Sunday, March 8, 2009

A Seth Update...

I know that many of you like to hear about how each of the kids are doing. But I have had so many great e-mails and comments when I have talked about Seths' progress. Well, here's another of those posts. I had a parent-teacher interview with Seth's new teacher this week. Mrs. Manning is an older lady who has been teaching for many years. She has just returned to school after having a hip replacement. Now for those of you who truly know our Seth, you must be thinking [like we were] how is this woman possibly going to manage Seth? Well, for starters she has two wonderful assistants that help her in the classroom. But, I have to say that this woman is strong and commanding. She may look like someone's grandmother [and she is], but she runs her classroom like a navy captain.

Seth has taken to her routines like a fish to water. He has tested her but realized that it is Mrs. Mannings' way or the highway so to speak. He is now doing addition and subtraction equations orally with the rest of his class. He is interacting more and more with his classmates. His penmanship has improved dramatically. He just completed a rollerblading unit in gym class and was the only one in his class to stop and help a fellow classmate off the floor when he had fallen.
Seth has continued with outbursts and tantrums but he has started to request going to the time out room when he is getting upset. This past week, as he was getting upset, he asked to use the bathroom. He went to the bathroom, and was able to come back to the classroom and continue on with the classroom activities without ever having had a meltdown! For Seth that is HUGE!!!!
We are allowed to visit his classroom at any time so I will take some pictures and post them here for you so you can meet Mrs. Manning. I believe that we have met a woman that is going to change Seths' life for the better. I am so excited to see what God has planned!!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Teaching

Thanks to all of you that have been praying for me as I settle into my new life as a teacher. It is tiring and a little overwhelming making sure that you are teaching these students everything that they need to know in order to do well in the clinical setting. I really hope that I do a good job with it.

I had my first crying student. I was shocked. I have only been teaching a week and I have already had to deal with a crying student. Those of you who are nurses know exactly how difficult nursing programs are. Frankly, I think they should be challenging. Nurses don't sit behind desks all day. We do very important jobs that affect people's very lives. I guess that sounds a little dramatic, but it is true. This student was just feeling overwhelmed by the serious nature of what nurses do. If we give the wrong medication or the wrong dose of a medication we can cause serious harm or even death. That can freak you out. It should freak us out.

Now, for me, being in charge of 8 students all at very different level of competence is freaking me out for exactly the same reason! Please pray for me as I walk through these clinical days over the next few weeks. I need discernment, wisdom, knowledge and patience as I try to teach and guide these students through caring for the patients.