So, at the end of last school year I decided I needed a change. I was the lead teacher of a behaviorally focused classroom for ten years. Don’t get me wrong, I love working with that population of students, but change was calling me. Research shows that change can drive our personal growth and learning (Plaza, 2024). Professional change can help us develop our skills further. Taking on a new role means there will be new things to learn which also leads to growth.
Change happens in organizations all the time. Sometimes not by choice. After my district restructured to create a grade 6-8 middle school building I decided to go to middle school. Before that I worked in our 5th and 6th grade elementary building. With the move, I extended my time with my then current students. I do not recommend looping with students for more than 3 years. This is based on my own opinion. I was on my third year with my older group of students and we were beginning to resemble a toxic family of sorts. I think that it is not beneficial for pre-teens and teens. Again, that is my opinion and experience.
With this change also came a change in my classroom. I had to pack all my stuff up, AGAIN and move. The upside is that I was able to leave the modular unit to be in a wing of the main building. No more walking outside multiple times per day during the winter! My new classroom is not as big as my last room. There aren’t multiple sinks or a closet but my new room has character. Check it out on TikTok and Instagram. I have uploaded a new video showing my new digs.
Another change is my teaching assignment. I am now the lead teacher of the 6th grade Moderate to Intensive classroom (MIC for short). My students have varied disabilities. Some are nonverbal (I kinda hate this term because there are other ways to communicate, but that is a tangent for a future blog post) and some have multiple disabilities. It is definitely different from working in a behaviorally focused classroom. I have had to relearn how to teach. I have to be more patient and calm. I love my new classroom and students but it has not been without it’s challenges. Those will be listed in a future post. Welcome back and I promise to be more consistent this time around!
