An Introduction

So if you've stumbled across this site, you're probably wondering what the deal is with the title. Well, allow me to explain: my name is Pat. I work in a special education classroom as a teacher's aide. (Where is not relevant.) I actually started last year. Some people told me that it must be "an easy job." Well, let me tell you: despite the fact that these kids are all "slow" to varying degrees, they keep us on our toes, constantly. It seemed like I had a new crazy story every day. I would tell friends, and half of them wouldn't believe me. Of the other half, some found the stories sad, but the majority were able to see the humor in it.

Those that saw the humor understood that by me telling these stories, I wasn't making fun of the children in question, but I was relating the bright (or not so bright) moments of my day. I was venting my frustration at the parents, school, administrators, and others who weren't allowing these students to reach their full potential due to funding, neglect, etc. I was sharing my delight at having helped one of these students learn something seemingly simple that they hadn't previously been able to grasp.

Anyhow, regardless of what I put here, I know I'll still get people who write me hate mail. There will be people who accuse me of being a horrible person. There will be people who just don't get it. For those people: Sorry if you think I'm a horrible person, but this is one of the ways I keep my sanity and share what I do. For those of you who do get it, thanks.

This all started as a result of a friend telling me I should "totally write a book about what happens in your class." Well, writing a book sounds like too much work. So I've made a deal with this friend and decided to write a blog instead. And here I am. School starts tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll have something to say. At the very least, I can profile one of our many students in our already overcrowded classroom...

Until tomorrow, I'm going to go do something not-school-related  for the next several hours, before I reluctantly drag myself to bed. Should be a heck of a year.