PKNA #29, a bonus story - and German comics

Potentially very exciting news for German readers: The new Lustiges Taschenbuch Premium is out - and it collects the first four issues of PKNA along with a few bonus stories, some of which have never been published in German before!

Now, how awesome would it be to have an official German translation of the PKNA series? I know the series was originally cancelled after issue #12, but if there's enough interest in these premium books, Germany might actually see the series continue past that point. They might even finally do the whole series!

So if you're German, hurry out and buy this thing! Let's show Disney that there's a market for our favorite series in Germany, and that there's good reason to continue the series past this first book.

Heck, if Germany starts selling PKNA again, it might spread to other countries as well. And I know of quite a few European countries where the fans were disappointed when the series ended too soon.

Oooh, and also:


PKNA#29 - Virus

And

#27 Bonus story: 5Y - Gossip

Banker and Aspargus32 are awesome as always. By the way, did you see that Banker is planning a motion comic based on 'Fragments of Autumn'?

Mood lighting... for learning!

I'm not a fan of florescent lighting.  Period.  In fact, I would turn off half off my lights on most days and use assorted floor lamps.  I get that they are more cost-effective (yadda, yadda), but they give me a headache.  I swear the blinking when a bulb is on it's last leg will give me a seizure some day!  Anyway, I could just complain for the rest of my life, but I took the high road and decided to honor the learning environment that we were blessed with (a whole wall of windows with a great view).  Why let some light ruin our mood (and eyes!).

I did some shopping research on line and found the COOLEST product.  A company makes nylon light covers that are attached to the lighting fixtures with magnets.  They come in blue or cream.  The special ed room down the hall has blue.  It looks like this:

It's hard to tell the blue tint that it gives the room, but it was too much for me.  I didn't want to feel like I was under water! :)  Here is my room with the cream. 

It's much softer.  Teachers noticed the difference right away and have even been trying to get funds for their room.  I was able to get mine through DonorsChoose.org, but they are available at Amazon .  I've had them for over a month an LOVE them.  I actually have to squint when I walk into another room.  Well, maybe not really- I do have a flare for the dramatic at times :)

Happy Friday!

Tracking challenging behaviors without pulling out my nuetral dark brown hair:

Since the beginning of my career in education, the universe has sent me some children with quirky, and at times- very challenging behaviors.  I don't know what it is, but there seems to be a theme.  I've been in 5 classrooms in the last 4 years, so I know it's not the room- just me.  I've fallen in love with each of these little sweeties and am amazed at how they have grown over the years. 

However, one of the biggerst challenges in K-1 is that there are many cases where you are the "first-responder" when a child has learning challenges (outside of the normal range) or social issues that they need addressed more directly.  This requires an enormous amount of compassion and grace toward the child and the parents.  Our goal MUST be to support them through this journey and find the resources that the child needs.  As we know, you can't get anywhere without DATA, DATA, and more DATA.  Dtarting the first day of school, I start making anectdotal notes on my students (all of them) in order to get to know them and target any needs that emerge in the first few weeks.  One that I started the year with and can be used with multiple children.  I wish I knew who's blog I found it on.... I'll come back and edit if I figure it out :)

I've also been collecting MANY diffeent kinds of data for different reasons on many students over the years.  When I can't find exactly what I need, I end up making one to fit the child and the situation or modifying an existing one.  Here are some that I use often:

FREEBIE FOR YOU!

It may seem over the top, but in order to isolate specific challenge and make grow goals for the child, it's necessary.  Also, as I've learned by being part of a RTi school, it's just good teaching.  We need to know this much about our students :)

Super Wa-waah Freak Out!

Good gravy - i was doing my usual blog reading this morning and i realised i havent posted for a week. Its not like i'm a daily poster or anything but a week is too long. I want to post more regularly, i really do.... its just lately i havent found myself with all that much time, and thats becoming a problem.

See- yesterday? I had a super huge hormonal freak out. I'd gone to bed a bit upset because for the umpteenth night in a row it seemed like Mick and i hadnt connected because one or the other of us has been " too tired ". I feel like he goes to work, comes home, he bathes Flynn while i cook; we eat together then i do paperwork while he washes dishes; then when i'm finished he does his stuff on the computer and then we go to bed. There isnt much connection - physical or verbal - going on and its been bothering me.

So Tuesday night i went to bed upset and yesterday morning its like i'd woken up a thousand times worse. I just barely kept myself together while Flynn and i ran errands down town; we had morning tea with my Mum where i barely uttered a word and fobbed her off with a " oh, i'm just tired "; and then when we came home and the first thing i saw was the books and the toys and the crap all over the floor... i lost it. I made Flynn his lunch through a blur of hiccupy tears. He looked at me a bit funny, like he wasnt quite sure what was going on, but he just sat and watched Sesame Street quietly. I sent my mum a text to apologise for being so glum and when she called a few minutes later to find me sobbing on the other end of the phone, that was that.

She rang my Dad who came round on his lunch break from work. We chatted politely until he finally cracked me and i got all my pent up "whatevers" off my chest. He called his work and arranged the rest of the afternoon off - then he packed up my son, told me to have a nap, that he and Flynn would hang out at his house and came back in a few hours ( which would give me enough time to do some of the backlog of end-of-month paperwork i had ), and that when they got back we'd all get stuck into tidying up. I protested because as much as i needed it i dislike being helped ( it makes me feel like i'd failed to do things by myself... ) however you dont argue with my dad - what he says kind of goes.
So i did as i was told. I slept for an hour then got stuck into my paperwork. I took a short drive to check our PO box and clear my head a bit and managed to finish up a few spreadsheets before they got back. Mick arrived at around the same time and with 4 adults ( me, Mick my mum and dad ) we managed to pack up books and toys, sweep out kitchen and bathroom, clear the dining table ( am i the only one who ends up with various odds and ends all over the dining table? ) and vacuum within half an hour. I still was on edge and tired and had developed a killer stress headache so we ended up having takeaway for tea, but by bedtime i felt better. About myself and my situation.

I knew it was going to be tough to be a pregnant woman with essentially two jobs, a toddler and a house to look after - i'm just glad to know i have such a great support team to fall back on when i do go off the rails!