Final reflection

I think that some skills that my group and I were able to teacher our kids was communication skills. We made it a part of our lessons to have the children talk with each other and well as with us. We would ask them questions and at times they would hestitate to answer. I know that with one of our children, we struggled to understand what he was saying because he had trouble with his speech. Even though it was tough to wait until he would communicate with us using words, I know that it helped him have more confidence to use his words. Our other child was very shy and it took promting to get her to talk, but when she did, she had a lot to say. I know that we helped these kids  have confidence in their speech by encouraging them to talk to us. This skill will definitely help them to succeed in school and society throughout their lives.

Saying Goodbye

I always hate saying goodbye. Even though it was only nine weeks we shared victories and challenges with these kids and I think it's hard not to get attached. It's so fun to watch them discover and learn. I didn't get to know them as well as I might in nine months and I'll be doing the clinic again next semester. Otherwise I think it would be much harder to let them go. There were kids in our group that presented more of a challenge. I thought it was a good learning experience. It made me even more excited to be a teacher. For some reason when your struggling with a student it makes it more satisfying when they improve. I love that feeling. I think it's impossible not to get attached to students you work with so closely. Since I'm going into special education I'll have the same kids for a couple years. I can't imagine how hard it will be to let them go.

Week #9

It really makes me so sad that this was our last week working with the kids. It was one of our funnest times we've had with them though! We attempted to do the rock climbing wall for the first time. K did so great, but was very hesitant at first to get on the wall. Once she got up there and realized how high she had gotten, she was very proud of herself. B ended up not getting on the wall, which surprised me because of how daring he usually is. K was feeling sick and her mom didn't want her in the pool, so we asked B if he wanted to do the pool or play, and he chose to play, so we all went into one of the raquetball courts and had a bunch of activities to do like soccer, scooters, jumpropes and balls. They had so much fun, and it was nice because they could do any activity they'd like at their own pace. It was a fun time!

Week 9 saying goodbye

I have enjoyed the CAPES! experience far more than I had anticipated when we began. I thought that it would be really tough to work with these kids and I doubted my abililty to teach students with disabilities. After 9 weeks, I have learned more about these kids but I also learned more about myself as a teacher. Each week, we made a plan for our kids because we cared about them and wanted them to have fun and learn. I was so thankful that they were excited to be there each week ready to have fun. The fact that they enjoyed the clininc, made me work harder to do a good job. I am going to miss them a lot and I hope to be able to work with them again if they come back next time. I can tell that I would struggle more if I had spent more time with them. In a school setting, you are with your students for 9 months. In that time, you create lasting relationships with the kids and I'm sure it is so difficult to part with them. Even though teaching is a lot of work, it confirmed my decision to become a teacher. I know that I am capable of teaching children that come from all walks of life.

Week #8

I can't even believe CAPES is almost over! I have loved getting to know these kids and getting to see their improvements, so it will be so sad to say goodbye. This week, we did a little warmup on the track. We didn't think they'd be too interested but they both really loved it! We had them both kick or roll a ball around the track and chase after it. B got a little bored with the ball though and just ran for his life! We ended up running around the track a few more times than anticipated, but they seemed to love it. We then played frisbee golf and mini golf, and they loved that as well. Frisbee golf is challenging even for me, but they both did great. K was struggling a little bit, but after a little instruction she got the hang of it a little bit more. B and I attempted to play with a hoolahoop in the pool by having him go over and under it, but he just sort of hung onto it and jumped over it a few times. I thought he would do a little better since he loves going under water, but that's okay! Overall, it was a great week and I saw lots of improvements in both children. Jody

The end is near week 7

After last week it hit me that I am going to miss working with these kiddos. They are learning and growing a lot and I like that I have had part in those improvements. There have been some weeks where we struggle to think of activities that our students will really enjoy. We always try to do something to help them improve a skill as well as something they are interested in. To remain motivated to do a good job with these kids, I try to remember that they might not get opportunities to do fun things like this in school or other places. It has been important for us to use a large variety of activities so that we don't get bored and the kids won't get bored. For the last few weeks of CAPES! I am going to stay enthusiastic and really gain the trust of B and K so that they will go away having really great memories and hopefully consider me a friend.

I have enjoyed this clinic so much! I think it is easy to get complacent and stuck in routines. All of the kids in our group have really high energy levels. It's a lot of fun but it's important for us to have different activities every week. I think something that keeps our group invested is that Ashley is always coming up with new activities. We haven't done the same thing twice yet. Another thing that has been really helpful in our group is that each week has a theme. We'll do fifteen minutes of individual time and then fifteen minutes as a group. It's fun to see the kids interacting with each other. That is something I'd like to see more of and it's helping our group remain motivated. Now that we know the kids our biggest challenge is probably getting them to know us and the other kids in our group. We are constantly trying to think of ways for the kids to bond with one another. I like that we have a routine but that we always do something that is new and exciting for the kids each week. Since the program is only for a couple of weeks I don't think we'll have too much trouble keeping things interesting.

Week #6

Week 6 was pretty crazy. I worked with different students this week and it made me realize how easy our kids are. One of the boys has autism and is nonverbal, and that's who I worked with the whole time. He loved to swim and was very good at it so we swam laps a lot. One of us would be in front of him and one of us was behind him. It was very difficult for me to sort of read how he was feeling. While we were swimming and I was in front of him, he kept grabbing for me. I don't know if that meant he was tired, or that he didn't want to swim anymore, or he wanted to play a game, or anything like that. So that was a little difficult for me, but it was still fun working with them and getting to know a couple of the other kids who participate in CAPES.

Week #6

I feel like we have some of the best behaved kids! B and K are really fun and they listen pretty well for the most part. There have been times when B will try to convince the teacher to do something else other than the activity we have planned. He has tried to pull me across the gym to another group, which is understandable. He is really interested in all kinds of sports and I know if he could stay in the gym and play basketball all night, he would. One behavior that I have noticed from Katie is that she doensn't want to do things she doesn't want to do. For example, when the ball she is playing with roled away she said, "no you do get it!" She does that often. I am not sure where that behavior is stemming but maybe she is just used to having things done for her  instead of being independent. She is perfectly capable of going to get the ball so I have tried to encourage her to get it all on her own. Overall, the behavior of our students is very good and we haven't had any major problems yet.

Capes week #5

I had some trouble posting and the site said I was locked out. It was a while back so I will do my best to remember. So I think that the children in my group were pretty comfortable from the beginning. It took the first and second week to get them into sort of a routine and by week 3 B and K were really interacting with the teachers and each other well. I have noticed that as the weeks have gone by, perhaps they have become a little bit too comfortable and tend to push their limits. For week 5 we play baseball, kickball, and volleyball. B was a little bit hestitant to listen to the rules we had for him and would rather do his own thing. It was important for us to remind him of the rules so that he knew the teacher was in charge. I have been really impressed with the progress of both our students especially in the swimming pool. K is now going under water and trusting the teachers won't let her go. B is very active and began to use a kickboard without assistance. I am excited to see how they continue to get more comfortable, build trust relationships, and improve some important skills.

Week # 5

I think the biggest difference for me is just being comfortable with the routine. The first few weeks it was hard to know where to jump in. It's also easier knowing the kids. Knowing what works for them and what doesn't. Knowing what they like and don't like. I think our group is getting to know each other better and getting more comfortable every week. We have been working with the kids on interacting with each other more. It's so fun to watch them come out of their shells and learn new things. I also love that we're all getting more comfortable helping each other and suggesting activities. I think at first everyone was kind of hesitant to give their opinion but now we help each other to improve. I think we have a pretty good system going. I am looking forward to learning more from Ashley, who comes up with many of our lesson plans. She has so many good ideas of how to adapt the activities and I am learning a lot from her.

Week #5

Week #5 was a huge success. I think we're definitely accomplishing more and more with these kids and I love seeing them learn and grow. We played a few different games, and they enjoyed them all. We've noticed that B is a little more advanced than K so we've been planning the lessons to make things a little more challenging for B. We played baseball, kickball and volleyball. For baseball and kickball, the child in the outfield would have to run and get the ball and put it in a bucket before the other child gets all around the bases. We did the bases further apart for B, and also put out a few more balls for him to grab when he was in the outfield so K had more time to run around the bases. I think it went really well, and most the time they would finish at the same time, so they felt equal. In the pool, B is getting really good at swimming by himself with a kickboard. Sometimes I think he forgets to kick his legs, but when he's reminded he does really great!

Week #4

Week 4 with a kids was a lot of fun. We did an obstacle course for them and started them at different points so they could go at their own pace. It was a little tricky because they went through it very fast, so we had to repeat it a few times and that caused them to get bored and a little distracted. We had a parachute lying on the ground that we were going to use at the end when both kids could come together and do it, but of course that's what K wanted to do the whole time. They loved finally being able to play with the parachute together. Plus it was so fun to see all of our sweet kids on the news! I loved it.

I was unable to come to CAPES because of my work schedule this week. But I have had some experience with distractions. It can be hard to maintain the attention of so many little minds at once. In the past when I'm teaching a group of children I've found it's helpful to have a signal; a specific noise to recall everyone's attention. I've tried clapping patterns before where I clap a few times and the children follow the pattern and we just keep doing it until everyone is listening. At CAPES it's a little different because it's individual interaction versus a large class. So I've found it helpful to say something like "J touch your nose if your listening". Just little signs to see if he's paying attention.

Week #3

Last week, I give my props to Emma for being so creative with her games. She created a goblin out of paper, boxes, and balloons so the kids could throw something at them to work on their aiming. It was a really fun night. I recognized that the kids were getting more comfortable with us which was good for the most part. With the boy I was working with, he seemed really relaxed, which made him a bit more hesitant to listen to my instuctions. He is better at communicating than before, but I am sure there are better and more efficient ways that I could talk with him to help him understand instructions better. Instead of just using verbal communication, I might model, or point out something and then have him follow. I thought it might be fun to play follow the leader and take turns leading each other so that he knows that he can communicate through actions effectively. The boy I worked with is hesitant to use his words, but he is good at using his eyes and hands to communicate what he wants done. Even though he is good at that, he still has room for improvement and I want to keep working on his verbal and non-verval communication.

I was switched to another group for CAPES. It's very different than my original group. I'm excited because I think it will be a really good learning experience. Our group has four great kids with lots of energy and enthusiasm. I have been working predominately with the same student each week. He is so much fun! He loves to swim but he is willing to do all the activities, although sometimes he struggles with listening to directions. I think the discussion regarding communication is very applicable to him. Dr. Williams recommended that we make sure he is looking at us when directions are being given. Sometimes this presents a challenge but I feel that he is making progress. One thing that is particularly challenging to me is that when he repeats my directions I'm not sure he really understands them. It seems more like he's just mimicking what I said. I might start asking him to show me what he's supposed to do. Our group is also working on encouraging communication between the kids. Most of them only interact with the other participants when they are prompted to. We want to work on things like "high fives" and greetings. I think it would also be helpful to teach them how to respond to one another. Many of us communicate with our facial expressions and body language. This is a difficult skill for these kids to master. So I think pointing out those ques is important.

I was switched to another group for CAPES. It's very different than my original group. I'm excited because I think it will be a really good learning experience. Our group has four great kids with lots of energy and enthusiasm. I have been working predominately with the same student each week. He is so much fun! He loves to swim but he is willing to do all the activities, although sometimes he struggles with listening to directions. I think the discussion regarding communication is very applicable to him. Dr. Williams recommended that we make sure he is looking at us when directions are being given. Sometimes this presents a challenge but I feel that he is making progress. One thing that is particularly challenging to me is that when he repeats my directions I'm not sure he really understands them. It seems more like he's just mimicking what I said. I might start asking him to show me what he's supposed to do. Our group is also working on encouraging communication between the kids. Most of them only interact with the other participants when they are prompted to. We want to work on things like "high fives" and greetings. I think it would also be helpful to teach them how to respond to one another. Many of us communicate with our facial expressions and body language. This is a difficult skill for these kids to master. So I think pointing out those ques is important.

Week #2

Our second week went really well. I thought that the kids were participating like we wanted and that they enjoyed the activities too. Their favorite game of the entire night seemed to be the bean bag toss. We had our kids each stand across from their target and take turns tossings their bean bags. Ben was very good at this skill and could hardly wait to try and try agian. Katie was really enjoying the game too but she needed a little more practice at aiming than Ben did. With some instruction and encouragement she hit the target a few times and I could tell that she was very pround of herself. Ben was also very proud of himself. It is rewarding to see the kids succeed after they have struggled with something.

In the pool, both of our students are getting more comfortable and they are having a good time. Ben was having a blast dropping the rings to the bottom and helping me to go get them. Katie is still hesitant to put her face in the water, but she is improving and she is a lot of fun to work with.

Capes Clinic Week #2

Our second week was a little bit more challenging than the first. It has been really fun getting to know more about the children, and what they struggle with. The challenging thing is learning how to help the children overcome those struggles.

This week I worked mainly with K. One thing I noticed is that she is very observant. If B is doing something, she wants to do it too. If she sees you kneeling, she'll want to get down on her knees as well. It definitely helps to demonstrate things to her, but she forgets pretty quickly. In a case like this, we'll definitely want to just focus on repetition when teaching her new things or new concepts. She was a little more trusting with us this time, but was still hesitant to do some things. We were able to get her on her back and lie down in the pool, but I could tell she was uncomfortable and wanted to get turned around pretty quickly. She knows her letters very well, but at times has a hard time sounding out words and forming sentences.

Overall, I think our children did a fantastic job last night, and it was so fun to get to know them a little bit more. It's fun to see them progress and learn new things.

-Jody

Capes Clinic week #1

Man I finally found some time to sit down and write a post! So I was a little nervous going into Tuesday night because I didn't know how our kids would do while working with complete strangers. I was really surprised and also pleased at how comfortable they seemed with us as soon as we entered the gym. One of our children, (Katie) was smiling all night. She was just very enthusiastic about the stations and you could tell that she didn't get to do things like this very often. Our other child (Ben) was also very enthusiastic. He had excellent coordiantion and he didn't struggle to catch on to the activities. In the pool, both of them were great and I know from week to week that both of them will be loving the water more than ever. I was really pleased with the first week and I am excited to get to know our other child that was absent and see these children learn and grow.

Capes Clinic Week #1

I loved our first day at the Capes Clinic. Our group had 2 kids with Down Syndrome (one child wasn't there) and they could not have been any more fun and well behaved. They listened very well to all the instructions that were given, and rarely needed one of us to demonstrate how to do something. One of the children was a little more advanced and could do more things than the other, so we'll have to do things a little bit differently between the children. All in all, it was such a fun experience, and I'm more than excited about watching these children progress and help them develop. -Jody

Our first day at CAPES was awesome! We got to meet most of our kids, although one was unable to be there. Two of the students in our group have Downs Syndrome. They are so great! They listen well to instructions and are extremely friendly. The hardest part for me was when we initially got in the water. One of the kids was so excited and it was difficult to keep him from diving under the water. But when he was able to focus he followed directions really well. The best part was watching how proud the kids were of the accomplishments that they made. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. I love our group!
-Lauren

CAPES Day 1

So I'm not sure if this is how I'm suppose to do it but I'm going to write what I want to here anyways. So CAPES Day 1 was AWESOME! everyone worked really hard, they participated and helped with our students! Oh my goodness our students; they are so cute, so smart, and so fun! I am supper excited to work with them again and see their progression as we go along. I am sad that B. was not here this week but am supper excited to meet B. in the weeks to come. Again, great job everyone and I look forward to next week!