Tucker,+Delfina

= = =__**My Introduction**__= Hi my name is Delfina Tucker and I have three kids. I have two girls- eleven and six- and a two year old boy. Something interesting about me is I like to fold origami. I like to make origami birds and other animals. I also have a pet bird that I've had since I was seven years old.

__My education & career goals:__
The picture to the left is me at my SOU graduation. I received my bachelors degree in elementary education and I am planning to be an upper elementary teacher or a middle school math teacher. I have worked with a wide range of children from birth to middle school and I love all the levels. Right now I have the wonderful opportunity to work with toddlers and young preschoolers at my church. I enjoy their playfulness and learn new things from them every day.

__What brings me joy:__
What brings me joy are my own kids. I have three wonderful but challenging children. My eleven year old, Audrey-Leigh, is so smart and was born to challenged the world. She likes things her way and to her, the world is only black or white, never gray. Audrey-Leigh is so smart; I have learned a lot from her. I also have a six year old, Delilah, who is going on sixteen. She is so precocious. She learned to read at four and has been sucking up knowledge ever since. I am a little worried about her being bored later in school but I plan on challenging her at home. Then their is my son, Leo. He is a busy toddler. He loves to get into everything and he is the perfect example of why people learned to keep everything 'out of the reach of children.'

__My greatest fear about being a teacher:__
My greatest fear about being a teacher is classroom management. I am not nervous about having control of a lot of students but not having control. There is going to be a wide range of students in my classroom and I am nervous about trying to keep my lessons interesting and keeping their attention. I am going to be a math teacher and I am going to try to do many hands-on activities. With hands-on activities, comes a lot of noise. Since I have a low voice naturally, I am planing to get a noise maker to getting the students attention. I hope to learn more about classroom management and have practice in classroom before I become a teacher.

__An experience of when something was extremely difficult for me to learn and how it made me feel:__
When I was in elementary school, I struggled with reading. I knew how to decode words I just had a hard time understanding what I was reading. I ended up just coping and learned to comprehend what I was reading by going slow. Being a slow reader made it hard for me in school. I hated reading out loud and I became really quiet. The way this experience can help me connect with students with learning differences is I will be able to empathize with them. I will create experiences and times where they can succeed and show them that I care about them and their success.

__What I want to gain from this course:__
I want to learn the process parents have to go through to get their children to get special help. I have a daughter who has never been in special education and may need services. Her teacher is really good with her and she is working through her struggles. I want to know what I can do to ease the struggles even more.

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I chose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for many reasons. The first reason is because it is becoming a very known disorder that many children are being diagnosed with. I want to learn how I can help students with ADHD succeed in my future classroom. Another reason I chose this topic is because my eleven year old daughter just got diagnosed with ADHD and I want to learn more about the disorder in order to help her.
 * __ My Inclusions Project: ADHD __**

__ The top 5 things I learned about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder __ 1. ADHD is a life long disorder. Many adults are learning they have ADHD and remember how they had difficulties as a child. 2. Bright colors can help students with ADHD focus and stay organized. 3. A way to help students who fidget, teachers can have different items for the students to hold or sit on while they are staying focused. 4. Chunking of direction is a good way to help kids know how to follow complex directions. 5. ADHD affects about 20 million Americans.

=**__ My Top Pick __**=

media type="youtube" key="Dd62-eL0JYI" height="315" width="560" __ 1. ADHD Classroom Strategies __ In this video a teacher, Jon Weinberger, of the 5th grade is interviewed and discusses strategies he uses to help students with ADHD in his classroom. Mr. Weinberger goes over how to help students with being distracted, fidgety and hyperactive, organization, and following directions. I give this video a 5 out of 5 because it had a lot of useful information on how to help children with ADHD succeed in school.

__2.__ At the end of this youtube video, I saw there was a website that has more information to help students with ADHD. The website is[| InsideADHD.org.] InsideADHD.org has a lot of information on ADHD. These topics include treatment, ADHD at home, ADHD at school, and insight about ADHD in children, teens, and adults. I also give the website a 5 out of 5 because I found some useful information as a future teacher and parent.

media type="youtube" key="VsiJgEG22no" height="315" width="560" __3. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)__ This video discusses what ADHD is and how people with it may feel or may be portrayed as. This video describes the subtypes of ADHD, which are inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive. The video also discusses the possible causes of ADHD. One thing I found very interesting is that the use of bright colors to emphasize tasks has been proven effective to drawing and maintaining attention to a given task even if the colors have nothing to do with the task at hand. There are also other techniques discussed on how to teach a student with ADHD. I give this youtube video a 4 out of 5 because it was a very informative video but the music used is a little distracting.

media type="custom" key="13282142" __ 4. ADHD __ This is a PowerPoint that discusses students with ADHD in the classroom and who is affected. This PowerPoint discusses what ADHD is and isn't. There are a lot of myths about students with ADHD. Teacher may think they are lazy, lack intelligence, have a bad attitude, it's the parents fault, or irresponsibility. This PowerPoint also discusses ways teachers can help in the classroom. I give this slide show a 4 out of 5 because it discusses how the student who have ADHD feel and how we as teachers can help them succeed.

media type="youtube" key="CgVhmHKIk7w" height="315" width="560" __5. Social Skills App for Children & Teens with Social & Behavior Issues including Aspergers & ADD/ADHD __ This app for a for an iphone amazed me. This app helps students with social and behavior issues know what to do in certain situations. If a student has this app, they could say where they are at (home, school, etc.), why they are there, who they are with, and what is happening and the app tells them what they should do. The app validates their feelings but lets them know what they should do. I am amazed and want to get an iphone for my 11 year old just so she could explore this app. I give this video a 5 out 5 because someone came out with an amazing app and was able display how it worked.

6. [|L D Online] is a website that claims to be 'The world's leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD.' There is many useful facts for parents and teachers about students with learning disabilities including IDEA and IEPs. There is also a forum where people can ask questions about learning disabilities. There also a good link on there called [|Helping the Student With ADHD].This link gives strategies to help students with ADHD in the classroom. I give this website a 5 out of 5 because it has a lot of useful information of people who want to learn more about learning disabilities and how to help in the classroom.

media type="youtube" key="JA-DKdARTQM" height="315" width="560" __ 7. ADHD Symptoms & Treatments : Teaching Students With ADHD __ This video discusses what is expected in a typical classroom-sit still, be quiet, pay attention, follow directions- are opposite of what a student with ADHD can do. The video suggests that teachers can help students by accommodations, instruction, and intervention. I give this video a 4 out of 5 because it was interesting and it explained very well how students with ADHD can and cannot do in a typical classroom setting.

media type="youtube" key="LFLlTS6odxQ" height="315" width="560" __ 8. Amazing ADD Intro __ This video discusses famous people who had ADD/ADHD and their wonderful gifts to the world. There are many people like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison who had a hard time paying attention but did amazing things. I give this video a 4 out of 5 because it is a different look at ADD and ADHD and shows that it can be a GIFT.

These last two videos are a boy singing about having ADHD and a simulation of how it may feel to be in a classroom and have ADHD. media type="youtube" key="_K-m-jLjmtQ" height="315" width="420" I give this first video a 5 out of 5 because I love the tune and I think it is awesome that he was able to create a song about ADHD.

media type="youtube" key="CVneGO6dMQ0" height="315" width="420" align="center"

I give this video a 4 out of 5 because the quality is not very good but the simulation helped me understand how a student may feel and struggle in a classroom.

My Community Based Project at Easter Seals

I decided to learn about Easter Seals and what they do around our community. I learned that they have a Southern Oregon Branch located in Medford on Riverside Ave and events are located at other community centers in the area.

A little about Easter Seals:
www.or.easterseals.com

“Easter Seals has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives for more than 80 years. Whether helping someone improve physical mobility, return to work or simply gain greater independence for everyday living, Easter Seals offers a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life's challenges and achieve personal goals.

In 1907, Ohio-businessman Edgar Allen lost his son in a streetcar accident. The lack of adequate medical services available to save his son prompted Allen to sell his business and begin a fund-raising campaign to build a hospital in his hometown of Elyria, Ohio. Through this new hospital, Allen was surprised to learn that children with disabilities were often hidden from public view. Inspired by this discovery, in 1919 Allen founded what became known as the National Society for Crippled Children, the first organization of its kind.

In the spring of 1934, the organization launched its first Easter "seals" campaign to raise money for its services. To show their support, donors placed the seals on envelopes and letters. Cleveland Plain Dealer cartoonist J.H. Donahey designed the first seal. Donahey based the design on a concept of simplicity because those served by the charity asked "simply for the right to live a normal life."

The lily -- a symbol of spring -- was officially incorporated as Easter Seals' logo in 1952 for its association with resurrection and new life and has appeared on each seal since.

The overwhelming public support for the Easter "seals" campaign triggered a nationwide expansion of the organization and a swell of grassroots efforts on behalf of people with disabilities. By 1967, the Easter "seal" was so well recognized, the organization formally adopted the name "Easter Seals."

Easter Seals Today

Easter Seals assists more than one million children and adults with disabilities and their families annually through a nationwide network of more than 450 service sites. Each center provides top-quality, family-focused and innovative services tailored to meet the specific needs of the particular community it serves.

Primary Easter Seals services include:

Medical Rehabilitation

Early Intervention

Physical Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Speech and Hearing Therapy

Job Training and Employment

Child Care

Adult Day Services

Camping and Recreation

Easter Seals also advocates for the passage of legislation to help people with disabilities achieve independence, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Passed in 1990, the ADA prohibits discrimination against anyone who has a mental or physical disability, guaranteeing the civil rights of people with disabilities.

At the core of the Easter Seals organization is a common passion for caring, shared by its 13,000 staff members and thousands of volunteers, and by those who support its mission. This heart-felt commitment to helping people with disabilities and their families is what Easter Seals is all about.

Here in the Rogue Valley, the Easter Seals offers Recreation & Respite care, a dance and social event, summer day camp, and Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.

The Recreation & Respite (R&R) program provides relief for family members and primary caregivers of children with special needs and their siblings. Children ages 3-21 (including siblings) participate in a wide range of recreational activities. They have experienced, caring staff and volunteers provide a snack and any necessary physical care while parents/caregivers take a much deserved break. Some of the activities available during R&R include: arts and crafts, group games and sports, and movies.

I thought the R&R program was really interesting so I went to one on Saturday, March 3. The event was from 9am-2pm and I came at 9am. There was not that many people then so I was able to talk with the Recreation Program Assistant, Karli Schwimmer for a little while before a lot of kids got there.

__ I asked Karli Schwimmer about the R&R programs and the benefits she saw for the parents. __

“R&R is a program dedicated to help children with disabilities and their family. It is very important for the parents to get some help because they have the hardest job of all. Some of them (parents) are dedicated and love their children so much that they don’t think about needing a break. Everyone needs a break sometimes to just breathe and go do something for themselves. We provide snack, lunch, and anything else needed. I love this job because it has so many rewards. I get to see the children having fun and enjoying being with their friends. Their parents are so happy that they found a safe place for their children to be.”

__ I asked a volunteer about what she liked about the R&R program. (I forgot to write down her name) __

“I enjoy playing with the kids. Everyone here is so nice and the kids are just like every other kid-they love to play and be themselves.”

During interviewing the volunteers and other people there, I was able to interact with the kids. I played with the kids and created collages and necklaces with them.

Reflection

I really enjoyed going to this event. I think Easter Seals is a great resource for people with disabilities and their families to have. I can understand where the parents are coming from because I have a child with a disability. I heard about Easter Seals but I did not think they had a program around here. While I was there and was interacting with the kids, I did not think about them having a disability. It was just like any other place that had kids who love to create things. It was chaotic at times and I just loved it. As a future teacher, I am going to take this experience and use it for good. I will teach all students about differences and try to build a community in the classroom that everyone will be able to be themselves. A child with disabilities is like any other child, they are learning about the world and want to have fun.