Problems with understanding words

I work as a para educator in various classrooms with lots of different students. This year I'm working in the second and fourth grades and helping one student in third grade.

Today my challenges with understanding words became a problem during my job at school. I have a group of nine second graders that I work alone with on reading comprehension.

I have books that a teacher gives me, as well as teacher plans and worksheets. This morning after the teacher gave me the materials for the next story, I looked over the teacher plans and worksheets. I didn’t really understand one of the worksheets, so I asked her to explain it to me. I thought that I had understood what to do, but later realized I really didn’t.

I thought I was going to be okay completing this worksheet with my students, but then confusion set in again, so I had to make a decision on what to do. I just followed the teacher’s plans, but eliminated this worksheet. The worksheet was a chart that we were supposed to start filling out before reading the story. It had different titles such as make, revise, confirm and actual. I think that we were just supposed to make predictions about the story and then continue filling it out as we read it. I think that I was worried about the students needing too much help in completing this and me not being able to support them with that. This would not have been an easy task for me, since it was not so clear. I do fine with very clear and specific answers, but when I have to search for these things and there is no answer key to guide me, I’m very lost.

No one will know that I didn’t complete this worksheet with my students, but it still bothers me that I was unable to do this. I’m usually very good at knowing beforehand whether I’m going to able to do something or not and this example was no different.

I haven’t really worked with this teacher that much in the past, so I’m unsure if she knows of my diagnosis. At this point, I don’t plan on having that conversation with her. We only have less than a month left of school, so I think that things should be fine.

In thinking about what happened today, I’m trying to figure out a strategy on how to handle it if it happens again. I think that I will ask another teacher who works in the same grade and I’m more comfortable talking to and who knows of my diagnosis. I will ask them to please explain it to me and hopefully it will be clear to me.

I know that for the most part, I am very successful at both of my jobs and I’m thankful for that each day. Some co-workers at both jobs know about my diagnosis. For right now, I choose who I tell and who I don't. The people who I'm closest to have been told. At school, I will tell a teacher who I'm working with about my diagnosis if I feel it is necessary to help me be successful in their classroom.