Leavin' on a jet plane...

I'll be back from Chicago on the 28th! Hopefully a fun-filled, photographic post of my family & explorations will come afterwards. (I am hopeful for much smoother travels this time around!)

Brief Update

Awake at 4:00 am to tackle school paperwork... yet here I am making a brief update online. Isn't that the way it usually works?? :)

Brief updates:

-April 22nd-29th, I will be in Chicago with family. We are reuniting there to have a burial for my "grandma," my step-dad Peter's mother. I am really excited to see my cousins again, as it has been far too long; also very excited to travel to a place I've never been. Plans for the week include touring the house that Peter/Siblings grew up in (Winnetka), visiting Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, possibly the Art Institute/Field Museum. We have family gathering from Paris, Montreal, Minneapolis, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and the Bahamas (to name a few). Family reunions were among Helen's very favorite things in the world- and she would be so thrilled to have us gathering to celebrate such an amazing woman, so long as we were all together. As I said, I'm very excited about the trip. It will be a perfect excuse to get out of Sedona for awhile, and to rejuvenate my already-exhausted mind & body for the last few weeks of the school year.



-Been slamming down paperwork like there's no tomorrow, these past few weeks. After working from 7:30-4:00 each day, I typically spend 2-3 hours at home working on IEPs, meeting notes, progress reports, documentation, or finishing the neverending project of organizing student files. I've got 3 IEP meetings scheduled for this week, for example. One down, one today, and one tomorrow. Sigh. It's a lot to keep up with, and to keep ahead of, but it's getting done somehow or other.

-Finally am putting the finishing touches on my job applications to Flagstaff Unified School District & Prescott/Humboldt School District(s). I know it is a crummy time to be looking for a new job, with all the tension of the statewide education budget crisis. I still have to be in charge of my own personal budget- and Sedona is NOT working out in that category. I must look at other, less expensive ways of living. Especially since I still am paying for the house in Goodyear that I own, as it's currently not rented. The daily grind and expenses really do add up- even as a party of ONE. I really dislike it, but there really aren't a whole lot of options. Fortunately, though, I can work just about anywhere as a Special Education teacher...


-My Junior High students have spent the last few weeks tackling a junior-high required extensive research paper, for both Language Arts & Social Studies classes. While not every student of mine will live up to his potential (frustratingly so!!!), I am immensely proud of some of my students in this challenge. Many of them do qualify for needing special support in Reading and Writing. They've worked SO hard to research and investigate their topics, interpret articles, write their drafts, ask for help when they need it, and to go through edit after edit after edit. They've done all of this with their heads held high, and their confidence has grown leaps and bounds each day. It's been such an amazing process to watch, and I truly do think the kids are proud of THEMSELVES. What an amazing thing to watch, and be a part of, as their teacher!! These kids do have learning disabilities, and they're motivated and encouraged to tackle on an extensive, 450-point research project. It's been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and soooooo encouraging!
(It is times like these, and with as wonderful kids as these, that make it REALLY difficult for me to approach the path of possibly leaving Sedona- and them.)

- Time to get that paperwork done. Adios!

April 2nd - World Autism Awareness Day!

Did you know…
1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
67 children are diagnosed per day
A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade
Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
There is no medical detection or cure for autism

Watch for the Red Flags of Autism

(The following red flags may indicate a child is at risk for atypical development, and is in need of an immediate evaluation.)

In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” often referred to as “red flags,” that indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that he/she is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:


No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
No babbling by 12 months
No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age