“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss
This was your last week working with the students. What did that feel like? What kinds of things were running through your head as that reality began to sink in? Was it difficult to say goodbye to your student? Why do you suppose that is? Did this student make you think more, work harder, question your decision about becoming a teacher or confirm your decision about becoming a teacher? Reflect back to your very first day to now. How have YOU grown as a person? How have you grown as a teacher? Do you see individuals with a disability as a person with a disability or as a person? Explain.
I cannot believe we are done with CAPES. It feels like just yesterday I started. It wasn't difficult to say goodbye because I know I will see her next week. But after next week I think it will be a little rough to see her go. However I am excited with the progress she made and I know she will do great things. She did challenge me a few times and helped me grow as a person. I have gained more patients for others. I have also grown because now I know a person does not have to ever say a word to you for you to have a connection with them. As a teacher I think I have gained patients and understand for those who are different than myself. I have gained a whole new perspective for people with disabilities. I loved CAPES!
ReplyDeleteIt’s odd to think that CAPES is over. It feels like it just started. This week felt like any other week until the night was over and I said goodnight to my participant. That’s when it really hit. I still don’t know what to think of it. I plan on returning to CAPES in the fall but, that’s nearly half a year away.
ReplyDeleteI’m not a very sentimental person and it takes much longer than a few weeks to form an attachment with somebody. Therefore, saying goodbye to my participant was pretty easy. I will miss working with him, though. This has been an amazing experience. I’ve learned a lot and it has made me eager to learn more and continue my path towards a degree in special education.
I’ve grown quite a bit through my experience with CAPES. For the most part, my participant doesn’t communicate vocally. So, most of what is said out loud comes from me and, somebody listening in might think that I’m just talking with myself. And at times it felt like that. Both learning to communicate with other methods and learning to shorten directions to just a few words has been challenging. But, I’ve learned to watch for very subtle nonverbal cues in my participant and I’ve learned to simplify my directions and to model most of our activities. These are skills that I can apply in a classroom and out.
As far as how I see people with a disability, I do view them as people and as people with a disability. However, neither is in a negative manner. It is simply a part of them like their choice in clothes or music, their family of origin, eye color, or their culture. Their disability is not necessarily something that overshadows everything else about them. When we first meet person we make assumptions. Over time many of these assumptions are replaced or expanded upon to fill out the picture of that person. I’m not going to ask for a high-five from somebody without any arms or prosthetics just like I’m not going to go to a country music festival (as if I would in the first place) and ask a musician to play a hip-hop song. That’s not to say that these would never-ever be OK. But, they are safe assumptions based upon what little I know. People with disabilities are people just like anybody else. They have a disability, but they are not their disability and there is so much more to them. But, their disability is not to be ignored. You don’t pretend that it doesn’t exist and you don’t dance around the subject. My participant will most likely never go to college or start a family of his own. But, he is a blast to play with in the pool and he can swim faster than me. He loves the Hulk and can climb the rock wall like he was born for it. He has needs and wants. And he is my friend.
A wasn’t in class this time so I get to spend some time with Natalie and L. Having the class be over is so relieving. I was so nervous the first week, and I really didn’t need to be scared. A has been great this semester and it is exciting to see him grow. A definitely confirmed my love of teaching. I think with the help of a supportive mom and great teachers, (and his hard work) he was so well behaved and intelligent. I want to be part of children developing and teaching me. People with disabilities are people first, they know that, and I need to be able to see that with anyone. One of my favorite lessons was when we talked about how everyone struggles in something, we don’t need to label people with that.
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It is pretty crazy how fast Capes! went by. I can still remember the first day and I was so nervous. I did not know what to expect and honestly I did not really know how to act. After a couple of times I felt more confdent and was able to understand T and what he liked, disliked, and what he needed. I learned thatI just needed to be myself and act normally. I made it a point to be enthusiastic with the activities to get T excited and to let him know that I was happy to be there with him. It has been such a fun journey and I have really learned a lot. I am going to miss T. It was hard to realize that this would be the last time I would work with T. I feel like I have gained a greater appreciation for the opportunity to learn how to be a better teacher and to been able to spend time with these amazing kids. We are going to be put into situations that may be uncomfortable but I feel like Capes! has been a wonderful experience in working with some wonderful kids and learning to cope and be flexible when things go differently than I planned. I think this experience taught me to be more patient and to understand that things are going to come up that are out of my control. I think this experience has helped me to understand that it is so important to make sure that these children feel like they belong and that they can dream and be able to achieve their dreams. Some children with disabilities may not be able to fully experess themselves, but I know that they have the potential to do amazing things. They may need more help and more time, but they should be able to have every oportunity to succed. I am so greatful to have had this amazing opportunity.
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ReplyDeleteThis last session with G was the culmination of a great opportunity for me (and hopefully G). I felt some sadness that I wouldn’t be able to work with G anymore. My main thoughts during our last day together were that G can do great things if she is pushed to do them. I saw so much progress with G in the pool, but if I had not just picked her up and brought her in the pool most days, I think she would’ve stayed on the steps and not gotten in. G is very bright and knows so much, but it took me some time to learn what she knew because she isn’t very verbal. I knew that I would see G next week at the celebration so I wasn’t too emotional, maybe next week will be different. I was happy about her progress in the pool and my own progress in working with children with special needs so that overshadowed the reality that I wouldn’t have that special time with G each week. Working with G made me work harder at pushing myself to make sure that I wasn’t being a pushover and getting out of my comfort zone so that G could get out of her comfort zone. Being able to work with G and be comfortable when doing so confirmed my decision to become a teacher. I think on the very first day I wasn’t so much nervous as I was unsure, but now I know that although I still have learning to do when it comes to students with disabilities, I am capable off teaching and working with them. I have grown so much in my confidence and my understanding that all students need to be pushed to learn and that there is nothing to be afraid of when working with special needs students. I only see a person when I work with G each week. Her disability doesn’t define her, her soul defines her and I’m so glad that I got a small glimpse into G while working with her. I feel like after this experience with CAPES! I can be an advocate for those with special needs and help others change their understanding of those with disabilities. After CAPES! I’m not nervous about the unknown of those with disabilities because there isn’t an unknown, just a difference, not less.
This last time for CAPES! was really bitter sweet. I have loved working with my participant, she is so awesome! I was really sad about the activity that we needed up doing because we had a lot of fun with it and it was the perfect way for me to get inside her mind and really see what she was thinking. I was sad that I hadn't thought of this idea earlier so I could have used it earlier in the semester. This experience has definitely solidified the fact that I want to be a teacher. I love it and I love being able to work with the students, see them improve and just get to know them as a person! I can definitely see the growth in both myself and my participant throughout this semester and it is so awesome to realize that! Working with individuals that have a disability has really opened my eyes to what it takes to be a teacher to anyone such as having the patience and willingness to explain things in a way for every single person to understand whether they have a disability or not.
ReplyDeleteThis last week was hard, looking back it made me wonder what did I accomplish these last few weeks, was he able to learn something? I think the reason for these thoughts are due to the fact that I wanted to do my best but also I want c to succeed and to get something of worth from my time with him. I want to believe that he did, he was able to accomplish much in this time and was able to gain the confidence to overcome some of the fears that he had. Working with C has changed my outlook in many areas, for me is has taught me that I can do well with kids like him in the classroom or at least hold my ground with them. C was able to push me in more ways than one, in both my confidence and providing the needed instruction and planning needed to teach someone. From this experience I can’t help but see those that may have a disability just as a normal person. They are just like you our me, but unlike many of us they have to work that much harder to accomplish what we can do in but a short while with little to no effort.
ReplyDeleteI honestly treated the day like another week. I did really think about it being my last day with the student just because I know I'm going to see them next week. Now that I am thinking about not having to plan any games or activities for us to do I do feel a little sad about the whole thing. I feel like I have seen so much improvement in A over the semester. On the first day I could hardly get her to talk to me, and now all she does is joke around with me. At the beginning of the semester I knew this was going to be a difficult experience for me. I don't really like kids and was not excited about working with one for 10 weeks. Because of this the first few weeks seemed like a chore and I did not look forward to it. Once I really applied myself and realized I could actually help A improve in many ways it started to seem worth all the work. After that realization nothing felt like work because it all had purpose behind it! After this experience I definitely see a person who has a disability just as a normal person. Everyone has something difficult they struggle with... Just because their difficulty is more visible then mine might be doesn't make them any different from me.
ReplyDeleteMcKay Barker
Knowing that this was the last week of CAPES, I was pretty sad and I think the reason for this is because i was having a lot of fun helping out and teaching them new things. Some things that were running through my mind was is this actually happening? how are my Tuesday nights going to be spent without CAPES? Its just going to be a lot different. Yes it was hard because i was just so used to coming in and working with my student that its going to be a lot different. The reason for this is because this was becoming a routine for me in what we do and for those couple hours we spent together it was fun and exciting.Working with my student he did make me work but I also liked it a lot I like working with kids and also teaching. I have grown as a person because at the beginning I was super nervous had no idea what to expect and after doing this for ten weeks it started to become natural to me. I have grown as a teacher because now i know how its going to be when i teach and its something that would enjoy i like seeing kids happy and making things fun and exciting.I see people with disabilities as people because i know they have somethings are different about them but they are the same in every way from what they like to do and setting goals. All of that is just like us and they shouldn't be treated differently.
ReplyDelete-Jeremy Maxwell
This week didn't feel like the last week because B wasn't there. When he isn't there I also get disappointed because I wanted to make this time for him fun, but I understand why he wasn't there. I think that next week it will be so rewarding to see him and know that we both survived this crazy ten weeks! Ten weeks really doesn't seem like that much time to help them learn a lot. There were so many things that I wanted to help B learn, but there wasn't enough time. I think that this has helped be learn the ups and downs of teaching any student. At the end of the night I knew that I was trying my best to help a student, while I may not have been succeeding, I was trying my hardest. I've always wanted to be a teacher and so many people have tried to get my to change my major because you don't make that much money. But when you have those aha moments with the student, it makes it all worth it. The first day was really hard, but as I got to know a little bit about B than it became easier, especially in the pool. He got comfortable with me as a person and I got comfortable with him. There were times when he looked at me like I was crazy for having him do something, but when he did well at that he was so happy doing it again. I've had ups and downs throughout this whole experience, but I feel more confident in my abilities to teach children as well as more confidence in learning new things for myself. I had spent time with students with disabilities, but never by myself. I learned so much about them and that those little success, to us, are so big to them. Watching them hit those milestones felt so good. I think that I will always know that those students with disabilities have disabilities, but I won't see them as I saw them before. Those kids are so special and deserve the best.
ReplyDeleteI can not believe that was the last week before the celebration. I loved working with B. We did lots of fun things this semester and ended with a bang. He did the rock wall and played hockey and basketball during his last week. He was way sad because he forgot his swimming suit and we couldn't go swimming during the last week. I feel like I learned a lot about my self and things I need to work on and do better at. I also learned a lot about working with the kids and how different things and activities work better than others. I learned through this whole experience that I definitely want to be a teacher. I love working with kids and I love watching them grow and learn. I saw my participant try harder and do harder things than he thought he could do or that he wanted to do. I think we both have grown throughout the experience. Working with students that have different disabilities opened my eyes into what it takes to be a teacher! Every teacher is so special, they need patience and willingness to explain things in a way for every single person to understand whether they have a disability or not.I will not see kids with disabilities as I have before. They can do so many things and truly deserve the best.
ReplyDelete-Makell Hull
Working with K has been a very rewarding experience. I was very sad knowing that this was our last time together. My first day I was very nervous, I did not have any experience working with child with disabilities and was uncomfortable and unsure how to treat them. K has shown me that she is more than a disability, she a fun, sassy, girl who likes to tease me. I wish I had a little more time to spend with K because we were making some really great progress and this experience has confirmed my decision to go into teaching.
ReplyDeleteIt was super hard saying goodbye to my participant! I loved getting to know her over the course of this semester and I learned so much. I will also miss my partner and working with her every week. I am so glad I had the opportunity to do CAPES and I found it very helpful to my future as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI had a great time with our participant. I had some great memories working with rohan and our friend. Ill remember the diving for rings in the pool and swinming inthe deep end the rock climbing running around the track. the jinga boxes were really cool. Ill remember at the begining of every visist he happly cam up to us and gave us a hug saying I love you.
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