make copies. But in my travels I saw these at Dollar Tree in the school supplies section. I have found coin worksheets on line AND placed real coins under the CCTV for students with low vision. When you don't have access to a CCTV or can't carry several in your back pocket, these are a cool alternative. They are printed on front and back. The adult size scissors didn't show up too clearly, but I placed them in the picture to give a size reference.

I've had these laminated and I will have them brailled for low vision students who read braille

Words of the Day: Part 2

When my daughter was a baby I had my house labelled and I'd read to her everyday. By kindergarten, we had Words of the Day in a little file box. So your WOD cards do not have to be taped to the wall and destroy your paint job. Nor are WODs limited to a classroom.

By the middle of first grade she was illustrating the cards and we had expanded them to WOD sentence cards. Whenever her teacher sent home a new list of spelling words we'd have a sentence card for each new word. It was a fun project and not a chore. Any way, it worked because she was reading on a third grade level at the beginning of first grade.

Of course, my love of reading had to rub off. Each night as I read to her it was with expression which was how my dad used to read to us. The children in my daughter's third grade class liked for the teacher to call on her to read aloud because of her expressiveness.

With that said, here are two more WOD cards. These were from the beginning of the school year when the WOD came with the school's morning announcements.

Reaching for the Sky!

Yesterday in Tremaine's class, his teacher and I hung a long piece of yarn across the room. From it we hung colorful objects for which he may feel compelled to reach. They are high in contrast and some of them twirl under the airconditioning. Was he interested? I believe so! Especially in the candy his teacher hung just out of his reach!
He's a child with multiple disabilities who looks down and to the right to use his residual vision. Now he has a reason to look up and reach for the sky!

Getting Used to it Again

I used to be far more itinerant than I have been in the last couple of years. Now I have about six schools to visit and 20 children and their teachers to see. I like the change of scenery but it takes some getting used to again.

Last year I was headquartered at a high school and I was on consult at another for about three students with multiple disabilities in self-contained classrooms. Three of my girls at the HQ were diploma bound while one was not and the two boys were on a special tract. The high school girls were far more independent--although I was concerned with the one with Stargardt's because he would not admit to how much she could not see.

Last semester I took another teacher's class on the elementary Braille class while she was out having treatments for lung cancer. While I was doing that, I was taking chemo treatments for a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I enjoyed the kids and we had great fun exploring how much they could learn and do, however, having to leave them for a whole day and two half days each month was not easy.

Anyway, I am getting used to travelling again. I am too ADD to stick to a strict routine.

I'm also to look for and teach the other visual impairments teacher/specialists about technology particular to the visually impaired student. I've already had a disagreement with one teacher who does not think it is necessary to teach the computer keyboard to braille readers. I think she doesn't really want to be bothered because she feels she will have to learn something new. Meanwhile I have a folder of emails from former students who still contact me using the JAWS screen reader on what, boys and girls? The computer keyboard!
I started teaching the children last semester using Talking Typer and they enjoyed it. They need to get used to hearing that computer voice, for sure.

BUT, I am truly feeling blessed because, even though I'm getting used to this new schedule, I need no more chemo and my PET scan was absolutely clear. My energy is returning and my husband's nerves are better because he doesn't worry as much when I leave for work. He went to every treatment and every doctor's visit with me! I feel blessed because I was able to continue working, although it was tough some days, it was not impossible and the experience with the kids was priceless. I feel blessed to have 15 new faces to see and 5 former students that I get to see again! God is truly good!