Elementary Extended Resource/Life Skills Classroom

Practicum Experience
First Week Report
This semester, I assist in an elementary special education room. This class is an extended
resource/life skills classroom with a great teacher and four excellent paraprofessionals. Already, my
experience is rich with the opportunities available from investing this time in the schools.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I attend the elementary school for 4.25 hours: 8:30-12:45. I help in
their extended-resource/life skills classroom, assisting students towards their IEP goals and other desired
outcomes. Our classroom works under the direction of one special education teacher and four
paraprofessionals, all with specific duties that they fulfill every day. There are eleven students on Mrs. P.s
caseload, with ten students spending most if not all of their day within this room (one student is
homebound). The students range in ages and grade levels, although all are significantly below the norm
in development and academic achievement. We work on skills such as using calculators, memorizing
home addresses and phone numbers, counting with a calculator, brushing teeth, and sign language.
In order to break the students into small or one-on-one settings with the paras, Mrs. P. breaks
every day into specific assignments for each educator, and they rotate the children through, allowing all
children to receive an specifically individualized education. During my first two days in the classroom, Mrs.
P. allowed me to observe the paras and herself at work. I stepped in whenever possible, encouraging
students, taking them to the restroom, administering a direct-instruction sight-word program, feeding a
low-performing student, encouraging another student to eat her food. Mrs. P. has made all information
accessible to me, answering every question I have, showing me demographics on the students,
explaining the disabilities and characteristics of the students, and giving me every opportunity to try out
everything in the room. She has shown me the evidence-based programs available in their room, pointing
out several that are above the level of her students but ready for when they are able to do that work.
Throughout the day, other specialists enter the room to work with or pull out students for OT, PT,
speech, and testing. I will get to go with Mrs. P. to visit one student, and will seek opportunities to shadow
the occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, and others throughout the week. All interact well
with the classroom, greeting students and others by name and conversing easily with everyone present.
I chose to stay longer than the required hours, which has blessed me with additional opportunities
for learning about the special education teachers role and given me more time with specific students.
Mrs. P. chose a student that I can work with during that extra time for 30-40 minutes. I will be able to help
plan his lessons and teach on a regular basis.
One of my most positive experiences about this classroom is the natural way that learning
happens. Every time I helped, I could directly see how I was making a difference in teaching a valuable
concept. These were things that I could easily do; without needing a lesson plan or figuring out the correct
procedure for a math algorithm, I simply needed to guide a childs hands to practice turning on the faucet
to wash her hands. Here, I could think, this is how.
As I think about it, most learning is that way. After a few times teaching reading or writing or
science, maybe I will be able to naturally teach those concepts, too. For now, I enjoy patiently teaching life
skills and basic reading and math. Although my students might not do it on their own any time during the
weeks I work with them, every day they get closer. I am grateful for the consistent, patient examples of
Mrs. P. and her paras. They know the students, and know how to teach with supporting care. I am glad I
can teach here too.