Congratulations the downward journey for CAPES has begun! You only have two weeks remaining in the gym & pool. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel getting larger each day, and you know if you just hang on a little longer it will all be over and you can move on.
How do you maintain motivation, excitement, and energy for the final few days? Now that you know your students, and you have a fairly good idea of what you are doing, and have established a routine (for yourself, your group, your students, and parents) it is very easy to "get stuck in a rut".
How will you keep yourself motivated to be invested in your students learning? How will you makes things more exciting for you and your learner now that things have gotten "normal" and possibly a little "boring"? What will you do to re-invigorate the energy and expectations from yourself and for your learner?
I think the main thing that would be easiest to keep things fun, is just try and do something different every week. Even though it is hard to come up with new ideas, it is important to come up with new things. I have been doing some research on fun activities to do with first graders and have gotten some great ideas. Asking other people what motivates them is also good because a lot of times other people have ideas that you might not think of yourself. At first I really tired to find things that I could get B to work on and improve, but now that we are in the final weeks, I mostly just want him to have fun. I have found that he loves anything with math, so we will be doing lots of fun math games. I also think one thing to help motivate B would be to remind him that the party is soon. With the goal of the party in line, it will hopefully help him to stay on task and work extra hard.
ReplyDelete-Courtney Brannon
It is so hard to believe that there is just TWO weeks left of CAPES! With each CAPES session, I become closer to J, and the sense of sadness that I feel with departing from J increases! At the beginning of this program, I was filled with anxiety, fretting over everything. Will my student enjoy my company? Will I fulfill my duty as J's instructor? Can I work to make a positive difference in J's life? I think that all of my worrying pushed me forward in the first couple of weeks. Along with feelings of anxiety, I was also so eager and excited to be J's partner. Now as we have fallen into a steady and workable rhythm, I do find myself in the same ole routine each week. Seeing J's happiness and joy is all I truly need to re-invigorate the energy and expectations for myself and J. To do this, I am planning to bring in material we have learned in class to excite J and keep him engaged 100% of the time. I discussed many of J's favorite treats and hobbies. After speaking with her, I plan to somehow incorporate the use of rewards of pizza, coke, tootise rolls, or twix bars. On top of this, I would also like to bring in outside factors, like his love for video games (specifically Mario) and snowboarding, into our activities. Whether it is creating a real-life version of Mario in the gym, or teaching him techniques to strengthen his core for snowboarding, I will try my best to give J a great last two weeks! ~Christina C
ReplyDeletePersonally for me, I normally have quite a bit of energy to begin with on most day so that's not the problem for me. I actually tend to have some of the same qualities that C has, where he can't focus for too long or having monotony each week just makes it worse for the both of us. So it's easy for myself to keep excited and interested when I'm the one in control of the schedule. I don't seem to struggle staying invested in C's learning, I struggle with finding things for him to learn honestly, as he is very capable in most areas. These last few weeks I still want to keep working towards the same goals of staying task oriented, increasing strength, and the newest of the goals, C finding out his knees do bend. I'm hoping to keep C a little more invested by finding ways to incorporate his love of basketball into the strength portion, but while still keeping him out of the gym until the very end for his reward of playing actual basketball and just not drills. I'm hoping by adding the basketball emphasis he'll be more excited and invested himself. -Lucas Huffman
ReplyDeleteHonestly what is keeping me motivated is watching D. improve in leaps and bounds. According to his mother he would not swim or do much in the water but now he is swimming like a fish without any fear. He also would not participate with the others in our group at the beginning but now he is an active participant. Last night we played twister and he was communicating with others and being very social which is not typical. Now that we are where we are in the comfort zone of this we are trying to do similar activities that have gotten the best responses but enough of a difference so that we appear to be doing something different. I am hoping that by adding a reward of playing cups that we found out last night was very entertaining to him but also worked on his fine motor skills.
ReplyDeleteI feel that every encounter with T has been different, from good to bad, better to worse, but they have all been a great learning experience. I also feel that the next two will be just as exciting as the first. T has improved and last night was an example of that. Although the ground exercise didn't quiet go as planned we were still able to get him moving around to exercise. It was a constant change to the goal activity of soccer. We didn't play a single minute of soccer, but I did notice that he remembered other activities from the past. So last night we played 10 games at random and only accomplished one repetition of each. It was fun and I enjoyed watching him try to play like we had in the past. Also his confidence in the pool has grown and it seems to increase with each visit. I don't think we are anywhere close to getting stuck in a rut. (knock on wood) - David A. Polanco
ReplyDeleteI think that to maintain myself motivate I will have to think of how much my participant loves CAPES. I will also have to remind myself that I am able to give not only my participant time for them to work on essential skills but also my participant’s family a break. To make things more exciting for my learner and my self I will plan activities with my group that we have not done in the previous weeks. With my participant she like earning a reward so I can have her reward last longer.
ReplyDelete-Yolanda Argüelles
Yesterday was actually a great day and I did not feel like we were getting stuck in a rut. From day 1 my student was not willing to participate in anything and was always nervous. Now she is always making suggestions to do next time. It is like she is planning my lessons for me now. She says the activities that she wants to do next time and then I ask her what we can work on and she always has ideas. Whether it is playing with other kids or learning a new swimming skill. She has improved so much and Wants to continue to do better.We are going to try new activities we have not done so far and we will not be repeating any other activities we have done in the past (at the beginning we did a lot of activities she was comfortable with). Now it is time to try new things, challenge her, and get her out of her comfort zone. -Shelbi Linsley
ReplyDeleteI think the last couple weeks K and I have been able to progress a little more than we did the first few weeks of CAPES, however, sometimes she can get so comfortable in one spot and she is so stubborn about change. She is so cute, that it makes it hard for me to be pushy. I know this is a barrier i have to get over, so these last couple of weeks that is what i am going to try. I know she is capable of the things we want her to do so i`m just going to have to put her in the pool myself. :) I`m excited to try this and for the last couple of weeks i`m just going to make sure i push her limits in a way, and help her get out of her comfortable and stubborn spot. -Ellie Lyman
ReplyDeleteI have found a couple times where it can be difficult to stay motivated with these children. But one thing I have learned that keeps me motivated is watching the reaction I get from him when he is excited or I can tell that he is having fun. It makes me want to try harder to find things that he enjoys because I find it enjoyable seeing how happy he is and the pride he has in something he loves. I will stay motivated because I know what I am doing with him is helping him grow and it will be a part of his life whether I put a lot of effort into it, or very little, I decide if he learns or not. I like seeing people be successful and proud of themselves for what they accomplish, and it helps me maintain my motivation. I will add a few twists to things to mix it up, but also keeping things that he enjoys incorporated. I also want to challenge him a little, and maybe push him to do something hard. And who knows he might enjoy something that he didn’t used to like.
ReplyDelete-Chelsey Brown
I have found that maintaining motivation has been the most difficult part about CAPES! After a tough evening with S, I always think, "How am I going to be able to stay so patient?" One important thing I have learned is not to get overly emotional. There are so many factors that go into an "off" day. If S's schedule is changed slightly, it changes her behavior dramatically, which could have nothing to do with me. At the end of each evening I tell myself, "Next week will be better!" and even if it's not, that doesn't matter because next week is going to be better! Having our routine down is nice, and it makes the ruts predictable. Karli and I know what will arise problematic behavior, and have done things to avoid it. Normal and boring is never an issue with Karli, S, and I. I think that knowing that there is only two weeks left is enough motivation on its own, I want to finish this successfully and feel that I have accomplished teamwork, following directions, and swimming skills with S. I will be completely motivated to finish CAPES with everything I've got.
ReplyDelete-Demi Wikstrom
I think the key for me to keep energized is to keep helping C improve his skills. C is just learning how to float and swim so it is exciting to see him become a more independent swimmer. A few weeks ago he started floating with a noodle without me holding him. Last week he used a noodle and at times only had it around one arm. Next week I am going to encourage C to only use a kick-board. His progression has made CAPES! exciting and I think as I continue to help him progress, we will both stay motivated to make these last two weeks successful. I will continue to make check-lists for C so that he has extra motivation and direction to stay on task. I will continue to give him rewards for his good behavior and mostly just have fun! My group has a really fun activity for our CAPES! kids next week; it has helped C to make friends with the other kids in our group; my group has done a good job at planning fun activities. - Curtis Carlisle
ReplyDeleteSo this week I wasn't with my usual participant. And don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with L every week but it was nice to get to know a new student. This week I worked with A and he is very different than L. It got me out of my usual routine and it definitely got A out of his routine. It was a challenge to connect with him at first and he didn't want to listen to me. But soon enough I figured out what works for him and what doesn't and I'm glad I had the opportunity to get to know another great participant.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great question! I have been pondering on it this week. I have realized how little time we have and have been evaluating the successes I have had with C. I want to be able to make the best of the last two weeks. I don't necessarily feel that I don't have motivation but I have felt a little in a rut in knowing what to do with C. I am hoping to try to involve more group work with C to get him more used to talking with others. I have been focusing mostly on his communication skills and recently tried helping him with his focus. I am also going to bring more rewards for C so that he is more motivated to do the things that I have planned. I am hoping that I can really make a difference for C and help him make those baby steps to better progress. He is such a great kid and I love him so much!
ReplyDelete-Kylee Mahlstede
One thing that has kept me motivated are the little glimmers of change and progress we can see in our student S. When we have those moments I remember why what we are doing is so important and it keeps me excited about continuing. I wouldn't say it has *ever* been boring with our student S! lol. She is full of energy and keeps us on our toes! S can get bored with activities and her attention span is an issue so, we have learned to tackle that with LOTS of activities and changing up what we are doing about every five minutes. I will continue to focus on keeping S excited about CAPES! by following her interests and hobbies. Can you say "puppies"??? :D It has been great to get to know S and I love to see her light up when she earns rewards and I hope we can keep our rhythm and keep seeing improvement these next two weeks. . . I feel like we just got a "rhythm" and its almost over! :( -Karli Plant
ReplyDeleteThis next week will be the last time I actually get to work with my CAPES! buddy in the gym and pool. M has spring break the last week we would be in the gym/pool, so next week will be easy for me to stay motivated and encouraging. I want this last week to be a lot of fun for both of us. I plan on doing sort of a re-evaluation of some of the balance and coordination things that we did the first day of CAPES!. Over the past weeks M has made progress in the things that we have done in the gym and I think the results could be much better this time (fingers crossed). I also plan on working on some of the things that we have done in the past but using fun elements such as the brightly colored flags, I found out last week that M loves the colors. At the end of the lessons I plan on making sure that I incorporate the things that M really enjoys: mini parachutes, one-two-three jumps out of the pool, basketball in the pool, scootering to various places in the gym, and running after the ball that M threw/hit several yards away. This last week in the gym I want to be very encouraging and make sure that M has a good time. -Kelsi Tatton
ReplyDeleteI feel more motivation now then I did at the beginning of this project. Knowing I have so little time left, keeps me energetic about lesson plans because I want yo make sure I do everything I wanted to do with my kids. I also want my kids to come away from CAPES having had a great time, so this is also a great motivator. - Chelsea Goff
ReplyDeleteI have been enjoying my time at CAPES immensely. S and I have gotten along great and he even told me this week how much he likes it. This motivates me more than anything else, knowing that he is enjoying his time at CAPES. I have been trying to do things all along that have created a little bit of a challenge for him. The finishing weeks will be no different. I am revisiting an activity this week from the past, but I am planning on bringing my son along who is the same age. I also have a new activity in the water that I believe will be a challenge for him. I have seen the concentration on his face and I know that he is really trying. It is very rewarding to see him meet the challenge. This whole process has been a bit of a challenge for me because I know that I am not the most athletic person. I know that I haven’t been the best at explaining rules the right way. I am going to try and work on that for the final few meetings. – Becky Montgomery
ReplyDeleteThis last week at CAPES was probably the best for K and I, We had so much fun with our group as we played together learning communication skills. I will be sad to see this time with her end as we have so much stuff that we still want to do. These next two weeks at CAPES to stay motivated we are going to be doing some of the things that she has wanted to do. We plan on working on sliding around and playing and communicating with others. K likes having a routine in the pool and we are moving forward with the things that we are working on. It is great to see the process and how far we both have come through this time.
ReplyDelete-Sarah England
The thing that keeps me motivated is the thought of how much fun M has when we are doing the activities together. Getting to watch him have so much fun is what gets me excited to come to CAPES every Tuesday! Also, to keep it exciting I try to plan unique activities every week, and try not to duplicate them so that M doesn't get bored too fast with them. We have so much fun doing the various activities that it's exciting to watch M learn and grow with the various games we play. M wasn't here this week and I was really sad that I didn't get to hangout with him and do the activity that I had planned! I get really excited to see how he will react to the plans that I have made for the week, so not getting to see him this week was pretty sad for me. But I am excited for next week to continue to watch M learn new skills and have fun! -Caitlin Wiggins
ReplyDeleteThe motivation part of it I have because its the only day I get to spend with D and he mom gets to have to her self I know she still worry's but. He is in good hands with us and he is safe but she get that time to learn more about children with disability's. D has not been there for two weeks and it got us out of our routine and so I got in to a new one and than d came back it hit me and I saw d and I was kind of shocked so I fell back a little but than I realized that I had a great lesson plan to use and work with-Tyler martinez
ReplyDeleteI really can't believe we are almost done with CAPES! It's sad because I feel like just when we are starting to make good progress, we will be done. :(
ReplyDeleteThe biggest help for me not getting into a rut is having my daughter come. The two times she has been there C has responded so well to her. They have so much fun together, and C is learning appropriate social behaviors from her. We did have a bit of regression in a few areas this week, I'm sure due to the week we missed from spring break. That gives me extra motivation for the last two weeks to work harder on those behaviors.
I think the area that is easiest to get into a rut is in the pool. Because there are only so many things you can do in there, it has gotten harder to get creative with pool activities. I have spent the last few days trying to find new ideas for pool activities/games, so that we can keep the boredom factor at bay. I will also make sure to pay attention to C's cues to make sure that I am watching out for signs of boredom, and switch up our activity if he seems to lose interest. Its easy to keep things fresh on land, by planning activities that I know C enjoys, and by doing new activities. That worked well this week. We had SO much fun in the racket ball courts! I hope to make these last two weeks our best yet!
--Megan Jensen
The main idea that I think keeps students and my own learner interesting is to learn something new and love what we are doing. I am trying to bring a new activity each week to work out with my participants. I hope that by the end of these last two weeks my kids learned what they need from me to teach and having fun with what we are doing together every week. I feel this is a great motivation for all of us. - Zainab Al Fateel
ReplyDeleteSeeing K improve each week is what keeps me motivated and excited to come back each week! In the pool K used to cling to me the whole time and now she loves to float and try to swim on her own and it has just been a blast to see! We are going to do a couple of things different for these last two weeks like balancing and coordination. This will be new to both of us and should be a good experience I can't wait!
ReplyDelete-Montana Perkins
The first couple of weeks it was hard not to get discouraged but I have learned so much. I think the main thing is to look at the little things. Its hard when you are so focused on helping them achieve one main thing and you miss all of the other things they are doing along the way. Another thing is to do different things and to just have fun. I will continue to do the things T enjoys to do and help him work towards other things too. He is such a cute kid and he is what makes me want to keep coming. Even how challenging it is sometimes, his smile and little laugh makes everything better. I have loved every second of CAPES!.
ReplyDeleteMeggen Hodson
I think one of the main things to do to keep things exciting and up beat is to add new challenges with old successes and rewards. I wasn't able to see my kids this week, but I have more challenging things planned for them this upcoming week. I think that if I add new challenges, but still incorporate the things that they have learned, they will be more engaged. I also want to keep their rewards coming. Both of my kids have specific things that they love, week after week. So I think that keeping their same rewards will still motivate them, even this late in the program. I can't wait to see what the last few weeks bring. I am so proud of my kids! -Hailey Beesley
ReplyDeleteI think to keep myself from getting stuck in a rut I need to look at all of the accomplishments R has made in just a little bit of time and work on continuing to make as much progress as we can in the few short weeks left. I also think I need to make sure not to do anything that we have already done and be creative in ways that I can help him progress. Lastly, I think a way to keep myself motivated is thinking about the fact that I won't get to work with R again and I need to make the most out of the time I have left. He is such an amazing kid and I have enjoyed every second spent with him. Knowing that this is our last little bit of time together will keep me excited and wanting to create more progress than he has already achieved! -Jesse Hover
ReplyDeleteI have realized that I have started to get stuck in that rut that was talked about. I know the things that my student wants to do, but some of the activies wear me out physically. I have wanted to work on some of his fine motor skills the last few weeks. He seems to be getting bored with that. I do what I can to make it fun for him and then I find myself having fun as well. If it takes going a different direction to get to the same point. I even have found myself making it an adventure, both to satisfy his need and my innate desire to have an adventure.
ReplyDeleteI have realized that I need to do all I can to value each moment. It was super cute that he wanted to wish my grandma and my dad happy st. Patty's day last week. I could hear the pleasure and joy in their voices as they answered the phone. He is just such a happy person that it is hard to get into that rut for too long--- brittany king
I honestly have a lot of fun with A because she has a lot of the same interests as I do. I find my self stuck in a rut when A has a hard time transitioning from different activities. On the bright side, I am really amazed how fast time flies when I'm working with her and how amazingly fun it is! I keep myself motivated by thinking how much I will be helping A and her family with this program they are in. I know they came here for one reason, and it helps me knowing that I am the one influencing her and her future. I have not regretted one minute spending time with her and finding her interests..her hobbies and so much more! I'm pretty sad that this program is coming to an end in a couple of weeks, but I am forever grateful that I was apart of it. I love how amazing A and her family is!
ReplyDelete-Feliza Martineau
I was wondering these exact same things as I have gone about the week. I think that as you are thinking of what we could possibly do the next time it is easy to go with the same main ideas but then make slight modifications and changes from week to week. Luckily for my student he loves to play basketball and so do I. Also his mother wants him working on basketball skills because he is in the special Olympics for basketball. I try to change the drills each time so everything doesn't become predictable but it does take some planning. -Dan Ricks
ReplyDeleteTonight I worked with a student for whom being stuck in a rut is the only way the chaotic world around him begins to make sense. This was the first week that the weber student he normally works with was not there. That fundamental difference seemed to transform the world around him into something that held infinite unknown perils. Just walking down the halls he flinched and recoiled, appearing to be concerned that some unforeseen bombardment was waiting in the walls, or just around the next corner. I have always been somebody who thrives on chaos and craves the unknown. I have always looked at routine with contempt and even trepidation. After Capes, and especially after tonight, I think I will have a different view of being stuck in a rut. Every time I feel the malaise of repetition, I will think of the comfort and peace such routine gives to R, and hopefully I can experience a little bit of that peace myself!
ReplyDelete-Tim Owen