Day Two

"I don't know how to spell my disability. But I know what it is."  

-Student [T] aka James.

Met Mary at 8:05 am. Myra came in today too.Maybe things will perk up today! Myra is a PARA teacher here at the high school, and Mary is her assistant PARA. I will be working closely with these two individuals and will teach under their guidance and close monitoring.

Myra went through behavior points this morning. It kind of works like a merit/demerit system, where should their behaviors and/or attitudes fall below expectations they will be marked down. They will have to bear with the consequences of those actions. If they are on their best behaviors the whole week, they earn a small reward. Not unlike the "reward system" often practiced in families that have kids with disabilities. Even in my family, back home in Malaysia. It works best on Phanuel. Not all of the time.

But for the most of it.

So returning from that tangent, Myra was talking about Behavioral points. And this was the list of no-no's that was spelled out vocally to the students during the talk:

- No talking while an instructor is speaking.

- No eating while class is on.

- No swearing.

- No disrespecting others.

- No surfing for inappropriate websites during times of online research.

- Demerit points "awarded' ultimately weighs heavy on a grade.

When we spoke about inappropriate surfing, we found out that Tom has a suspension of three weeks from the Internet. Youtube tutorials might be an issue for him throughout the first part of the class. It won't affect throughout the term, so again,

Nothing pressing.

We received an additional student today:

Student [D] : Danny

Add that to my roll. Hurrah! Danny has the whole bad boy 'tude going on too. I am most amused. He stepped in after an interview that decided whether or not he was eligible to participate in this class/program.

We have unveiled the camera they will be using as a class today. Mary plonked a 2 feet long (I kid you not) camera bag on the round instructor table I was sitting at, and I can hear the students in their hushed excitement. I thought the camera would be huge. A High Def one too, I was told! I lifted the bag and it was EXTREMELY light. Like there was nothing there. I remember Mary briefly saying something like I was the expert and wanted me to do the unveiling. So I did. And I saw

NOTHING. At first.

I thought there was no camera. Really. Then in the corner, was a cute little camcorder. "This is it," said Mary. So, bet you'd want camera specs - here it is:

Canon VIVIA HF11

Yes, a camcorder. This will be quite the term. It is somewhat daunting, as I think about the "shaky camera action" that we may have to work with during post production (video editing). But you know, my best friend Erik says that the shaky cam effect, the youtubish, Blair Witch ish, documentary like style is the current fad and could make the video cool. Maybe that's what I'll do. Encourage the students to not overdo but incorporate it somewhat into their creative production. I'm so excited to see what they can come up with!

As I'm thinking this, I noticed Rob. He is usually quiet, I've observed. Intense and quiet. Only speaks when he needs to. Cheyenne and Shana are superbly responsive, as I've probably mentioned yesterday. James too. Now that we're talking about him,

Cool story.

While I pored over the new camera, Myra goes on to run through an overview of Employee Behavior. It is most interesting. They will be seeing her as their employer from here on forward. Great practice for future occupations! Mary then talked about "Student Self Work Skill Assessments". They're learning to assess themselves before and after the program, to see if there will be any progress come the end of the project. Mary then instructs them to write down their disability or condition on the forms. That's when James said,

"Ms Myra, Ms Myra!"
"Yes, dear." (Myra walks to James)
"I don't know how to spell my disability. But I know what it is."

There it is. My quote of the day. When I least expected it. I nearly cried. Something I will most definitely use in my thesis. This is for certain. It was a moving moment for me. I watched as Myra spells it out to him. A-S-P-E-R-G-E-R-S Syndrome. I think I will like James very much. It helps me stay hopeful for kids struggling with autism all over the world. Especially my little brother, Phanuel.

A common misconception is that these kids with different spectrums of disabilities have no idea what's going on in the real world. On the contrary. The very fact that James said what he said, is remarkable. It's him saying, "I know what's going on with me. I just don't know how to put it in ways the world can understand me." 

Yesterday, I felt empowered to instruct.

Today, I am humbled.

What comes next, I don't know. But like my best friend is teaching me now, God hasn't promised me tomorrow yet. Let it worry about itself.