It is August 1st and you know what that means!!! Time to “reveal” how many comments were made this month !!! This month I chose to have my Comments for a Cause go to my sister in law-Colleen!!! I don’t think she even knows it so how surprised is she going to be tomorrow when I give her a check for ………..????????? Colleen is a special education teacher in Ohio and every year she puts in hundreds of dollars of her own money to ensure that her students have the best possible experience. For one student it meant buying small packs of Legos and for each task that was accomplished or good behavior he was awarded a piece until he got a complete toy to put together. How ingenius is that??? My father in law always used to help out a bit at the beginning of the year by giving her a little bit of cash to help her get supplies that she needed that were not in the school budget. Since he passed away last August my husband and I are going to carry on that tradition and with your generous comments this past month ( 289 to be exact) we will be giving her a neatly rounded up $150.00 to get her year started! Thank you all!
As always I get all excited about my new “cause” and this month is no exception!!! I was looking for another school related project and wanted something local to support. After surfing around the internet a bit I remembered a website —DonorsChoose.org that I had visited before when another teacher friend had a wish for something for her classroom. A quick search and I found a teacher right here in Mason City who had a profile and a project request for a tablet to use with her special education students!!!!!! I was beyond excited!!! I did a little digging and found an email address and Mrs. Amanda Hill and I have been exchanging emails back and forth and I am so thrilled that “she” is going to be my Comments for a Cause this month!!! She even sent me a couple of pictures of herself (how cute is she???) and of her classroom!!!!!
We even did a little interview so you could learn more about her! The great thing is that not only can you comment on my blog anytime on any post during August you can also go here (just click on the underlined highlighted link) and help her out directly by donating through DonorsChoose to her project!!! Maybe with all of us we will be able to fully fund her project !!! I will donate 50 cents for each legitimate comment on any post on my blog during the month of August to DonorsChoose for this project. Thanks so much for always commenting and supporting my efforts to reach beyond my own world into the world of others. I have the best blog followers in the world and am so grateful for each and every one of you.
Below please read what this super teacher has to say about herself, her students and the job that she loves! Thanks, Amanda, for letting us support you!
- This fall will be my second year of teaching. As they like to say, I am the young and energetic generation ready for challenges.
- I like to think I have one of the best jobs in the world being a special education teacher. I have had many people come up to me and say they are glad I am doing this job because they could never do it. It always catches me off guard because I see it as a privilege to work with these various students. Everyday is rewarding for me. It is the little things like the students coming in my room every morning smiling to that moment when they have understood something. Even when a student is having a bad day, it is rewarding to be there to help them through it and to see them in the next 5 minutes or next day smiling again. Everyday I come home from my job no matter how great or awful it was and can think of things of how the students made it great. Each day I am given a challenge and every day bring something new. One particular story that I can think of is last year, the parents of one of my students came in for conferences and wanted to tell me about how happy they were. Every morning their child gets out of the car and came running up into my room and smiling (remembering that this is 7th grade). The said previous years he would not want to get out of bed to go to school. I was really touched by this because I did not think I was doing any extraordinary for this student.
- I will use the tablet to help teach my students in reading, writing, math, social skills, and behavior skills. The first reason I want to use it is because students love it! A tablet keeps students from getting frustrated because it keeps a student’s attention longer by keeping them engaged. This in the long run helps the student learn. I would be able to get various apps on the tablet to help meet the needs and different learning styles of every student in the academic areas. The students would be able to make their own videos to help the students with social skills and behavior skills. The videos would allow students to watch themselves to see how they need to act in specific situations. There are quick and great incentives, such as games, built in on the tablet to help keep students motivated. Most important it removes some obstacles because students can take this tablet into the general education setting to use to take notes, have the notes in front of them on the tablet to follow along when a teacher is lecturing, and use it to communicate.
- I started last year out with 6 students and ended with 9. I will start this year out with 9 students. They all are 7th graders. I am the cognitive special education teacher so I have level 2 an level 3 students. Typically, resource teachers have level 1 students. The students I work usually have multiple disabilities and personal needs. Some examples include Autism and Brain injuries. My students will have classes out in the general education setting, but not all are there for academics. Some go to the classes for social skills. The students range from functioning at a kindergarten level to a fourth grade levEl
- I married my high school boyfriend (well, kind of, we dating throughout high school but he went to a different school in the same town) last year. I have started working on my Masters in Education because I want to continue to learn to be able to help my students. I like to spend my free time watching movies, outside reading in the sun, and on Pinterest.
113 Comments
Leave a commentWhat a wonderful Teacher and such a worthy cause. Hope you will get many, many comments this month. I will also check out her project website.
I am so excited about this one, Meta!!! I think she has what it takes to be a great teacher and make a difference in those lives she teaches!!! Thanks for the support!!!
Congrats on so many comments last month. This special ed teacher sounds like a very special person who really loves her students–that’s a wonderful project you chose for August. Our combined comments for June and July totaled 416 so the Wounded Warrier Project gets $208!
Thanks, Karen! I think that it is the perfect project for this month, don’t you? And your totals are amazing!! Congrats!!!
woo hoo!
she sounds like an amazing lady!!!
I think so, too, Hilary! Thanks for the comment! Going to try to get back with you on your hops on Friday but I am traveling again so it might not happen. But I hope I can!!!
Wonderful project. Wonderful teacher. And wonderful you for helping these teachers.
Thank YOU, Audrey, for commenting!!! I am pretty excited about this one!
Kudos for supporting teachers!!
Thanks!!! It just seemed like the thing to do in August again!
This is such a cool thing that you do.
Thanks, Christine! I have been off my game reading all my blogs —hope to catch up on yours today!
This sounds amazingly wonderful and congrats to your sister-in-law for last months’ comments. I really need to get my butt over here more often… not just because I love you (which of course I do) but because it is for a great cause.
Thanks, Brenda!!! I have been so bad at visiting everyone’s blogs especially this summer. I need to get my own butt in gear!!! 🙂
Thank you everyone for your comments and support so far. I am really excited to see what the month of August brings!
And we are all very excited to be a part of your wonderful project!! Thanks, Amanda!
Ohhh this is a great person for the Comment Cause!! I have a friend who is a special ed teacher and it’s always hard for her to get what she needs so her and her hubby go pick up things themselves. One summer she saved all her change so she could take the kids to Mr. Bulky candy store to teach them about weight and money and math, it was something that worked so well she has been repeating it for years using her own money. On a side note, maybe Andy should make a visit to her classroom and let the kids see him, they could learn about armadillos. 😉
Sounds like your friend is the perfect person to be a special ed teacher!!! Love the Mr. Bulky story!!! And Andy has already been sent on his way……or else that would have been amazing!!!
I would have loved to have Andy in my classroom! 🙂 Just think of all the information he could have learned!
I had Andy for a month and felt like he needed to move on—but yes—he would have been awesome in your classroom and would have smiled at you the entire time!
I love this Comments for a Cause concept! How long have you been doing this?
Thanks, Jon!!!! I got the idea from another blogger(Karen Zemeck at Right Where We Belong (http://zemeks.blogspot.com/) who does it and I started doing it in April 2011 so this will be the 17th “cause” we have supported through my blog. Pretty amazing and I have met some really fabulous folks associated with each charity! It is a great outreach!!! Thanks and stop by anytime!!
Just stumbled across your blog today. Sometimes I hesitate to comment on posts because I’m afraid my words won’t come across like I mean them. But after learning about your “Comments for a Cause,” I knew I had to put my two cents in. This is really a lovely idea, so I’m glad to help out.
Oh thank you so much for taking the time to comment!! I just get so excited every month because I have been able to find such great things to use for my charities!!! Coming from a family of educators makes me love that this month it is this special cause!!! Thank you for your two cents! Please stop by anytime! I am always blathering on about something!
Having been a teacher makes me want to help Amanda. Not every teacher is as happy and doing such a great job as she is. We need more teachers like her!!!
That is exactly what I told her!! Doesn’t she just look like a sweetie???? I am happy to help her out!
I am curious as to what you taught when you were a teacher?
That was my Mom!!! 🙂 She taught elementary but mainly 3rd grade which she loved!!!
I had my heart set on teaching 3rd grade growing up and through the first part of college. Then I had to take a class on special education with a field experience. That is when I feel in love with special education!
And you are in the perfect place now!!!
Thanks for your generosity, Beth Ann. You are blessing so many.
Only because of my buddies!!! 🙂
As Amanda’s sister, I can’t tell you how excited I am that you chose her for your blog. Amanda has wanted to be a teacher practically since she could first say the word “teacher.” The passion and drive she has for teaching is unparralled to anything I’ve ever seen before. I hope that one day everyone can find something they are as passionate about as she is about teaching. Thanks so much for finding her project!
Heather—THANK YOU for stopping by!!! I am so excited about this and can hardly contain myself!!! 🙂 I hope that this month will be a record of comments and that together we will be able to fully fund her project!!!! Come back often and comment! I always have something that I am rattling on and on about!!! 🙂
this sounds great hope she gets what she needs 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment !!! I am hoping that together we will be able to help Amanda fund her goal!!!
I think a tablet is a great way to begin teaching students 21st century skills. They can learn to use their resources and reach beyond the four walls of a classroom to connect with their community, nature, and the world!
I know! I think it is such a great idea and they cost so much that it makes it really difficult for a teacher, especially a young teacher, to be able to provide if it is not in the school budget!!! Thanks for the comment!!!!
This is great, BethAnn. It’s so hard on teachers with budget cuts and everything. At my kids’ old school (public) I volunteered once a week in the classroom to help the teachers out… at the new school it’s not really needed because each classroom has an assistant teacher. Special education teacher are a special bunch I think and they deserve all the praise and help they can get!
It is hard on teachers!!!! It is sad how little they sometimes have to work with from the school system. I am hoping we can make a small difference!
This story allows for many different feelings. I am so lucky to have Amanda as a niece, she really is truly amazing. I feel ashamed that so many people waste the amount of money Amanda needs to help her kids. I am angry that the United States government can spend millions on campaigns, but can’t fund our education system properly. I feel a sense of gratitude to the teachers like Amanda, who give these special children the type of life they deserve. Thank you for picking Amanda.
I am so happy to do this and having the chance to meet all of you who support and love her is a bonus! Thank you for your willingness to stop by and comment!
Amanda is married to our grandson, Kevin. She is very enthusiastic about teaching and about helping children with special needs. She is very deserving of your help. Thank you.
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting!! I can tell that Amanda is a great person!!! I am hoping we can reach her goal!!!
Thank you so much for doing this. Amanda is a fantastic teacher and an amazing person, I know she’ll put a tablet to good use in her classroom. Congrats babe! And thanks again Beth Ann!!
Thanks, Kevin for stopping by and commenting! I am really super excited about this, can you tell? 🙂
Beth Ann,
I think you pick out some awesome causes! Of course the teacher cause is close to my heart! I hope you get many comments so she can get the tablet for her students!
Becky—I have to keep all my teacher friends up at the top of the list—you all do some amazing things and I am pretty excited about helping Amanda get to her goal!
My mother has taught special needs students in the past. From her experiences, I learned it takes a big heart and an incredible amount of hard work to teach these children. Any method of improving the teaching environment is an A+ in my book!
Zach, Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!! I am so excited about this and hope that we can help Amanda help her students!!!
Your generosity is exceeded only by the size of your heart..God Bless and good luck.
Thanks, Jamocha!! We are going to get there!!!
What a wonderful and generous mission you have here….and thank you for choosing Amanda for this month’s cause. Her love and dedication for her students is very apparent, and her selflessness is something that should be taught to all our children. Thank you, Beth Ann!
Thank YOU, Alessandra, for stopping by and commenting! I am so excited about the possibility of helping Amanda actually reach her goal!!!! Come back anytime!
Both are worthy causes and I wish you much luck this month. It is such a shame that teachers have to invest their own money. I admire their dedication and I wish our society would start appreciating education more. I’ll do my best to comment!!
DonorsChoose is such a wonderful cause. Having working for several years with children on the autism spectrum, I am so happy you chose this teacher to support. Hope you get lots of comments!
Thanks, Bev, for reaffirming my choice this month!!! I am pretty darn excited about it!!!
I totally agree with you—we need to CHERISH our teachers!!! They do amazing things and don’t get nearly the recognition that they deserve!
I have learnt about your blog through SITS and I think it’s just wonderful what you do. Happy SITS day
http://myfroley.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment today!!! I really appreciate it!!!
[…] for a Cause for 17 months—it is THE best thing that I could ever have done with my blog. See this post to read what the “cause” is for […]
Great idea! Count me as a supporter–you know my soft spot for special needs kids!
Yep–=indeed I do!! They are the ones who always make me smile!
Just found your blog through SITS and wow! This is an absolutely fabulous idea – and what a worthy cause. I am a fundraiser by career choice and know what a difference people like you make on a daily basis! I only wish I had come up with Comments for a Cause by myself 🙂
Thanks so much for such a sweet comment!!! I am excited about doing this, can you tell???? It is absolutely the best thing I could have ever done with my blog! I have helped 17 totally different causes so far and it is amazing the connections I have made!
Teachers are so under-appreciated. I’m so glad you’re helping her out!
Whitney, Thank you so much—I could not agree more with you that teachers are unappreciated!! Together we can make a difference!
I am so proud of my daughter becoming a teacher. When she was in 3rd grade is when her teacher inspired her to wanting to become a teacher and from then on she had always wanted to be one. I can see it in her eyes how she loves teaching this students who have challenges and calls me often after her school day to let tell me what her students accomplished for the day. Often we are out in public and one of her students will see her and come over to talk to her all excited. I just get this warm feeling inside seeing how she can connect with these children. I think this is a wonder idea your doing and appreciate your help in Amanda trying to accomplish her goal.
Aw….thank YOU for Amanda!!! She obviously was raised very well and has a heart of gold!! I am so excited about this and about the chance to “meet” all her friends and family along the way!! Thank you!
Great cause! We need more teachers like her.
Yep—we do!!!! Thanks for your comment and your 50 cents worth! 🙂
Wonderful! I found you through SITS and am going to enjoy reading your blog more thoroughly–you had me at “Autism” and kept me with “Teapots” 🙂
Irene—I am still laughing at “you had me at autism and kept me with teapots”. Who would have known I had such a wide appeal??? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Come bakc anytime!
Great cause hope people keep up the comments
It is an awesome cause and today is a banner day for comments!!! Yay!!!
Kids need people like you. You’ve got my support!
Thanks, Jack!!! I appreciate it!!!!
Can Amanda comment on any specific apps she is going to use on the tablet? As someone who also works with developmental disabilities I would be curious as to what she might use 🙂
Well—Amanda—–if you read this—comment!!! If not—I will ask her later and post!!! 🙂
Special needs kids have a special place in my heart. I hope you get loads of comments and that these kids will get what they need for more meaningful learning. Btw, I was surfing earlier today and found this list of apps for teachers and special needs. Perhaps she will find it useful too. http://appsineducation.blogspot.sg/p/apps-for-teachers.html
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting AND for the great link to apps!!! Awesome!!!
Love this link! Thanks for sharing! I will be exploring this in depth more and passing it on to others! Thanks!
Glad you saw it, Amanda! I bet it will be amazing to find apps!!! And I KNOW you are going to get that tablet!
Comments for a Cause- what a cool thing you are doing! Thank you for supporting teachers, especially Amanda Hill!!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, Juli! I am VERY excited and hopeful that we can fund a major part of Amanda’s project!
Thanks Amanda for your devotion to these kids and thanks BethAnn for helping wonderful people like Amanda in their causes
Thanks to you, Patti, for being such a great supporter of Amanda and taking the time to comment!!! Come back anytime!!!! 🙂
Great cause! You can count on me as a supporter, Good Luck Amanda!
Emily, Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I am really happy that Amanda is my “cause” this month!!! And the plus side is I get to “meet” some of her friends and family!!! 🙂
This is a great idea and I personally know the teacher. Hopefully someday our desks will come with built in smartglass tablets on the tabletops….this’ll do for now though!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!!! Would that not be awesome to have smartglass tablets on the table top??? I am sure they are somewhere–just not here!! Thanks again for stopping by!
Wouldn’t it be great to see this type of technology in all classrooms? I have a feeling classrooms will practically be unrecognizable compared to when we were children some day int he not so distant future.
Heather–I bet you are right. One of my teacher friends has been using a smartboard for a long time and has some pretty funny stories about it–she is not very technically savvy so it provides her students some entertainment!
I HAVE to make a comment because they count so much!!!!
They do count!!! Thanks for stopping by!
this is just one great way we all can make a difference in a young kids life!
Heather—everyone can make a difference in one way or another. Amanda is making huge differences and we are all so excited to be a part of her journey!
This is such a great help to help my daughter achieve this item she needs for her classroom. After my daugher tells me some children in her class come without much supplies I contributed to her classroom by buying extra supplies for her classroom so when a child doesn’t have a certain item she can go to her closet and get this item for them. It gives me a great feeling inside that I can help a child learn better with having the proper supplies.
I am so happy to have “met” Amanda though this and I am pretty excited about all the comments so far!!! We may be able to make a really good dent in her request!
Thank you for choosing my sister-in-law, Amanda, for your Comments for a Cause project this month. Hers is a worthy cause, and I know she is doing all she can to provide the best opportunities for her students. Your support will make all the difference!
Thanks, Megan, for taking the time and stopping by and commenting. I am super excited about the number of comments this month and I think we are going to make a huge dent in her goal!
Way to go Amanda! I am always here for you, we have been through a lot together and I think you are doing an amazing job girl! Love ya, and miss ya!
I am so excited to meet all of Amanda’s family and friends!! She obviously has a lot of folks supporting her!!!
I am so glad there are teachers like Amanda for special education. When I was growing up we didn’t have special education teachers and those students with special needs kind of got left behind as the teachers back then were not trained in this area. We have come a long way with education. Amen!!!
Dawn, Thanks for the comment and for taking the time to comment!!! I agree—it is so important to provide for our students with any kind of special needs and it takes people like Amanda who care so much to make sure that that happens..
Hats off to special education teachers. They make a difference in our schools.
They make a huge difference!!!
Just think of all the kids that could be taught with an ipad!
These wonderful teachers are teaching and guiding our children for the future. Where would our world be if we didn’t have these teachers preparing kids for the future? They are the future of the world!!!
So true, Dawn!!!
This is such a great cause. Why shouldn’t special education kids get the same resources and supplies as a regular child does. In fact they are probably more greatful than others to have the opportunity to learn on this technology. Amanda is going way beyond her call of duty as a teacher to get this equipment for her kids. Way to go Amanda.
Thanks, Dawn! I sure hope we can get a good amount of comments this month to help her to her goal! Only a week to go!
Thanks again, Dawn! I will be excited at the end of the week to find out what the totala are!!! I have to hold myself back from counting now!!!!