CLASSIC MAZ
  • The Way Eye See It
  • The Way Eye See It

The Way ​Eye See It

Develop your Unorthodoxness

3/13/2016

0 Comments

 
I help facilitate a program on Sunday mornings, allowing children with special needs to attend their age appropriate classes with their peers.  I enjoy watching adult volunteers, called "Shadows", try different ideas to interact with their special friends, as well as encourage the peers to interact with the shadowed child.  We have recruited a few peers of the special friends to help involve our buddies in social interaction.  I have even greater joy as I watch 3rd and 4th graders shake off any pre-teen social norms, like "cool crowd" or "being laughed at", and befriending a child their age that might be behaviorally, academically, developmentally or socially delayed.

On some "distracted" Sundays, we provide more developmental level appropriate activities for the Shadows with the special friends, and their peers will break away from their classes to join their special friend, discussing God's word, how to pray, and memory verses.  There are several benefits that I am observing and it excites me!
​
1. The special friend is able to be mainstreamed but their individual needs are still met.
2. The special friend is learning to adjust to different situations, attention spans, and adult authority, that is different from the structured academic teacher or disciplining parent.
3. The special friend is allowed the much needed social time and situations where they can observe and be included in normal pre-teen shenanigans!
Picture
Don't worry 2PC readers, the tape did not damage the wall at all!

​These two 4th grade, Peer Volunteers are always giggling, daring each other, cutting up, as well as actively participating in anything I ask the kids to do.  AND they have their special friend (not pictured) right in the middle of it all!! Sometimes "W" is smiling with them, sometimes he wears a look "what is wrong with these two?"  So many times, Structure and Multiple Activities are thought to be the best to "include" a special need child and then normal actions are never allowed.  It is important, even for a child with behavior disorders, for the child to observe age appropriate play, decisions, and social interactions that are not necessarily monitored by an adult.  (As long as the adult is secretly watching and taking pictures....wink wink...)

yes- this is a picture of love and service!

​Happy Sunday!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Instagram

    Archives

    July 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All
    Bucket List
    Church
    Family
    Funny
    Maz Thoughts
    Memphis
    Music
    Random
    Work

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.