It's Been a While...

It has been a while, well that is an understatement!  My last post was sometime around the beginning of this school year.  I fully intended to continue writing during the past year, but somehow life just got in the way.  The good news is, I have gotten over my guilt of not writing!  Yay for me!  Now I just have a desire to put some things down in writing, just so I can quit carrying them around with me.
From now on I am not going to post any links from facebook.  That really added to the pressure for me.  So, who needs added pressure?  Not me, that is for sure.  Anyway, if you have found me, welcome!  I hope I don't bore you with my meandering thoughts.
I guess we will start today with my job.  I have plenty to say about that!  I am still working in an autism specific kindergarten classroom.  I feel like I make a real difference in these childrens' lives.  Typically it is a very rewarding job.  However, after the difficult last year and this year being somewhat difficult as well, I feel very burnt out.  I am even considering going back into teaching regular education.  Who would have thought I would even consider it again, what with NCLB, state standards that don't take into account language barriers or development delays, and all the extra hours outside the classroom, not to mention dealing with parents who think their children are perfect.  See what I'm doing there?  I'm already trying to talk myself out of it.  Anyway, back to autism.  Did you know that when I started in this job four short years ago, the diagnosed were 1 in 500?  Now it is 1 in 88, and a much higher percentage if you only count boys.  Why are there so many?  Are they over-diagnosing?  Are we giving our children something we shouldn't?  Is it a natural evolution of our brains?  Who knows?  All I know is class sizes are getting larger and the children seem more severe.  I have been well trained to work with autistic children, so why am I feeling burnt out after 4 short years?  I think it is because of the students who are in the class and autism isn't their main issue.  It is hard to work on behaviors all day long and have it all undone by the parents once the child goes home.  Shall I give a small example?  No names will be given to protect the innocent guilty.  I spent the better part my shift restraining a child who before he/she was restrained, was hitting and kicking another teacher (because the child didn't want to do what he/she was told).  While being restrained by me, the child spit on me several times and when he/she managed to get an arm or leg free attempted to (sometimes successfully) hit or kick me.  He/she repeatedly hit the back of their head into my arms, shoulders, and chest all the while screaming and crying at a volume that vibrated my ear drums.  Now, I would like to say that this is a rare occurrence, but between last year's class and this year, it is becoming more frequent.  Anyway, I digress.  The point of this is, why am I burnt out?  Well, this particular child went home after this incredibly exhausting day and the next morning the parents wrote a note to the teacher saying that since the child was good at home, they didn't give him/her any consequences.  Wait, what???!!!  We have a word for the kids in our class who act this way... we say they have "bratism."  Children, ALL CHILDREN, need to be parented!  They have no idea that they are creating a monster, one that is only going to get bigger and stronger.
Along with my desire to get out of this environment, as I mentioned earlier, I am considering going back into teaching.  My credential expires in 2013, so I need to make up my mind soon.  In the meantime, I have applied for a full time position at the high school as an athletic equipment manager.  I took the exam today and feel I did pretty well.  I should know by the end of next week if I will be selected for an interview.  Here's to keeping my fingers crossed!