Summer 1

This June Is Summer 1 term and I've got a full load! I'm taking: ED 516 Behavioral Intervention Strategies SPED 562 Assesment of Students with Disabilities I'm by excited about the behavioral class because I'm learning a lot I can apply at home. Our first lesson was "If you aren't getting the behavior you want, the kids aren't broken, your system is." That day I came home and both my boys were on yellow (our behavior stoplight) and Paul was threatening to move the to red, which is time-out or loss of privileges. So I say to Paul, "you know they aren't broken, the system is." I cannot share with you what Paul told me I could do with that comment; it was not very professional. ;) The behavioral course is about positive behavior interventions and I am getting a lot of great tips and ideas. This class is with a professor I've known and adored since I met her at St. Andrew's, Dr. Sally Smith. It's a treat to be in her class! I especially love trying to figure out which of her two sons is her daily anecdote about. Oh I know a lot about Kevin and Brian now that I'm sure they wish I didn't! This assessment class is challenging. We are reviewing standardized, norm-referenced, criterion-based, and all sorts of formal and informal assessments. This is a 4 hour class in the afternoon and I tend to drown in basal and ceiling and sample sizes. However, I hope I walk away with a much bette understands of the various tests and types of tests. I have to administer tests to kids for practice, administer to my professor for a grade, and there is substantial paperwork with this course. Maybe it feels more substantial because I require a special dictionary to decode the vocabulary words. Nonetheless, it's a challenge and I actually find this very interesting.