- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
I think it can be scary to communicate with teachers, they are authority figures after all, but they’re working for YOU. Part of being an effective teacher is wanting to have any and all the pertinent information your students are willing to share with you so that you can best help them learn. Teachers see the bigger picture even to the extent of spending plenty of time making strategic seating charts. An effective teacher will not have a “random” seating chart; that’s a recipe for disaster if Emma can’t see the board, quiet and anxious Anna is missing sitting with her friend, George’s ADD is triggered by being able to see the whole class from the back, and chatty José is sitting on the opposite side of the teacher with his two best friends. An effective, productive learning environment is all by design and considering all factors like student personalities, abilities, willingness to sit in the back or the front (if it’s in the student’s best interest to have a choice.) It’s absolutely best to know about a student’s anxiety ahead of time so that the systems are in place for your comfort. Teachers need to go through every lesson plan and consider: How will this affect my learners with ADD? Anxiety? Strong personalities? What different learners do I have in my second hour? Sixth hour? If you don’t speak up, they can’t consider you. Maybe the teacher picks random partners for the class but always lets you work with a friend. Maybe you raise a peace sign when you’re feeling overwhelmed to signal that you have to leave class. Maybe in case of a panic attack, Cassidy is in charge of running the timed activity, Charlie’s in charge of the two bathroom passes, and Alex goes next door to inform Ms. Smith that you’re stepping out of your classroom while you and Alyssa walk down to the office for a breath. It’s for liability reasons that classes need to have a teacher monitoring at all times even if it’s just from the hallway. Even the most effective teachers can be caught off guard by the urgent need to leave during an important activity for “no reason,” or a panic attack of a student that “didn’t” have anxiety. Again, it’s all about having those procedures in place to help students succeed. If student A needs to walk the halls, maybe they have a special pass or admin are informed on the situation. Some students take advantage of teachers by using hall passes to avoid schoolwork, so it’s something that needs to be monitored and controlled. If there’s a medical reason for why you may need accommodations, a well trained teacher will thank YOU for that information and will most likely want to know more throughout the year. They’ll use their education, brainpower, training and resources to work with YOUR on what you need to succeed. Disclaimer: Some teachers may be lazy with thinking up accommodations to help you and try to pigeon hole you into learning the material in a way that won’t work for you. In that case, I would encourage you to consult with the 504 plan coordinator at your school. When in doubt, you can raise concerns to admins and special education teachers who can either help you or point you in the right direction. From a former long term substitute (who was still very full time and had all of the responsibilities of a regular teacher), best of luck this school year 🍀
- Date posted
- 4y
Yes I just switched seat and he said “you can step out anytime you need and he’ll arrange his seating chart till I find the right fit” slowly I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel
- Date posted
- 4y
@GummyDrop Nice. Good for you
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
I had avoided a lot with school specifically, but I did do it in other areas of life as well. School for some reason has been the biggest trigger that sends me into avoidance and it has been for the longest time. Does anybody relate? If so, what did you do to help besides therapy? In high school I used to sit in the bathroom stalls for hours so I could avoid going to classes. I was struggling to keep up because my OCD makes me perfect my school work so much so to the point where I’d never turn it in because I’d never be satisfied with what I’d produce. I’d get so incredibly frustrated with myself and the fact that I could never meet my own standards, never mind the rubrics given. I took ages analyzing all my writing, all my answers, all my google slides and I burnt myself out. So I stopped trying. I stopped turning in work because I’d never be satisfied. I’d cry because I felt I wasn’t good enough. Then I’d be missing assignments, getting them done but not submitting them because I was too ashamed. So, I avoided classes because I’d be in trouble or be called out for not getting anything done. Unfortunately this habit bled into my first year of college last year, and OCD coupled up with depression, made going to the dining hall and attending classes even worse. So I avoided it all together. It’s so hard being a freshman in college, so so hard. I unfortunately failed out of that school but I tried to medically withdraw either semester. No, I wasn’t partying, or drinking or smoking or hanging with the wrong people. I was a college freshman struggling with ocd and depression. I’m trying to not make excuses for myself either because I’m well aware this is my fault and I’m trying to reverse it now at community college. Right now I’m trying to get those Fs turned into Ws from my old school so I can fix my gpa. I want to transfer, I want to be a forensic psychologist, I want to be independent, I want to be ok. It’s gonna take me so long to transfer from community college but that’s on me. I’m willing to put in the work. I’m so embarassed, please help me.
- Date posted
- 19w
Basically, I've kept a secret from my family, specifically parents, for a couple of years now. This isn't something I'm proud of. It just sort of happened, and then I stupidly kept digging a deeper hole, fearing how they'd react. But tonight, my mom and I were talking, and she brought up how a few years back, she'd stopped talking to my aunt (for about a year) after they got into a disagreement/argument. Long story short, my aunt lied about a decision she'd made due to the fear of how her parents would react. The only person who knew the truth was my mom. My mom said she didn't like how my aunt was hiding this from the rest of the family because it felt like "manipulating their reactions," in a way. My aunt's since told the rest of the family, and everything ended up okay. They talk all the time now. But this conversation with my mom really hit me. It's embarrassing to admit, but there were these online courses I was supposed to be taking. But I fell behind due to no motivation and probably no self-discipline. And initially, the lie I told was small. I planned to catch up, so I didn't see the issue. But then I could never get through the lessons. I couldn't pay attention, I'd space out, go on my phone, get distracted, or fall asleep. I don't know if it's just laziness or lack of motivation. I'd been really depressed back then. But still, I've barely gotten through any of it. Out of guilt, fear, or shame, I kept building onto this lie that I was getting through the coursework. But I wasn't. I've carried all this guilt, yet I've never worked up the courage to be honest because I feel like I'd lose their trust forever, or they'd use it against me. And part of me thinks they'd have a right to react that way. I feel selfish for keeping this to myself. For lying and building onto the lie continuously over the last couple of years. I'm so ashamed, but I kept telling myself that I'd bounce back, but I just never did. I needed help, but I was too afraid to reach out for it. I just really need advice, I guess. Despite all of this, I really hate lying. It feels icky, and it only ever exacerbates things. I've been so open with my parents about everything except this. And I don't want that. I know I need to be honest with them, but I don't know how. I'm still afraid, but continuing to hide this is worse. I love my parents. I'm just terrified of disappointing them, or them losing all trust in me. I think my mom using the word, "manipulating," while describing my aunts situation and the reason for keeping her secret really sent my mind spiraling with all these terrible "what ifs" on how my parents might react. I feel terrible, and I've felt guilty for a long time, but... Yeah, I don't know. I'd appreciate advice, or just... thoughts. I don't know at this point. I'll take anything 😭🙏🏻 I'm thinking about telling my psychiatrist about all of this when I next see her, if anything.
- Date posted
- 17w
I’m in a class with a majority (basically all) people a grade younger than me because I messed up my schedule. it will be like this next year too, because the class that i’m in next year my grade already took this past year. I messed up , and now my friends ask me about it and treat me like younger than them and like below them kind of. and they’re not bad friends, but it is embarrassing bec what i did is just not normal. i’ve tried to keep it on the dl from people because they judge. I know i’m probably overthinking it but i’m scared my friends are gonna leave me because all they talk about is the class that they’re in that i’m not in and leave me because I’m behind. it’s really stupid that i’m not really a part of my own grade anymore, and it ruined my school years that i am currently in (at least that’s what it feels like). basically im scared that i’m going to be lonely the rest of these years and sad and it’s all because of a choice I made, even though i hope they wouldn’t do that.:(
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