Entry #7

An experience I have had with a student or child who has had a disability was in high school when I was coaching softball, a young girl was on the team I coached. She was born with deformed legs, she had braces to help correct them and shortly just got them off. She could run and walk, just differently than others and not as fast as some of the other girls on the team. I always had all of the girls run 2 laps around the field to get warmed up before practice. One of the days a girl who is normally done within the top 5, yelled at this other young girl and told her she was too slow and several other things. Which obviously made the little girl upset and embarrassed. I took each one aside and talked to them separately about the situation. I explained to the young girl who yelled at the other girl that this wasn't her place to tell other girls what to do and especially this particular girl, she can't help it and she is trying her best. I continued to discuss that this isn't going to happen again. I pulled the other young girl aside and asked her how she felt, and if she was doing ok? I then told her she had nothing to worry about, I can tell she is trying her best and this isn't a race, I want her to have fun and play the best she can. I understand her disability but that doesn't make her any less or any more than anyone else on the team. Everyone will get the same playing time and treated the same. I told her if she had any other problems she needed to tell me and I will help her. I then addressed both girls and expected an apology from one young lady to the other. I also talked to the whole team about bossing others and being rude. Everyone is equal and is going to be played the same amount of time. I want everyone to have fun and play the best they can that's all I ask of them. After that practice the young lady with the disability came up to me and thanked me for telling the other girls that because they make fun of her a lot and after that comment she didn't want to play anymore, but since I told her I wanted her on the team and she was going to play the same and that I just wanted her to have fun helped her change her mind and give it another shot. This made me feel so good, that I helped her confidence and I encouraged her to stick it out and play. This changed my mind about teaching because I knew from that moment I can include everyone and it means a lot, and I can make a difference. I really enjoy all students/ kids because you learn so much from them. I also think I will be able to control my classroom and include all my students and provide positive encouragement. I know not every time is going to be a success but I will always do my best to create a positive situation for all students, and help open and expand their minds and opinions of others and the world as a whole. It may seem kind of demanding but if we don't at least try then how can we expect our students to except each other?

Richard Wawro- an artist who has autism, he was well known for his landscapes with wax oil crayon/pastels. Richard didn't learn to speak before the age of 11 and later he had eye surgery to remove cataracts, which left him with sufficiently poor eyesight to be classed as legally blind.He had his first exhibition at age 17.