Friday my principal showed up at my door in the middle of class.
"You're going to meet the AT guy. I'm arranging for someone to cover your class so you can go talk to him about your students."
I almost jumped out of my skin. I've been asking for this since September. "When!?!"
"Now."
Aaaaackkkk, I thought. I'm not prepared. I need time! I've got to sell this guy! I need writing samples! I need reading samples! I need anecdotal records! I need OT reports! Ack!
But there was no time for that, so I grabbed some class assignments off my desk and ran down to the conference room.
Why was I was anxious about this meeting? Well, my very-challenged students were at least three years overdue for assistive technology. They're in Gr. 5! That remediation to compensation line should have been long crossed. They can't write their own thoughts, spell their own words or read their own writing. But they can think and learn, and they need access to that text!!! They've already increased skills and confidence with Open Office on notebooks. Imagine if they had real software!
So why haven't they had it? Well, I don't know, I just got here. But I assumed that someone needed to be convinced, or it would have happened.
So I fly into that room selling, I sit down selling and I chatter away selling. I attempt to channel Barb, selling it.
The guy is saying "Yep," and taking notes. Is he even listening??? I'm just about to make the case for Co-Writer when he says, "So we'll put on Co-Writer." Hunh?
I stop talking. I look at the guy. I don't need to sell him. He's sold. He's agreeing with me! He's agreeing with everything I say! He's going to install new software by the END OF THE WEEK.
I think bigger. "You know I only have three student computers . . . " He looks up. I'm pushing it.
"February," he says. "Let's get these programs up and running first. Are you coming to the training?"
WHAT TRAINING?
"If there's training, I'm there."
"I've registered her for the training," says my principal. She's new in the school, too.
"I'm going to the training."
So why has it taken so long for this meeting to happen? No one requested it. Apparently, he wasn't in the building once last year, and obviously not many times before. So one new principal and three new staff who are MEd students later, he's never been so popular. (Can you believe that one still hears in staff rooms that further education for teachers benefits neither teachers or students?)
Hop, skip and jump! My kids are getting Co-Writer! They're getting Solo!!! And more! And I'm getting training!!! Merry Christmas!!!
'Bout time.
 |
| Me. I need Co:Writer. Can't wait! |
