Coming From The Dusty Bookshelf

Why HELLO THERE, blogging world! It is I...Maddie...back to blog. 

I know, I know, it's been quite a long time since I have posted. I will not be surprised if no one reads this..this blog has kind of been sitting on a dusty bookshelf while I've figured a lot of life out.

Life has kind of taken priority over the internet the past year or so, so there hasn't been a ton of room for blogging inspiration.

BUT WAIT...I DO have some inspiration!

Up until this past month, I was working at a non-profit in Seattle for children and adults with moderate to severe mental and physical "disabilities" (I don't like the word disability, so I try to use it as little as possible). I recently left because I moved to the Spokane area
(Eastern Washington). Now I am back in Bellevue teaching pre-schoolers!
 

The time spent at the non-profit was a pretty incredible, eye opening experience...so to say I have no inspiration after these past few months is just a straight up LIE. I have SO much to share with you, my (hopefully) loyal readers. 

While I will not give any specific information as far as names and individual stories, I will share what I generally learned and experienced from working with people of many different abilities, primarily Autism. 

Let me say this first...I know SO much more now about Autism than I did when I began this blog. I will admit, I went into my job feeling like an Autism guru...how could I not? I HAD Autism...I thought I had once been in a position that these kids were all in...

 Little did I know, that they would wind up teaching me more than I wound up teaching them. 

So, my job was to be a teaching assistant, working with students on their individual education programs. I first worked with children ages 5-21 with a wide variety of abilities, the most common one being Autism. I then switched over to working with adults (21 and over) for the first part of my day, and then with the kiddos the second. To say the least, my job was wonderful and exhausting all at the same time. It took a lot of energy out of me emotionally. I came across children with VERY severe behavioral problems. Multiple times I was hit, pinched, yelled/screamed at, and left with many dirty diapers to clean.

 Again, it was wonderful and exhausting all at the same time.

It was pretty rough to adjust to at first, but after a while you become desensitized to the negative behaviors because you cling on to the behaviors that showed progress. I would get beams of excitement when I would find small solutions to difficult problems. Whether or not the progress would be consistent varied by student. Lots of skills took a lot of practice. But when you saw your assistance clicking in a student's mind, it was honestly one of the coolest experiences I could possibly describe. 

Among all of the work that went on, there were so many fun times that were had. We went on field trips, sang songs, did crafts (some were better than others, either way it made for great amusement), science projects, and so much more.

What I loved about this agency was that they would find inexpensive, creative ways to get students actively involved in group activities. Everyone was included, no student was left out. At times it reminded me of ways I was left out of activities in my child hood...how much of a stretch it would be for teachers or counselors to reach out to me and make sure I was ok while sitting in a corner, watching other students socialize and get along. I never felt like I was going out of my way to include a student in an activity while working at this agency. I almost made it a personal mission to try and find ways to involve the students and make them feel included. Not only did I do this, but other staff did this as well. It really was an agency effort that I really admired.

This is all to say that this job really proved to me 2 things: 

1. It is pretty much impossible to say "Oh yeah, Autism! I completely understand what that's like, my child has that/I know someone who has that!" and have it be accurate.

They call it a "spectrum" for a reason. No person I worked with, who had Autism, was completely like another person who had Autism. There were certain varying characteristics that would be similar, but each student's needs were completely unique to that student. I would really like to try and get people to understand this as much as possible...education and general care NEEDS to be individual, based on the needs of that student. More adults working with a student with disabilities need to stop treating students based on how they have seen a person with autism beforehand, or their idea of what Autism is. They need to genuinely get on that student's level and progressively discover their likes, dislikes, etc. You need to actually GET TO KNOW THE STUDENT, not just what a file might say or what you *assume* will be a solution to a behavioral issue. 

2. I am no expert on Autism.

I am only blogging based on my own experience with Autism, and things I learned while working with people with Autsim. I still do not know everything there is to know about it. 

Oh yeah, I guess there is a 3rd thing I learned...

3. This is what I want to be doing. 

I want to be in a career where I am doing exactly this...working with children, learning more than I ever imagined about working with people with different abilities, and then helping to educate the world. So...to say the least...there is more to come. 

I'm currently on the job search in Spokane, WA, before heading to Eastern Washington University to get my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Disability Studies...with, of course, a minor in theater arts. But before school, I want more work experience...hopefully doing something similar to what I was doing back in Seattle. So...we'll see what happens! Send good job seeking vibes my way, please!!! Oh...and keep an eye out on the blog, more free time means more posts ;).

And for now...I finish this blog, eat some ramen, and watch the final season of How I Met Your Mother. 

LIVING THE GOOD LIFE!

<3 Maddie