It's all about the little things

Those of you following me on Instagram have seen the reservations I have had toward teaching high school. Not only did I teach elementary special education last year, but my entire undergrad and credential program focused on teaching at an Elementary level. So making the transition from elementary to high school has been a lot to digest. My brain ran wild the days leading up to school and the first week I kept thinking "How am I going to do this?", "What if they think I am treating them like babies?", "What will I be able to use from last year?". So far I haven't had much of an issue finding use for things, of course my Read Naturally curriculum isn't getting much use since I am teaching history (although I have thought about piecing through it and picking out the passages on historical figures). But the majority of my elementary classroom has made an appearance in my high school classroom. My decor has already been stated to be the cutest by many of my colleagues and I am A-okay with that! 

But what has really helped this rocky transition is the students. Don't get me wrong, I have had lots of support from my fellow staff members and the administration team, but the people who are with me the majority of the day are my students and I am grateful to have the group that I do. One of the aspects I have been enjoying most about high school is the amount of focus on their futures. College and career choices are conversations we have almost daily. And because I just finished college (my undergrad was finished a little less than 2 years ago) my students have really enjoyed asking me their questions and sharing their concerns and getting answers from someone with recent experience. 

I have students who think that college isn't an option for them and I have many parents under the same impression. But 3 weeks into the school year these students are the ones asking the majority of the college questions and they are starting to see that it most definitely is an option for them! 

I am realizing how much support these high schoolers are lacking, so they accept my support with open arms. It is really rewarding to see how happy my students get when I talk to them about the positive characteristics that they possess and how they can be successful after high school. It saddens me to think about how many people have just focussed on the negatives and not seen or shared the positives with these kids and their parents. 

I am excited to see what the rest of the year holds for us, I am so thrilled that I can mold and change the minds of these students who have been focussing on the negatives for far too long. 

So, high school is really growing on me, and believe me when I say that getting a sweet note from a "cool" high schooler is far more rewarding than the thousands of pictures and drawings I got from my elementary school kiddos (although those were totally cute). 

Why Special Ed?

When people ask me the question "Why special education?" I can never answer it simply, but I am pretty sure that if you ask anyone passionate about their job it isn't an easy task to explain why. But for any of you wondering, maybe I can give it a shot and keep this under 500 words.... maybe.

When I was in high school I began to volunteer in the classroom my mom worked (still works) in. It is a classroom for students with moderate to severe special needs, with disabilities ranging from autism to down syndrome and a number of other disabilities. I loved watching the kids grow and seeing their excitement for life and learning. When I looked at them I recognized some of the challenges they would face in their futures. I thought about how many times they would hear that they COULD NOT do something, and hear that something was just TOO DIFFICULT for them to do.

Growing up I heard these same things a number of times, I had teachers speak their minds and call me stupid right in front of me, and I really struggled with being confident in school. Sure I had some fantastic teachers, but I had quite a few "duds" along the way. It was not until college that I found out that I have and auditory processing disorder, so basically I struggle with listening and comprehending audio.

All of these factors have led me to teaching and have led me to making a difference in as many children's lives as humanly possible. I can honestly say that I care about each of my students, it doesn't matter how much they annoy me at times or how rude they may be to me. I understand that it's tough living with a disability, knowing you are different, and knowing that there is nothing you can do about it. But these negative thoughts are poison and NOT true! They can change it, they can make a difference in their lives, and with a little help they can embrace being different.

So I make it known to my students (especially my high schoolers) that I am there to advocate for them, that I will prove to them that they can discover ways to learn things they never thought were possible, and in other people's eyes I may be working way too hard, but these kids deserve it! It pains me to hear how many people have just let them pass through without giving them the tools they need to be successful. I'm talking about tools for ADVOCATING for themselves. When a student knows how they learn they can feel confident walking into a general ed classroom, approaching the teacher and saying "Hi, I do have special needs but I learn best when activities are visual rather than auditory", for example. These are skills that EVERY child should possess, special ed or general ed! Being able to advocate for yourself is powerful and a gift that many of us take for granted.

So to wrap this up, I teach special ed to bring a voice to children who usually don't have one and to be the voice for them until they are confident enough to speak for themselves. Teaching special education is my passion and I truly believe that it is my purpose in life.

Happy hump day ya'll!

Hey Everyone!

Well I caved and finally started a blog! I am a total newbie and have no idea what I am doing so please go easy on me for the first few months until I get the hang of all this. 

Let me introduce myself a bit.
My name is Erin Carscadden Castillo and I am a newly married special education teacher in the Bay Area! I teach wonderful students with mild to moderate disabilities. I teach US history, World History, and Freshmen Health. It has been a rough transition to high school so far, but I believe I am starting to see light! Last year was my first year teaching and I taught 3rd through 5th graders with special needs. I love teaching and am really beginning to love creating my own products and making interactive activities that reach each of my special learners. 

If there is one thing you should know about me it should be that I loveeeeeee my puppy, Kyla. She is the sweetest little 16 pound beagle girl. I love taking her for walks, adventuring through stores (she is the best shopping partner), and taking her to meet other dogs. 

I am so excited to see where my passion for teaching takes me and can't wait to connect with more educators through this blog! 

Happy Blogging,