The Pandalorian (they/she)

this is the way lmao

My groups skip around grade levels ( e.g. 1st > 3rd > Kinder > 4th) so I have to switch modes quickly or risk, say, telling a 4th grader a Kinder joke.

It will humble you. My students haven't learned the courtesy laugh so if my joke falls flat, it's *crickets*. Very humbling.

everytime, there is one person who goes "was that your NECK??" (or back or whatever) in complete shock and horror.

like I swear I didn't touch anything or try to pop it I just stretched! I am still alive, it did not hurt, sorry for the percussion solo!

my signature hEDS move is doing this accidentally during a quiet moment in a meeting, cringing, and apologizing for it being so damn loud that it scared the people around me.

better yet, that plus organizing for a union action before and after teaching small children during a full moon in Aries... and one of my Kinder classes had a substitute.

it is only Tuesday y'all. 😭

teaching small children during a full moon in aries.

I need a medal and a sensory deprivation tank.

the number of kindergarteners that think short hair = man is hilarious to me.

One called me "señor" and the class paraeducator looked at her sideways.

I was like "4th one today!"

They don't get "nonbinary" or "neither" if they can't figure out haircuts yet, so I just say "I'm not a man"

When autistic humans aren’t in burnout, we begin to feel.

Colours return.

Sound softens.

There’s space to choose instead of react.

This isn’t recovery, but reconnection.

It’s life at a pace that meets our needs.

me giving an analogies language assessment: "branch is to tree as arm is to ____"

5yo: "EAT!!"

me: **struggling HARD to keep a neutral expression so they don't know if they are right or wrong**

these babies say the WILDEST things sometimes

Anybody got more? That's just off the top of my head right now.

- download and print the emails too, especially on a work account. Start when the issue becomes noticeable as a major or ongoing problem because even if it can't be tampered with, digging through old emails for those when you need to provide it for a union action, grievance, or lawsuit is a BITCH.

- Date stamp, paper trail: post meeting/call send a summary email "for clarification", "correct me if I'm wrong." So they know opting for in-person doesn't erase that documentation.

Also, in a meeting, I will restate and ask clarifying questions so they have to choose to backpedal or double down.

- don't complain on company comms (chat, teams, etc.)
- take notes in all meetings, even just so it's less sus when you really need it.
- bring a rep or make sure there are witnesses; literally never meet with your boss alone if it can be avoided. Follow-up with an email if it can't be avoided.

let's all share our union/organizer pro-tips on documenting workplace issues.

I'll start:
- download/screenshot shared docs and messages that can change
- store them on personal devices/cloud accounts your employer can't see/control
- ideally print them and keep them in a secure location

🧵

a flow-chart with 2 islands. "Do I need AI?" that flows into a final island saying "No"

my god this is so unconstitutional that it contradicts his own unconstitutional EO

important for us in the US to note: even a solidly right wing government can't ignore this.

Note here: I know now that my strong-willed, tenacious nature are what kept me from losing my sense of self and giving in under systems of abuse and oppression as a child. I kept on fighting back. And that protected me psychologically even if it wasn't always the best choice for my physical safety.

Long story short, I never would have learned about his love for birds, built our relationship, given him that feeling of safety, or succeeded in getting him back in the classroom and ready to learn without treating his behavior as valid communication and making sure both our concerns got addressed.

So I said we could go put the bird back in the SpEd room and let him sleep and he took my hand and we went, but when we got there, he was afraid to leave them and have someone else take them like that. So the birds ended up on his teacher's desk in sight, and he sat down on the carpet and tuned in.

Then yesterday, a substitute paraeducator came to my office and said he had "lost the privilege" of having the bird and "had to earn it back", so he laid in the floor and wouldn't move.

But my birds aren't a tool to give as reward or take away as punishment. They are a sign of connection and care.

I can't wait to introduce that to him, and I got some birdfeeders that suction to the windows (which have been on my list for a while because I also love birds) and introduced the SpEd facilitator to the Merlin and eBird apps from Cornell for if/when they introduce a tablet or computer.

We had an issue with him taking the birds home because he felt they needed to sleep and there was nowhere for them to sleep at school. Reprimanding, explaining, and prompting were useless.

So I bought an owl box for them to sleep in the SpEd room or mine and we are going to build it together.

At the thrift store last weekend, I saw a big book of North American birds. Way above his reading level and in English, but it had photos and was a dollar, so I bought it for him.

He could tell me most of the names in Spanish which was so impressive, and it kept him calm and at his desk

Later that day, I found him locked in my office. He said he was upset and was hiding. I can't encourage that for many reasons, but I was honored that he felt that was a safe place to go.

I decided with him to keep the birds in the SpEd room's calming corner for him to go to when he was upset.

I know that behavior is communication. I looked where he was looking. I saw my bird plushies and asked "¿te gusta los aves?" and he nodded intensely. I handed him my parakeet, and soon also the macaw.

He, without prompting, had them discuss the questions and used the parakeet to point to his answer

I had a new Spanish-speaking Kinder with autism, and he was beyond distracted for the first practice questions. This child is also very strong-willed (a protective factor against abuse and trauma, in my mind) and I have seen teachers using rewards, prompting repeatedly, or reprimanding to no avail.

A colleague yesterday asked me how I am so good with our students on the spectrum and I had a recent example.

I have to assess all new kiddos who speak other languages to see if they qualify for Title III, but this 30+ question assessment can never be fully accessible, even with accommodations 🧵

I wish I could share more but it's been a shitty few weeks and I just got a phone call that made my whole day. Collectives of colleagues working together for each other and our students gives me so much hope.

god I love my union