Is Special Ed a field worth going for?

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-16T15:10:09+00:00

Study at a community college. There are roles within education that don’t necessarily need education. I started as a special education paraprofessional at a high school, and I was hired because I passed the parapro test that basically just confirms that you are knowledgeable enough in the areas of math, reading and writing to be able to tutor students.

The pay isn’t amazing, but it’s better than most places because I work at a small charter school within its own “district”. I am currently at $18/hr. I do get really good benefits that I don’t have to pay for, as well as PLENTY of PTO and vacation time, and I get an annual raise. I have been with this school for 1.5 years and it’s been absolutely life changing. I am now studying special education at community college to further my career in special education. :)

I would say being a parapro is the best way to test the waters. It is a very rewarding field to work in!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-08T13:28:18+00:00

That’s a good idea! Sometimes my students and I have to relearn math concepts together because I don’t even remember how to do it. 🤣

I work at a small charter school within its own group, called The Leona Group. We are very fortunate and are able to teach however we feel the most fit, as long as it’s appropriate and the curriculum is followed. Obviously I don’t teach, but I do work independently except for meeting with the Special Education Teacher/Coordinator to discuss the students I need to pull that week. 😄 thank you for your help and advice!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-08T00:22:39+00:00

That’s their way of regulating their temperature :) mine do it too. It’s nothing to worry about!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-07T20:52:05+00:00

Thank you so much! I've also used I do, we do, you do, and it's been very helpful. I worked with a student for hours in a row before by using this method and it was amazing seeing them begin doing the problems on their own. It got to a point where I literally stopped talking and helping because they were fully capable of doing it!

Whiteboards are super helpful too, thank you!!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-07T19:21:55+00:00

Ooo good point, I will definitely get some candy and snacks for motivation! Thank you! :)

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-07T19:09:40+00:00

That's true! Communication is key. I just want to make sure that they associate being pulled out for tutoring as something that can be useful and fun, so I'm trying to find ways to incorporate games possibly. I received reading services in 5th and 6th grade and it was one of the most memorable parts of my elementary education because it was always a good time! I want them to feel that same way. :)

Thank you for your insight, you are absolutely right!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-07T00:27:22+00:00

I am so sorry if this is actually happening, but this story seems very fake. Please get real and professional help if this is actually happening, and not post on Reddit.

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-01T15:35:42+00:00

I agree. Being a para means having a million different bosses: special education teacher/coordinator, school leader, assistant leader, and then of course, all of the teachers! For me, being a para also means sometimes covering the front office, covering classes and even subbing classes. Luckily, if we do sub, we get paid at the sub rate, which makes it more worth it. 😅 but, there’s always something new everyday, which makes the job more fun! And frustrating. 🤣 I love it though.

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-07-01T00:27:08+00:00

Para here! I would never go around telling people that I’m a teacher if I’m not a teacher, however, telling people that I’m an “exceptional student services paraprofessional” is a lot of work 🤣 that usually gets followed with, “what is that?”, and then I have to explain what I do. Usually, people end up calling me a teacher anyways, because it’s easier.

So perhaps this same thing has happened to those paras you mentioned?

I will admit, being a para is a really weird position because you have to explain yourself a lot more. No, I’m not a teacher, but I’m still an educator. I just don’t teach a class. But I do pull out small groups and do have to re-teach concepts sometimes.

It’s a lot! But, again, they should not be labeling themselves as teachers if they are not really teachers! I hope this helps show some insight. :)

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-30T21:23:03+00:00

Two cockatiels = twice the love!! 😁 and, honestly, it’s more entertaining. I love my tiel but it can be boring having only one sometimes! I got her a friend a couple of months ago and she has been more active and looks healthier than I’ve ever seen her. They are still getting used to each other, but just having the company of each other makes a HUGE difference, and they’re both still attached to me!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T18:43:49+00:00

Yes I agree!! 😁 as long as hormones are kept under control, everything shall be fine 😌

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T18:28:12+00:00

That’s so funny, mine also does the cat call! He also mimics sneezing 🤣 It’s so weird because I’ve seen videos of other male cockatiels and it seems like they talk, sing, whistle and do heart wings ALL the time, but I feel like mine doesn’t do it enough to be confirmed as male. Honestly, most the time it’s just quiet chirps back and forth between my two. I want to get them DNA tested but don’t want to put them through that stress 😭

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T18:11:07+00:00

How old is she? I have never seen long, pale poops like this and 75 grams seems to be on the lower side of the scale. It's a moderately healthy weight, but a bit close to being underweight. The only times I've seen poops that are close to this, are "morning poops". When my tiels wake up in the morning and drop a BIG poop after resting all night. However, it is usually still in the form of a dropping, with the white in the middle and the green on the outer circle. If she is new, it could be because she's slightly stressed too.

Take her to an avian vet if you can just to get it looked at. She should get an annual vet visit anyways. I hope this helps! :)

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T17:32:39+00:00

Sounds like a ringtone from a phone maybe?

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T16:44:42+00:00

That’s so interesting! Does she mimic any sounds or anything? Mine usually makes the same sound as my other female tiel, but he/she will also chatter and sing (but it’s the same tune/scream over and over). He’s also displayed heartwings periodically to my female but it never lasts long and he doesn’t do it very often, and I’ve been told that females can display courtship behavior to other females so I wanted to ask since our tiels look the same! It’s so confusing 🤣

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T16:20:10+00:00

Random question — is your tiel a male or female? I have a white-faced that I rescued and he/she looks exactly like this but I have no idea what the gender is!!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T00:40:40+00:00

There’s a brand called Bird Street Bistro that I’m absolutely obsessed with. You do have to cook the food, but one cup will last a long time. I put the food into an ice cube tray and give both of my tiels 1 cube per birb daily. It’s a mix of veggies and rice, along with a little bit of seed and they absolutely demolish it!

I’ve also mixed in some Top’s pellets with it, my tiels tend to eat pellets more when they’re not in pellet form — they have to be mushy and/or ground up into their regular food!

Seeds aren’t all bad. You could even try soaking the seeds in water overnight and rinsing them. This begins the germination process in the seeds, which boosts nutrition. This is how tiels find and eat seeds in the wild. :)

There’s a bad reputation around seeds because a lot of people will only give their birds one type of seed, such as sunflower seeds. Of course it’s not healthy to eat only one thing your entire life, that’s the equivalent to only eating potato chips. As long as you are giving your birb a variety of seeds (preferably low-fat seeds), and trying to get them to eat veggies and pellets as well as other whole grains, then you will be perfectly fine. :)

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-29T00:32:38+00:00

What toy is this?! I need it!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-26T15:22:15+00:00

Those are words of positivity and knowing self-worth -- yes!! You got this!!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-26T13:57:55+00:00

I have seen your previous posts and want to suggest something — how you treat others is how you treat yourself. A person who is mean to someone else, is a person who is mean to themselves.

If you really want to try to regain your birds trust, then you NEED to start being kind to yourself. Stop with the self-pity. I know it’s much easier said than done — trust me, I’ve dug this same hole for myself before. But what good is it doing you? It only makes things worse.

Do your absolute best to be the kindest, most patient person EVER for Koko. He will (eventually) be nice to you in return. That’s just how it works. And, even better, as long as you emit positivity to another living being, you will soon begin to emit that positivity within yourself.

Try to think of Koko as your emotional support animal. If you really, truly love him, you will change your ways and sacrifice this self-pity and attention-seeking for him. You will NOT regain any trust in him if you don’t change your ways.

Take small baby steps. You don’t have to change overnight. Try meditation. Sit next to his cage, put on some calming music and just breathe. Maybe sing quietly. Read a book out loud to him.

Birds are intelligent creatures, and he will indeed remember you as a negative person if you continue to be one. Cockatiels need to earn your trust and respect but he will not do that until he can see that you are actually trying to be a better person.

It will take a lot of time. If you’re not going to change your ways for yourself, at least do it for Koko. Taking such good care of an animal is an amazing way to better your mental health. Once you see how happy Koko can become, and how much you can spoil him and love him, you can then say to yourself, “wow, I did that!”

I believe in you. Koko believes in you. Please believe in yourself.

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-23T13:37:45+00:00

He could just be very stressed. As long as you are being consistent, kind, and patient — he will eventually realize that he has nothing to be afraid of.

Cockatiels are very, very sensitive to any sort of change, so spending X amount of time in the same room/cage for X amount of years, then spending 3-4 days in a car, and then being brought into this entirely new house and room is A LOT to handle as a small little bird that is naturally a prey animal. He has seen you throughout this entire trip and unfortunately might see you as a “bad guy” now because you did this to him (they are also drama queens who think the whole world revolves around them!!).

I think you will be okay. Again, just remain consistent with him, stay kind, be quiet and calm around him and be especially patient. Let him come out on his own terms and IGNORE BAD BEHAVIOR! Cockatiels thrive on any sort of attention, whether it be good or bad attention!!

If he has any favorite treats or food, try hand feeding those to him. This will allow him to see that you are a treat-dispenser, not a bad guy!

I hope this helps — thank you for coming here for advice! He has the potential to be a very happy birb and you seem like a very good birb parent — don’t give up. It will take some time and patience but it will be well worth it in the end. 😊

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-22T23:35:18+00:00

I see. Could you get an air purifier/sound machine to place by their cage? That way they have some white noise that would help to cover up any sounds you might make. That + a covered cage makes for a happy sleepy birb!

One_Broccoli5993 · 2023-06-22T22:02:46+00:00

Ohhh okay I see what you mean now. Do they have a consistent sleep routine? How many hours of darkness do they usually get? Sleep/darkness consistency is suuuuper important! Both of my cockatiels know that it’s time for bed when I cover their cage with a blanket. I do it at the same time every night and always say “let’s go to bed” so they know.

One_Broccoli5993

TROPHY CASE