EDF 1005 Field Experience/Serivice Learning Journals

Jackie Lawrence
EDF 1005
Field Experience/Service Learning Journals

Journal One:
October 8th, 2009
7:30am- The Director of the Special Education Department at North Miami Senior High School, Ms. Vann Rees, took me on a tour of just about the entire school, which was not a short tour. I was introduced to the entire faculty in the Special Education Department, along with a variety of other teachers and counselors. Ms. Van Rees and I then sat down to discuss the main things I would achieve during my service learning hours. She asked a lot of questions about my future career aspirations, then gave her professional advice in regards to where I should be spending my time in the school. We both thought the Special Education Department seemed like a perfect fit.
9:00am- My first class experience was in the Profound Unit, where the most severely handicapped kids were placed. Immediately, the teacher showed me the main blackboard, which stated each student’s special needs. I quickly learned that Rodley wore a helmet 24/7 because he frequently underwent grand mal seizures. Belinda, a sweet little girl with autism, was unable to speak and allergic to latex and peanut butter. Kim often threw tantrums and also wore a helmet for protection from seizures. Iris was ambulatory, but also nonverbal, and could only eat pureed foods. The teacher informed me that all these kids were homebound, meaning a teacher actually went to their house twice a week for extra care and attention.
12:00pm- After lunch, I spent the remainder of the day in a classroom that quickly became my absolute favorite. Despite the fact that these students were diagnosed with Down syndrome and a variety of other mental/physical disabilities, I would soon find that they were some of the most, fun-loving, energetic, wonderful people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. This first day, I believed my most significant observation was that three teachers for that classroom of twelve were definitely not enough, as these kids has uncontrollable energy. But I had yet to see that not only were the kids totally harmless, but absolutely lovable. Furthermore, those three teachers were more than qualified to take control when necessary.
Journal Two:
October 13th, 2009
7:15am: I walked into school that day feeling pretty nervous, insecure, and anxious. I think my first day had a bigger impact on my psyche then I had anticipated. My heart went out to these kids; why was the world so cruel and unfair? And how could I possibly make some kind of impact when I didn’t have a clue as to how to relate to them? As I watched the teachers help the kids off the bus, my mind was all over the place, especially since I had gotten just a little over three hours of sleep. We went to breakfast as a group, and my anxious thoughts quickly turned to anger as I watched what happened in the breakfast line. Even though the Special Education kids had reached the cafeteria first, they were served dead last. All the regular kids were told to cut them in line because they were faster. To me, those lunch ladies were completely wrong in their thinking, and I was glad the Special Education teachers thought so too. Later, I found out the problem was fixed promptly once Ms. Van Rees heard what had been going on.
9:00am- Each and every day, after breakfast, Ms. Pierre goes over the day of the week, the weather outside, and the time of the day. The kids learned, once again, how to spell Tuesday, and reviewed what time school starts and ends. I noticed that Erika and Brian knew the answers immediately and were getting increasingly frustrated, as the rest of the kids would only participate when given special attention. Ms. Pierre inspired me with her endless patience and undying energy. Even with a classroom of only eight students, a job like that could take a serious toll on anybody.
12:00pm- We spent the rest of the day on various activities and learning games. Worksheet packets were for the students with higher skill levels, while other small groups played dominos, monopoly, and colored. I noticed that, for the most part, attention spans weren’t very high, so activities changed frequently. I went from group to group and tried my best to establish some type of trust, figuring that was the only way to eventually get through to them. However, one 10th grade boy named Larry almost instantly craved my attention. His teachers informed me he didn’t receive much at home. But I had to be careful, because I could not permit him constantly trying to grab my hand considering the situation and my role.
Journal Three:
October 15th, 2009
10:30am- This morning I had my interview with the school psychologist, Ms. Tate. Afterwards, I felt a little discouraged since she had pretty much busted my bubble concerning salaries in the field. I went outside for a short break to do some reflecting, and I’m sure glad I did. I remembered my passion underlying my drive to wake up and go to class each day. I thought about how much potential I have to offer empathetic love and understanding to others. My past personal experiences prove to me exactly what my calling in life is. I went back to the school with a newfound pride and excitement in continuing getting to know these kids, hoping I can make some type of impression.
11:00pm- Lunch was interesting. The dynamics that occur between all the Special Education kids in the cafeteria are more than remarkable. Additionally, this is really the only time of day they are fully integrated with the other students in the school. I watch how they talk to each other; some fight over food or personal space and others display affection and love. The rest sit in their own worlds, pretty much oblivious to the mass of people and noise around them. Silvia loves to tell me made-up stories about church and her children. I infer that her anecdotes come directly from listening to her mother talk to friends. Walking back to the Sped department from the cafeteria, Larry once again latched onto me and had to be told a number of times to join his classmates.
12:30pm- Back in the classroom, I assisted the teacher in his daily activity of reviewing lunch on the blackboard. The kids do this every day, and I haven’t seen much progress. Probably due to the way their brains are wired, they seem to forget that they ate grilled cheese just yesterday. Individually, they are called to the board to repeat the lunch items the teacher reads. Many students exhibit difficulty speaking, and also have a hard time looking at the blackboard for an extended period of time. I noticed that the teacher lets some kids use a pointer, which helps them maintain their attention span. He also puts his hand on the back of their neck to guide them into looking up at the board. Only three students in the class are able to copy down the items they ate for lunch. Regardless, each child receives an abundant amount of positive reinforcement and praise.

Journal Four:
October 20th, 2009
7:30am- Today is Progress Day, as well as 11th and 12th grade retesting for the FCAT. Many of the Special Education teachers were asked to assist in distributing the FCAT and supervising the test-takers. They were not happy, to say the least, and expressed gratitude that I had shown up to help out. At one point, I even got to oversee an entire class by myself! At this point I pretty much knew the drill. We went over the weather, date, and time. I had each student say aloud, “Today is Tuesday, October 20th, 2009.” Some kids had a hard time, and one boy became impatient and kept them to hurry up because they were “taking forever.” From there, I decided to have a discussion on respect, what it means, and how one can display it to others.
10:30am- I assisted the teachers in escorting the kids to the cafeteria for lunch. As we slowly meandered through the maze of faces, I noticed a small crowd of students making fun of Ernesta. They cruelly laughed at the way she zipped in front of everyone else in her wheelchair. My mind immediately correlated the experience to EDF 2085 and our discussions on diversity, and my gut reaction was to become angry. I wondered if the teachers had noticed as well, and if they had, why nothing was said. Ernesta can’t stick up for herself, so who is responsible for doing it for her?
12:30pm- Ms. Van Rees suggested I sit in on a Higher Order Learning class as it would further broaden my perspective. I was told that Higher Order Learning is a concept in which different teaching methods are utilized to create an understanding of new knowledge. It focuses on critical thinking and problem solving skills. This particular class was English and consisted of 9th grade Honors students as well as 10th and 11th grade kids with learning disabilities. I thought it was pretty incredible how well they integrated two completely different groups of students so well. The kids took a quiz on a story in their textbook called “The Most Dangerous Game.” I was given a copy of the quiz as well, and it was actually pretty tough. The questions consisted of using tricky vocabulary words in a sentence that related to the story. Honestly, I don’t remember English quizzes in my high school being that complex. Pretty impressive.
Journal 5:
October 27th, 2009
9:00am: This morning Larry craved attention again. He wanted my help with everything, from coloring, to worksheets, to playing with games. I felt almost awkward, as if he had singled me out. I went and sat with Ericka and Brian to play monopoly, and Larry immediately wanted to join. The other kids weren’t having it because he didn’t know how to play and kept messing up the pieces. Honestly, I was pretty relieved when we had to pack up the game for physical education/therapy.
10:00am- When the kids went to PE, I went to sit in on a different Special Education class, and little to my knowledge, Larry was sitting on the bathroom floor throwing a tantrum. Ms. Pierre came over to tell me what was going on. She mentioned he had done the same thing last week when I had left his class. Guilt overtook me. If trying to help these kids can create this type of reaction, then how can progress possibly occur?
10:30am- However, as I looked into these kids faces, I knew we had begun to establish trust. Somewhere along the way, they began to listen to and respect me. They were beginning to look to me for positive reinforcement and they wanted me to be proud of them. Sammy always showed me his lunch menu after he copied it from the board. Ericka always told me if something was bothering her, which was often, and asked me to fix it. Silvia had innumerable stories, probably imagined, about her life outside of school. They all wanted to share their lunch with me, even if a fruit cup was the only thing their mother had packed. Even Kenny had begun to look me directly in my eyes when I spoke to him. As I reflected on our progress, I knew this experience has been more than worthwhile.
Journal 6:
October 27th, 2009
11:00am- We played an interactive story-telling game from a website on the computer. The teachers were so excited that a new projector had been put up in the classroom. The software we used was called “Who Am I?” and basically let the kids develop a person based on choosing specific characteristics. I couldn’t believe the results of this activity. Each and every student in the class was of Spanish or African American descent, and yet they created a white boy with light eyes and blond hair. Why wouldn’t they choose characteristics more similar to their own?
12:00pm: Two students came down to the Special Education Department to retrieve Ericka. It turned out she needed to retake her ESOL test since her last test scores were from September 8th, 2008. Ericka was scared I would leave her there and not come back, so the faculty at the testing center were nice enough to let me stay. I was even allowed to sit in on the test. The ESOL test consisted of various pictures with related questions. For instance, Ericka was asked to count the people in one picture, determine the weather and time of day, and point to different objects in another. The oral element of the test consisted of a story about a boy who went to the bakery and couldn’t decide what to buy. He finally chose a donut for 50 cents. Ericka was then prompted to answer various questions about the story, testing her memory skills. I noticed she had a habit of looking at me before answering questions, as if she needed comfort and support. All in all, I thought the test was extremely interesting and I felt lucky to have the experience.
1:30pm- As I knew today was my last day with the kids, I brought some candy and stickers as a little surprise. Thank goodness no one was allergic to peanut butter M&Ms. The kids were thrilled, and they all wore stickers on their foreheads for the remainder of the day. Sammy had actually remembered it was my last day; I had told him the week before. He made me a beautiful picture that must’ve taken him hours to create, and I have already had it framed. Before they got on the bus, the kids all ran to give me a hug goodbye. I walked out of the school feeling like a million bucks. My service hours were a phenomenal experience. Not only did my time at North Miami Senior High give me insight for my future career, but it expanded my personal feelings of self-esteem, gratification, pride, and love.