I wasn't sure where else to submit these, so here they are:

Simulations Journals

Vision Impairment

-          It’s incredible how much you rely on your vision without ever really noticing it. I never realized how different the world could look until I wore those masks. It made it so much harder to find my way around, to see those around me, and to even see what my teacher was writing on the board. I must admit, it made me so incredibly grateful for my sight. When I was wearing those masks on occasion I ran into things, bumped a chair, and even tripped down the stairs (though sometimes I do that without wearing a mask). They were all just little things, I mean, none of those accidents actually caused me any harm but it was a little frustrating to keep bumping things, and tripping. After a little while I became frustrated with wearing the mask. I can only imagine that if every day you little accidents, or you have to move your head completely sideways just to look at the board it would get a little frustrating. I understand that as a teacher we might encounter multiple students that suffer from a form of visual impairment. I think that this simulation will help me to relate to those students better and also help me to think of creative ways to help those students when or if they do start to feel that same frustrate that I felt doing this simulation.  

Wheelchair

-          This by far was the hardest simulation to do. It was hard to remember that I had to stay in the wheelchair at all times. I almost just got up a few times from the chair. It was a really rewarding experience because it taught me just how hard it really is to be in a wheelchair all day. It was nothing something that I would wish upon anyone, but it really can be quite the eye opener. The few hours in the wheelchair really had its up and downs. Sometimes people offered to push me and other times the door was almost shut on me. Every task was difficult. Going through the door without the door opener took so much time. I felt like I really needed to go to the gym after trying to open the door. Going to the bathroom was interesting needless to say. Transferring to and from the toilet was hard because I naturally just wanted to stand up. I couldn’t figure out where to position the wheelchair to best get to the toilet. It was kind of funny, I’m not going to lie. All these different tasks just showed me that we are all so blessed to be able to walk and that if we really want children to feel comfortable then they need those accommodations to help them. When I couldn’t open the door, without a rail in the bathroom, and the other accommodations around the campus then it would be so difficult and in my opinion uncomfortable for those students. When I didn’t have the accommodations available I felt like I was in the way. It was discouraging to me. I can’t imagine how it would feel every day.

Learning Disability

-          Ask for help at a store....and then ask the clerk/sales person 1-2 questions about the item you are shopping for.

-          Ask for directions to a location. Repeat back part of the directions for clarification.

These were the two activities I did to represent a learning disability. First thing, I must say that these activities are so hard. It required so much thinking and processing.  I struggled to make the sentence/questions flow naturally. Both people that I was talking to looked at me with almost a look of impatience. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to explain to them that this was just for a class but I also didn’t want them to look at me that way. I was trying so hard to find the words to use. It made me realize how important it is that we treat the students with a learning disability with respect and patience. Patience is the key to helping students with this disability in my opinion. The part that made me so uncomfortable was the look of impatience. As a teacher, I can imagine that it would be hard not to be impatience, but I also think it’s important that we develop that trait so that we can help them succeed. They are going to need that encouragement and love to push through that trial of having a learning disability. I can only now imagine how frustrating that must have been for them.

Fluency Impairment

-          Go to a restaurant, order at least one item and then ask 1-2 questions to the waiter/ress about the item.

-          While stuttering ask for directions to a location. Repeat back part of the directions for clarification.

This experiment was really hard to do for me. It was embarrassing at first to talk to people with a little stutter. I felt like she was going to look at me with such a pathetic look but she actually was really patience with me. It was hard to form the words. At one point, I even felt like it would be an impossible task to accomplish. It was hard to be patience enough with myself to get all the words out. As I continued to ask questions, the waitress just looked at me with the most patience look. It really helped me to continue to ask questions with a stutter. The second challenge I had was to ask for directions and then repeat them back. Oh my, complicated! Enough said. Between the two activities was that it really is so challenging to have a fluency impairment. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to have that impairment every day. I think that this activity really opened my eyes to see just how difficult it can be and helped me to see that as a future teacher there are so many things that I could do to help students with this kind of impairment.

I am very grateful for the opportunity I have had to learn so much about students with special needs this semester. I feel much more confident now about my abilities to differentiate and make accommodations for students struggling with disabilities.  I'm glad to know that we can collaborate with fellow teachers and staff to find solutions to help individuals students, rather than trying to figure it out on my own, just like we doing with the case study final.  I feel like I learned a lot just from completing it.  I like that we had time to really put a lot of effort into it and create something good.  Seeing what we were able to do helped boost my confidence in what we had learned.  I look forward to the time that I can adequately apply all that I have learned in class.

I was finally able to complete the wheelchair simulation this week.  In my opinion, whoever decided to put the little marble threshold strip under many of the doors in the Hinckley should be shot!  I got hung up on them several times!  It was one of the most challenging parts of the simulation.  Trying to figure out how to use the bathroom without using my legs was the hardest part.   Also, I wasn't very smart when I tried to do the hill because I forgot to figure out where and how the brakes worked BEFORE I started going down the hill.  I burned my hands trying to slow down the chair, and when I finally found the brakes, I didn't know how to use them and I ended up crashing into the grass on the side of the sidewalk.  Rather embarrassing!  It wasn't that big of a hill either!  It was interesting to see how people reacted to me too.  I could tell the people that had taken the class before because you could see the acknowledgement/empathy  in their eyes.  I tried to use the printer at the Ricks building while in the chair and I seriously had someone cut in front of me while I was in line waiting to print.  I couldn't believe it!  I'm hoping that they just didn't realize I was in line, and not that they took advantage of the fact I was wheelchair bound.  I do have a better understanding of what it's like to look at the world from a wheelchair point of view.  I am glad that I had the chance to do it.  

At the beginning of the semester, I didn't think that the speech impairments would be the hardest part of this class, but they have been.  I really struggled to get them done.  I chickened out so many times because I didn't feel comfortable doing it in a public place.  I understand the reasoning behind it, but I struggled with it morally.  In the end, I decided that although it is outside the parameters of the simulations guidelines, I would only be able to do it if I did it in my own home.  I needed the support of my family, so I decided to do it with my family during a meal time, and they all had to do it too.  I can certainly understand why so many students with disabilities act out in frustration over not being able to communicate what is going on in their heads.  It's hard to think one thing, but not be able to fully or clearly say what you are trying to say.  I hope that I can remember to look for the reason why a student may be acting out, rather than just reacting to the misbehavior.  I have a better appreciation for their internal frustrations now.

Last Journal Post :O - April 03rd

Monday in class we discussed a learning environment and being a part of a team and really make an classroom environment that makes them feel important and apart of and I truly agree with the whole idea. The best way to make not only children with special needs but also all children feel included is to create a friendly welcoming environment where they can come and feel welcome, loved, and excited to be there. In class we talked about some ideas about how we can go about doing this and there were so many great ideas! Some of them that I really liked is at the beginning of the school year have the students help you create the rules and once finished have them sign it so it is their own personal contract with you. When I was younger something that my teachers did was "Star" of the week where everyone wrote something nice about you and you get to present some information about yourself during the class (with your poster going on the board for a week). Make sure to post their work or pictures of the class just so they know that they belong. Another thing I believe will help is make your class individual so there are things that stand out that give your class an identity and your students something to tell others that they are happy to be a part of. On Wednesday we mainly discussed part 1 to the final and we were able to meet as a group and really work on the assignment and I do have to say that after all of the information that we have learned throughout the class I feel a lot more confident working on this test compared to the midterm. After the information that we gained and all of the assignments that we were able to experience this semester I feel a lot more confident going on in my education to prepare to teach my own classroom. I really enjoyed this class and all of the learning and insights that we gained and I will truly miss attending this class.

Leson 12 Journal

I wish we had more time to discuss Chapter 12 in class, but I'm also grateful we had time to start our in class group project.I like that we talked about all students and difficulties they might have in the classroom, which can lead to misbehavior or acting out. Although the class is focused on students with disabilities, I like that we were given strategies to try with any student. Even if the student struggling doesn't have a disability, they are still not keeping up which can translate into seeking attention. 
I liked the section that talked about the root or discipline, and that the word means "a follower of a teacher". The students are learning how to act in the classroom, and what is acceptable. I also liked the way the book described what discipline should be, "it's not about having power or control over the students, but preventing and responding to their behavior." As a teacher, it will be our responsibility to do everything possible to prevent behavior problems by being an example and having clear expectations and making clear to all students what is acceptable in the classroom.
The chapter also talked about collecting data to better understand a student's behavior. We have touched on this in a few of my other classes, and discussed the importance of keeping anecdotal records of any inappropriate behavior or comments.  I think by keeping a record it makes it easier to look back and see if there is a pattern to the students misbehavior, or if something triggers it. 
I enjoyed this chapter and look forward to implementing some of the practices and methods in my classroom.