hings are going well on this end. We are super busy (which always seems to be the story) but things are starting to settle down a little bit.
Tom is teaching 11th grade English at a school in DC. His school is located 2 blocks from the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. St. and Malcolm X Blvd. The school is 99.5% African American (the Hispanic student is graduating this year). His school is intense (metal dectors and all) but he loves it. He is having a tough year (he is still finishing is Master's fulltime) and does not have any free time. But, he is having fun with his students and appears to be as successful as a first year teacher can be. His school has an incredible marching band and Ellen Degeneres just gave his school some money and school supplies. Here is a link to a film about his school:
http://www.balloumovie.com/ Tom is finishing his degree in May and is looking forward to teaching without having to take classes,
I am still working in a classroom with aggressive boys with Aspergers. I love it. We have new students this year and it is a challenge, but it is fun. I love being in this program. It is new so it is fun to watch it grow and have a tiny bit of input in the process as it does grow. I am so in love with this population that I have turned my career path in a slightly different direction. I have applied for PhD programs in Psych and hope to start a Behavior Analyst certification program after I finish my exams for my Master's degree in Public Policy (this Spring). I am also doing ABA therapy with a 6 year old Autistic boy twice a week and am enjoying that as well. He is non-verbal so it is quiet different that working with my kiddos. When I get my PhD I want to work in aggression reduction at some level (maybe in a school, private practice, or some other way). I still want to do legislative advocacy but I think that I want to do clinical work for the majority of the time. My book has been for sale online and that has been fun. I am working on a story, currently, from the perspective of a 7 year old with Aspergers. I don't know if it will go anywhere, but I am having a ton of fun with it. I am always looking for constructive criticism so if you ever want to read any of it and let me know and I'll send you what i have so far. I'd welcome the input!
We bought a new house. It is very near the condo and we love it! We are renting out the condo and living in the house. Here are pictures of the townhouse:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561844912KSVkop?vhost=good-times&vhost=good-timesSo, overall, things are great. We are tired and busy but next semester should be a lot easier. I'd love to hear what is happening over there!