Books For Children About Disabilities

I have read all of these books. I will update the list as I come across more.

One of my favorite books of all time, Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (dyslexia)

Egg Drop Blues by Jacqueline Turner Banks (dyslexia)

The Alphabet War by Diane Burton Robb (dyslexia)

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos (ADHD)

Joey Pigza Swalloed the Key by Jack Gantos (ADHD)

What Would Joey Do? by Jack Gantos

I am Not Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos (ADHD)

Petey by Ben Mikaelsen (cerebral palsy)

Above is a simple list of books that I am familiar with. Since it was so small, I did a little research and found a couple of lists that you can access by clicking here, here (click disability to the right), here, here, here and here.

What Do I Do On The First Day Of School? part 2

Thanks to snap22, I now have more tips on how to deal with first day of school jitters for new teachers. I don’t know how I forgot # 1. That was one of the first things I was told in grad school. Anyway, here they are:

Here are a few that I posted to a first -year teacher asking about that first day and first week to end all others:

survival tip #1: make the custodian and secretary your best friend – buy them coffee, bring them donuts, wash their cars, but make sure you stay in their good graces at all times.

survival tip #2: find a partner teacher that you can send a kid out to see on timeout when you’re at your limit and can’t take it anymore. don’t make the front office the dumping ground for behavior problems you can’t yet handle, or are having trouble with when they target you as the freshest teacher meat on the block. and they will smell that first month fear on you and test those boundaries.

survival tip #3: figure out who are going to be those most difficult to deal with, authority-defying, hormone-raging, balance-of-power classroom catalysts that have the potential to get everyone around them stirred up. call their parents within the first 48 hours of meeting them – before the first incident happens – and give compliments and optimistic statements about their child’s potential to have a great year up the wazoo. lie through your teeth if you have to. the good will that introductory phone call creates will be the insurance policy you will draw upon for the rest of the year.

survival tip #4: buy the costco 5 gallon bucket of twizzlers for bribes and rewards. and i mean specifically twizzlers. any small candies with wrappers will litter the ground like a trail of breadcrumbs leading from your classroom door. chocolate will get on textbooks. with twizzlers, they’re too hard to break and share, so those who were off-task when you gave directions and didn’t get the treat can’t pressure the goody-two-shoes in the front row to hand over half of the reward. and, *laughing at the irony* don’t forget to read alfie kohn’s punished by rewards at the same time.

survival tip #5: get a good pair of merrells, born, or other support shoe, then add gel insoles, then put a rubber mat in front of the white board where you’ll be standing, then leave the bucket and epson salt by the sofa for when you get home.