Shining Star and Peer Reader

Well, bless her heart, Aislin finally got to be the shining star this year. For kindergarten, Blaine was student of the month in the second month of the school year, for 1st grade he was Shining Star the first month. I was beginning to wonder if Aislin would ever get her chance! She was chosen for the month of April and was quite proud. Unfortunately with it being the end of the school year I already had meetings scheduled so I was not able to attend. Brent went with camera in hand and snapped some good pictures. Aislin's favorite part, of course, was the cake served at the end.

I remember when Aislin was finishing pre-k and heading into kindergarten. I was a bit worried that she would not continue to progress academically. Needless worries! She had the most amazing teacher this school year. I will mention in another post about Mrs. Wagner and the fact that on top of all the demands teachers are facing (larger class sizes, less para pro support, furlough days..) she also underwent treatment for ovarian cancer this school year. With all of those monumental adversities, she remained a phenomenal teacher. At our first parent teacher conference in the fall she let me know that she planned on keeping Aislin progressing in both reading and math. She projected she would have her reading on a 2nd grade level, showed me the various ways she differentiated math for her and let me know that she has already referred her for testing for the gifted program.

On top of the individualized instruction Mrs. Wagner allowed Aislin to try out leadership roles in her class and in the school. Aislin got to be a designated math helper for certain peers in her class as well as a "peer reader" to a self-contained special education classroom. She and a few students from her class were chosen to go and read to the class a few days a week.

During one of the last weeks I was able to go and take some pictures and video. The students in this class were severely disabled and some with multiple medical issues such as seizures, tube feeding and such. I know from working in the field and trying to complete evaluations it can be a bit scary. I think the first few times Aislin went she was a little nervous. She told me one day that she thought she was going to throw up after seeing another child in the class vomit. As the visits progressed she must have built up a stronger stomach :) I enjoyed watching her read and am so proud of her for learning at an early age how to interact with diverse populations. Here are a few pictures from the day I visited:

(Aislin was reading with her friend Hala, who is one of 7 children! All the siblings are so cute and range from teenagers to a baby! I can't imagine! And yes, Aislin is wearing a Christmas outfit. We are typically just happy if she gets dressed without too much fuss...)