A Transition Thanksgiving

Sorry for my absence.  It was Thanksgiving in our transition classroom last week.  ALL WEEK!  For the past 6 years we have used Thanksgiving as a cooking opportunity in our classroom.  We grocery shop, we cook, we clean, and then we party!  All the things we do as adults as we prepare Thanksgiving for friends and family.  Needless to say, it is quite an undertaking...SHOUT OUT to my phenomonal staff who jump right on board and trudge through a very challenging week, all to provide an amazing learning opportunity for our students!  After 6 years, we have quite a system, and are very organized, so this year, I decided to throw in a couple additional learning opportunities :)  Here is a look at the week leading up to our Transition Thanksgiving.

Prior to this week, we spent time finding recipes for our cooking items and made/sent beautiful invitations to our guests.  We invite other classrooms of students and teachers, along with school administration.

Monday: GROCERY SHOPPING is our focus for this day.  In Morning Group, we complete a very challenging activity.  We take our HUGE list of Thanksgiving grocery items and categorize them by grocery departments.  Next, as Monday is our usual day to grocery shop, then we head into the store with monster lists, including items both for our Thanksgiving AND our usual lunch preparations.  Whew!

Tuesday: In morning group, we study our recipes for the week and answer comprehension questions about the recipes: how many people does this recipe serve? What temperature should we preheat the oven on that recipe? How many cans of Green beans for this?  Two groups of students work in kitchen today with two students to one staff for each group.  One group follows a recipe to prepare Green Bean Casserole and the other follows a recipe to make Crockpot Apple Sauce.  Our third group rides the city bus to HyVee, our local grocery store, where they complete an activity of price comparison to see what is cheaper, purchasing already made product (Stovetop stuffing) or making it from scratch.

Wednesday: Our focus in morning group is Thanksgiving Math.  We solve math problems focused around our Thanksgiving preparations.  This includes determining how long our 21 pound turkey needs to cook and doubling a recipe.  Two groups are in the kitchen again.  One prepares the stuffing, the other prepares the mashed potatoes.  Another groups heads to HyVee on the City Bus.

Thursday: First thing in the morning, Mr. Turkey goes in the roaster, and spends the day cooking.In morning group we learn about Social Skills for Thanksgiving.  As we are already learning about The Zones of Regulation, we try to incorporate these ideas into our lesson.  We talk about what are expected behaviors when you are the host of a party.  We plan what should be done when guests arrive, come up with conversation ideas for lunch, and plan what to do when a guest is ready to leave.  (This is the first year we have had an opportunity to tackle the social skill piece.  In future years, I would like to put even more of a focus on this piece, as it is so very important!).  Only one group is in the kitchen on this day and they work to prepare our mini pumpkin pies (made in muffin tins).  Another group spends the morning cleaning our classroom to prepare for our guests the next day, and our last group heads out to HyVee on the bus.  Later in the afternoon, we carve Mr. Turkey and put the pieces back into the roaster pan.  This goes into the refrigerator overnight and is reheated in the morning.

Friday: The day we have all been working for.  Morning group is spent reviewing social skills...expected and unexpected behaviors and putting together a schedule of our days.  From there the final preparations begin.  We have notecards with all the necessary tasks written out.  We start by assigning each student with a task from these cards.  As they complete that task, they take another card and begin another task.  This is a process that has made these last minute preparations so much easier, as I don't feel like I have to spend the morning figuring out ways to keep kids busy, and what needs to be done next.  It is all there on a "timeline" in front of me.  Next year, I would like to provide a written task list for each card glued to the back, to help our students (who can) complete each step with that much more independence.  We only reheat our food items the day of...nothing requires full cooking.  This helps to ensure that everything is done by the time our guests arrive.  And when the guests arrive, the fun begins and all the hard work throughout the week pays off.  I usually step back and watch the students, glowing with pride, share with their guests all the hard work they did all week...SO COOL!

When all the guests have left, and the dishes are clean, we give the kids some free time...games/computers/naps ;)  I sit down with my staff and we reflect on the day.  We make notes of what food had the most leftovers, what time did guests start arriving and what time did the last guest leave, what worked, what didn't work...all noted and put in our Thanksgiving binder for next year. 

The idea of hosting a Thanksgiving was one I was exposed to in one of my student teaching placements...the placement that changed my life and exposed me to the world of Transition.  It is A LOT of work, and sometimes I think my staff wants to kill me for making them do all this, but in the end, when we watch our students float with guests and share memories from previous Thanksgivings; when I see the pride in their eyes, its all worth it, and I begin counting the days to the next Transition Thanksgiving.

What do you think?!?  Do you want to host your very own Transition Thanksgiving?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Transition Thankfulness

The month of November is upon us and all across social media people are sharing one thing they are thankful for through the entire month.  Do not worry my fellow educators, I am not about to embark on that long of a thankful journey.  This did, however, get my wheels turning.  What am I, as a teacher of transition, thankful for?  I have narrowed it down to 5.  Drum roll please...

#5. VELCRO.  What would the world of Special Education be without this handy tool?  How would we quickly change and individualize schedules, routines, checklists, reinforcement systems, and a slew of other things for each student to help them be successful across their school environments?  I know I use velcro multiple times across one day in my own special education classroom and often joke that if I wanted to make money, I should have invested in a velcro company!!!

#4. TECHNOLOGY.  I have only been in the world of teaching for 7 years now, but in that short amount of time I have seen such a growth in technology and students access to technology.  This has dramatically impacted students in the realm of special education, allowing for things to be adjusted and individualized for their individual needs at a moments notice.  We are fortunate to have 5 iPads in our classroom, and this has been such a gift for our students.  Opportunities to provide immediate feedback through video modeling, electronic schedules, personal communication systems, the list is endless.  I cannot wait to see how technology expands in my next 7 years of teaching!

#3. SUPPORTIVE FAMILIES.  The time of transitioning from the school world to the adult world is a very difficult journey for many students and their families.  It is a time of drastic changes, lessening of supports, and a lot of uncertainties.  This whole process becomes much easier when families are supportive of Transitioning programming and what is being done in the classroom and at school.  I have been fortunate to work with many supportive families throughout my years teaching in a Transition based program.

#2. A TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS AND SUPPORTS.  It takes a village in special education, especially as students prepare to transition into the adult world.  I have the privilege to work with countless amazing paraprofessionals/job coaches, autism consultants, behavior analysts, OTs, SLPs, administrators; all who have the drive to provide services that help our students gain independence and take the steps toward happy and fulfilling lives.

#1. AN ACCEPTING COMMUNITY. In my time in this position I continue to be amazed by the openess and support we find from complete strangers in our everyday community.  The lady who carefully puts all of our groceries evenly into 7 bags so everyone has something to carry.  The tour guides at local libraries, museums, banks, grocery stores, fire stations, farms, etc who interact with our students comfortably, speak to them so they understand, but don't talk down or belittle them.  The gentleman who welcomed us into his vocational establishment and reminded me, "not only are your students here to learn vocational skills, they are hear to teach the public acceptance."  That statement changed me and the way I approached learning opportunities for our students while in the community.  Its our community and we plan to take full advantage of that.

I am so thankful for my job each day.  It is a challenge and a gift all in one.  I learn from my students and their drive and charisma every day. 

What are you thankful in your Transition classroom?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie