The BIG challenge

This was my first week of teaching in Belize.  As a teacher we always face challenges.  My greatest challenge overall has been my inward struggle with finding time to teach a general education classroom and at the same time incorporate modified instruction to the students in my class with special needs.  My passion is to work with students in small groups to encourage, support, and meet their needs to ensure they are successful academically.  Here in Belize I am in a 5th grade class.  One of my students is blind, so I have been teaching myself how to read Braille to grade her assignments.  While this is going very well, I am struggling to differentiate instruction for her when creating and teaching lessons.  My goal for this week is to work with the teacher I am partnered with and learn how he has engaged her in his lessons.  As a teacher I feel it is my responsibility to do everything possible to make sure all my students are engaged and learning. If they aren't I have not only let myself down but more importantly I have let the student down.  My outlook on this challenge has changed into a positive one.  I believe there is a reason I have this challenge and that from it I will learn and become a better educator.