Growing Up In Orange County

It has taken me 29 years to realize how great it was to be raised in Orange County. I was watching Huell Howser and he was at Laguna Beach. I love Laguna, the beach, well the ocean, and the beach. Summer was the best especially when I was able to drive and Kari and I would go to the beach for breakfast. Being so close to the mountains, shopping, desert, and having family right there. Being in the middle of this valley is tough. All problems can be solved with a few waves and a beautiful sun. Maybe that is why I loved Humboldt so much. The weather is great, but palm trees, sporting teams (Go Angels), Disneyland, and being able to play the sport I loved year round is another plus. And life was good. It was safe. Dad would literally leave the keys in the car at night. It wasn't until I moved away that I actually saw break-ins, they didn't happen in my "bubble". So I guess, thank you mom and dad. I love Orange County, my family, friends, and everything that it offered me when I was growing up. Now if I can only get my kid down there more often.

A Funding

I got a small funding today from adoptaclassroom.org and wrote a nice thank you to the gentleman from Pepsi Co. (specifically Gatorade) who's out of Chicago. He wrote me back and I thought it was a very nice note.

Dear Lisa,

You're welcome! I attended B...C... back in the mid 90's (under my English name - Jean) and heard about the recent budget cuts and increased classroom sizes in N....USD It's a shame because my elementary school classmates and I have fond memories of the school and feel that the teachers there changed our lives.

Big kudos to you for doing so much with so little. Thank you for all that you do day in and day out.

Best,

Jing

Limeades for Learning

So donorschoose.org is running this program at Sonic and if you buy a drink there will be a code on the cup that you can use to vote for teacher projects. Since I am a registered teacher you can vote for one of my projects and they will fund $500,000 worth of projects in September. Spread the word. Easy way to fund projects for public schools.

Limeades for Learning

Funding

I have been funded three times in the last week for my class. It has been amazing to see the support that I have been getting. I received about $1000 worth of supplies for my class from a local engineering firm and two fundings from donorschoose.org both totaling around $500. My theory is, don't sit around complaining because you will be waiting a long time to get anything.

Here is one of two articles that ran locally.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Kudos: Mead & Hunt Inc. Lends A Hand

On August 5, the Learning Center at Bannon Creek Elementary School received a call from a local engineering firm Mead & Hunt, Inc. They had found the classroom through adoptaclassroom.org and wanted to help a Natomas school after hearing about supply needs through the local media.

Later that same week, the company had a fundraiser for the Learning Center. The next Monday, Mead & Hunt reps brought six large underbed storage containers full of supplies, along with 60 boxes of Kleenex, and 5 backpacks full of paper goods worth approximately $1,000.

"It was an amazing sight to see, knowing how much my students needed supplies as well as my colleagues and their students," says teachers Lisa Claussen. "My fellow teachers were so excited to be able to get things that they really needed and could use right now."

Claussen says the best part of the contributions is that four Bannon Creek students have been able to get the new backpacks they needed.

"To see a child with no backpack or sharing a backpack with another sibling, is truly heartbreaking," she explains. "They are overjoyed to have their own bag to bring to school."

Richard Harris, Kristen Michaelis (both employees of Mead & Hunt, Inc.), Lisa Claussen (Bannon Creek Learning Center Teacher, & Linda Wilkinson (Principal-Bannon Creek)

End of Vacation

When I wake up tomorrow, my vacation will have officially ended. I love to go to work, but I do like staying at home too. I think the biggest part about going back to work is all the time I will be missing with Izzy, but she is at a great school and I am thankful that I make a good living and have the flexibility to have such long vacations. I have the best of both worlds. I am ready to start my 7th year of this adventure in teaching. It has been a good start so far with my district being proactive with giving me an additional aide (although my caseload was increased) and the biggie, I have a larger classroom. Good part is that I didn't have to move. The psychologist who use to share with the counselor (who was laid off), is moving to a classroom right across the way, and I have accordian doors, so we are going to have them opened about 10 feet and we now have 5 distinct teaching areas, the flexibility to move around when we teach, more storage, more wall space, and hopefully a quieter environment. We will see. Now, I only have to teach for 19 more school days and then I get a vacation. Wooh, I am going to need it!

Classroom Budget

So, I got back to school today to just start getting things ready. I am suppose to report back on Friday, but I felt like a couple of hours in my class won't hurt, I can socialize with the teachers (adults, yeah!), and Izzy can see her friends and eat at school (I am sure she is tired of Mommy making her a hot dog, applesauce, a piece of cheese, and some chips). [She was eating Fettuccine Alfredo and salad when I arrived at lunch today (of course, she wasn't eating the salad though)]. Anyways, back to my budget. So I went to the office to get my key and chat with the secretaries. I got my copy code and my budget for the year. Are you sitting down for this one?????? One ream of paper. Are you kidding me??????? That won't last long. Now I am surely not in the same boat as some teachers. I am so blessed with donorschoose.org and adoptaclassroom.org. I got a call today from a local engineering firm who is going to have a fundraiser this Friday and they have chosen my classroom because of adoptaclassroom.org. So we'll see what I get. Again, I am just so thankful that I saved so much of my things, proactively purchased materials and supplies when I did have money, and Donorschoose.org for supplying the big things. So now I better start writing a list of things I can use my one ream of paper for.

Mowing Lawns

Okay, I maybe way off on this, but what is it with Northern California women and mowing lawns? I was walking this morning and taking note that about 50% of my neighbor's wives mow the lawn, 25% have lawn mowing services, and the other 25% are mowed by the man of the house. I do not ever remember, anywhere in my childhood, a woman mowing her lawn. I can understand if your husband is sick or has passed away, someone has to mow the lawn if you can't afford to get someone to do it, but come on, it is a man's job. It is sweaty, you get hit by flying objects, you have to push a big, heavy, metal object around, and you have to pour gas in it (I avoid putting gas in the car, that's Paul's job). YUCK! Out of my 5 neighbors, 3 of the women mow their lawns. I have worked too hard in my education to EVER mow a lawn if Paul is around. Therefore, I am keeping my stance on never learning how to mow the lawn because I think once your husband figures out you can mow the lawn, it becomes your duty.

At Home with a Two Year Old

Being at home with a two year old is tough. I am trying to work on things with her, clean the house, try to relax, and then not watch too much tv. But, this is so hard because really it is my/our vacation. I kind of like the balance I have between work and staying home for weeks at a time. Don't get me wrong, I am almost in tears every night because I don't get this time with her when school is in session. Everything is in a rush (and will probably be much worse this school year with having to pick up odd assignments for extra cash) and just getting ready for the next day takes away our valuable time together. She is just irresistible, clever, quiet, quick to react (like her mom unfortunately), quick to frustrate (again like me), loves animals to no end (like her Dad), and is ultimately a sweet, sweet girl. I love her, but man she is work.

Getting Taller

I have a student who I say hi to every morning and he snaps back with, "Good Morning, Ms. Lisa. You're getting taller" as he is sizing me up with his hand to our heads. Didn't know I was still growing.

New Study About Watching TV

Language use decreases in young children and caregivers when television is on, study finds

Exposure to audible television has implications for language acquisition and brain development

In a new study, young children and their adult caregivers uttered fewer vocalizations, used fewer words and engaged in fewer conversations when in the presence of audible television. The population-based study is the first of its kind completed in the home environment, guided by lead researcher Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. "Audible Television and Decreased Adult Words, Infant Vocalizations, and Conversational Turns" was published in the June 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

"We've known that television exposure during infancy is associated with language delays and attentional problems, but so far it has remained unclear why," said Christakis. "This study is the first to demonstrate that when the television is on, there is reduced speech in the home. Infants vocalize less and their caregivers also speak to them more infrequently."

The study looked at infants aged two months to four years old; a total of 329 children were studied. The children wore a small, business card-sized, two ounce digital recorder on random days monthly for up to two years. A specially designed vest with a chest pocket held the recorders at a specific distance from the mouth, and captured everything the child said and also heard during continuous 12 to 16 hour periods. The recorders were removed only for naps, baths, nighttime sleep and car rides. A speech identification software program processed the recorded files to analyze sounds children were exposed to in their environment, as well as the sounds and utterances they made.

Measurements in this study included adult word counts, child vocalizations, and child conversational turns, defined as verbal interactions when a child vocalizes and an adult responds to them vocally (or vice versa) within five seconds.

The study found that each hour of audible television was associated with significant reductions in child vocalizations, vocalization duration, and conversational turns. On average, each additional hour of television exposure was also associated with a decrease of 770 words the child heard from an adult during the recording session. This represented a seven percent decrease in words heard, on average. There were significant reductions in both adult female and male word counts. From 500 to 1,000 fewer adult words were spoken per hour of audible television.

"Adults typically utter approximately 941 words per hour. Our study found that adult words are almost completely eliminated when television is audible to the child," added Christakis. "These results may explain the association between infant television exposure and delayed language development." Christakis further adds that this may also explain attentional and cognitive delays, since it has been posed that language development is a critical component of brain development in early childhood.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Public Education (Pediatrics, 2001) specifically recommends against screen time for children under two years of age, urging more interactive play in its place.

"Since 30 percent of American households now report having the television always on, even when no one is watching, these findings have grave implications for language acquisition and therefore perhaps even early brain development," added Christakis. "Audible television clearly reduces speech for both infants and their caregivers within the home, and this is potentially harmful for babies' development. There is simply nothing better for early childhood language acquisition than the spoken and imitated words of caregivers, and every word counts. Television is not only a poor caregiver substitute, but it actually reduces the number of language sounds and words babies hear, vocalize and therefore learn. We are increasingly technologizing infancy, which may prove harmful to the next generation of adults."

I guess I should stop typing now and rescue my child from the TV.

Diagnostic Criteria for Autism and Asperger's

I don't think that people see this enough. I receive Autism Speaks newsletter and this is the latest diagnostic criteria. Autism is on the rise and we see it with friends and family members all the time. We need to be vigilent because it can be decreased in the severity of the disorder if treated before 5 (although it is ideal to catch it around 2). I know that Izzy's doctor was checking her at 9 months. It is funny to go to check ups with a doctor and as a special education teacher, you know what they are testing for by the questions they are posing.

Diagnostic Criteria for 299.00: Autism

A. A total of six (or more) items from (1), (2), and (3), with at least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3):
(1) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
(a) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social
interaction
(b) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(c) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (eg, by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of
interest)
(d) lack of social or emotional reciprocity

(2) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:
(a) delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of
communication such as gesture or mime)
(b) in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
(c) stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language
(d) lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level

(3) restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
(a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(b) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(c) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (eg, hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

B. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset before 3 years old: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, or (3) symbolic or imaginative play.

C. The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett’s Disorder or childhood disintegrative disorder.

Reprinted with permission from American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2000:75.

TABLE 2 Diagnostic Criteria for 299.80: Asperger’s Disorder

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
(1) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social
interaction
(2) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(3) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (eg, by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of
interest to other people)
(4) lack of social or emotional reciprocity

B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least 1 of the following:
(1) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(2) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(3) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (eg, hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(4) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (eg, single words used by 2 years old, communicative phrases used by 3 years old).

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social
interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia.

Reprinted with permission from American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Washington, DC: American
Psychiatric Publishing; 2000:75.

Pilot

Okay, so I got an e-mail for the committee leaders who are in charge of piloting our new Language Arts program. Hello, did I sign up for this??? No. I had to ask my principal, "Did you nominate me for this?" Her reply, "I thought you would be great for the committee and be able to give good insight". Nice compliment, but I don't have time for this AND to top it all off which grade level do I choose: Kindergarten or 1st, perhaps 2nd or 3rd, or 4th or 5th. Ahhh. Life of a teacher.

Funded

I got funded again. My 15th funding. I am up to $5500 just this year. Who needs classroom budgets when you have donorschoose.org. I LOVE THEM. Today's funding was for a color all-in-one printer and ink cartridges. Now, if I ever move can I take this with me???

Vacation anyone?

I am so ready to have a break. Not a three day weekend. A BREAK. I am tired of working all day, tutoring 3 days, and for the last 3 weeks 4 additional hours of training a week. I also do not like getting home at 8 pm when I left at 6 in the morning. Two more weeks of school and then a week off and then back to summer school. Come on Thanksgiving Break...

My car

I can't wait till the 28th to get my poor car back. We all need to be so careful in parking lots and this just proves that (woman pulled straight back into the aisle of the parking lot, clipping the back of the car). Paul has been so great about getting the car into the body shop and dealing with the insurance. AAA has been great too with all their prompt assistance. I however learned that I hate rental cars. Not the part, that I am grateful for having a car to go to and from work (Paul is driving it though), but that rental cars are dirty, smelly, small, and "Not my car". It really has shown me to appreciate my car and "things" God has given us.

Teacher of the Year- runner up?

Okay, so you saw the great letter that I got from my principal, I finally got why. She pulled me into her office to let me know that only one person had nominated one of our teachers for Teacher of the Year. Can you guess who was the person to nominated the choosen teacher of the year was? Yes, me and had I not, our principal would have choosen and she told me it was me! AHHHH. I nominated a person into my spot. Can you believe this? It was a sign. God knew it would go to my head. I keep telling myself that the runner-up (me) got $5000 from donorschoose donations this year. I should be satisfied with that.

Families: The Topic

I really took a lot way from service on Sunday. Here were some of the points I wrote down.

• Families matter to God.
• He will equip us to raise our children.
• Do we look at our children as blessings or roadblocks to our careers?
• God values children.
• They are our central part of our lifes mission.
• Would you want to be the child of a mother who says, "I had to put my life on hold for you."
• Mother's are called to mother and fathers are called to father.
• We need to think of time as a gift and not an inconvenience.
• Children are the greatest teacher's of all.
• When we have children, we worry more and more about our identify in the life of other's. We need to let go of this and worry only about what God thinks.
• Children are born full of faith. We only learn later to doubt.
• You will always be lost if you go with the flow.

Now I think I need to print this off and read it everyday.

Principal note

I have a principal who I would say doesn't pass out the kudos very often, but here was the surprise e-mail I received that she had sent to all my special education bosses. It's nice to have nice comments every once in awhile.

I just want you to know that [name of school] is so fortunate to have what I consider the best R.S.P. Teacher in the district. I have watched Lisa teach in the classroom, she is prepared, uses effective strategies to meet all of her students needs, the students love her because they are learning and they know that she cares about each and everyone of them. Lisa is organized at I.E.P.’s and extremely articulate. She is sensitive to parents needs and keeps them well informed. Lisa always goes the extra mile whether it is taking meeting minutes that no one else wants to do, writing mini grants to get materials for her students, working with students on her own time, etc., etc.

I just thought you should know what a shinning star we have on campus.

Teacher Moment

On the math worksheet today, one of my students had to write a written word problem for 4+6=10. Here is what she wrote: "Jenny has 4 work shits. She got 6 more work shits. How many work shits does she have now?" Kid you not. It was great. She is so sweet. My aide and I will point it out to her tomorrow and for sure she will be embarrassed.

Classes

I spent the last few days thinking, after a moment of insanity, why I nominated myself to take the worst class on campus. On Friday when I left, I thought I was taking the class. Then I got to Bella Bru with some co-workers and it was a no. Then this morning it was a yes and then this afternoon it was a no. I am drained from planning for that class and then not planning for that class. I can truly say though, that I am glad I do not have that class. I have my own class to worry about plus Open House, report cards, assessments, IEPs, behaviors, etc., etc. June 10th can not come fast enough. The only bad part, one week off and then back to summer school. Talk about waiting for a vacation. Maybe Thanksgiving????

Thoughts

Church today was really good. Maybe the best yet. Here is what I got out of it:

1. ...Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory. Colossians 1:27 (NLT1)
2. Are you aware of God's presence in your life?
3. If we permeate ourselves in him, he will permeate himself in us.
4. Every moment is holy.
5. We go through the majority of our day unaware of God's presence. Most Christians spend only 7 minutes in thoughts with God. However, he is with us 24/7.
   
6. We need to remember that every detail of our life is soaked in meaning and we that we need to take hold of that.
7. Our life is saturated with holy moments. (Today it started with us opening the blinds to a beautiful day God has set for us).