Going to School

For the past 2 days, we didn’t have class, instead we spent the morning at school – a school for kids with special needs. Most the kids seemed to have Autism, Down-syndrome, or Cerebral palsy. They don’t learn the usual reading, math, and science. Instead they are learning life skills and independence – how to hold a spoon to feed themselves, or how to brush their teeth.

Yesterday, Amanda, Warner, and I helped with Physical Therapy. Each class (2-3 kids ages 8-16) would come in for about 30 minutes. Some kids were in wheel chairs, so we’d lift them out and lay them on a big rocking platform, or hold them on a giant ball and help them bounce. Other kids, we would help craw, or sit on the floor and roll a ball back and forth, or cheer for them as they climbed in the little jungle gym and went down the slide. I’m pretty sure PT is more of a work-out for the teacher than it is for the children.

Today, no classes had PT, so I joined Emily, Amanda, and Rachel in helping with 4 kids ages 8-10ish. These children seemed to be the more vocal/mobile then the kids who came to PT the day before. They could talk and walk, although one of the girls needed a lot of help eating her snack. One boy was latterly glued to Emily at all times, and scratched or bit when he was excited. One of the other boys smelled everything – his snack, our hands, etc. Then there was the one boy who kept trying to escape. It was a busy morning…

I was really impressed by how patient and calm the teachers were. I am sure it helps that this school had a 2-3 ratio of adults to kids. Although each group of kids were only there for 2 and ½ hours, then a new group would come, and most kids only came 1-2 days a week. I think that is better than having a bunch of kids there and it being ciaos the whole time. This school was way better than our role-play “school” with 3 “teachers” and 6 of us acting as “special needs kids”.