By MAELEI CASLER
Sheridan High School Student
This column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School dual-credit program students and Human Services teacher Abby Williams.
As a senior at Sheridan High School, I have the opportunity to go to school part day and have an active internship the rest of the day. I come to school in the morning and stay until fourth period when I go to Monon Trail Elementary School. I work in the K-4 Life Skills classroom as a teacher’s aide! I am appreciative of this internship because it helped me realize that the path I am on is the right one!
I have always felt a connection to people with special needs and sought a way to help those people succeed. As a kid, I learned about people’s differences and how they can vary. The very first “disability” I ever learned about was Deafness. I am a KODA (kid of Deaf adult) and was raised by a Deaf dad and a hearing mom. My first language is American Sign Language (ASL), which is a common language used by Deaf people and non-speaking people with special needs. I always thought that my dad was different, but I never saw him as “disabled.” I later learned about Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus, Autism, and other disabilities and genetic disorders. I have always been interested in disabilities and learning how other people function/think. I have a life passion for helping people with special needs or disabilities become successful in life.
At my internship, there are almost 20 kids in the Life Skills classes with varying needs and ways of thinking. There are kids with Down Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and other disabilities or genetic conditions. These students have a full classroom day just like every other student at Monon Trail. They do reading, writing, math, and take field trips.
Sheridan High School senior Maelei Casler knows the path of becoming an Elementary Life Skills Teacher is the right one. (Photo provided)
One difference between Special Education and Gen. Ed. is the pace of students’ learning. Students in the life skills class may take longer to learn skills like using scissors, letter/word recognition, or naming colors. Some students are non-speaking or unable to speak comprehensibly so they use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. The student chooses which word/letter/number they want to say and the device speaks it out loud. This is very important as it is “their voice.”
Monon Trail includes the Life Skills Class in specials classes like art, music, gym, library, etc. The students go with their grades and learn amongst their Gen. Ed. peers. I take two second-grade students in the Life Skills class to their specials every day and assist them there. The students in Gen. Ed. learn how to interact with their peers from the Life Skills class and everyone makes friends. The students in Life Skills also go to recess with the Kindergarten students. This is good for everyone as the kids in Gen. Ed. learn about differences and the kids in Life Skills learn how to interact and play with others.
The Life Skills classes take field trips three times a month to either a restaurant, store, or to the Westfield Washington Aquatic Center to swim! These field trips are fun for the students but also teach them about the community and how to interact with people in social settings. These field trips are also good for community members to learn about inclusivity and how they should interact with people with special needs.
As the first quarter of the school year concluded last week, I feel that I am on the right path to becoming an Elementary Life Skills Teacher. I am so thankful for my mentor, Margo Hoaglan, and everything she is teaching me. I have learned so many new skills already and know that they are crucial to me becoming a great teacher. I am also thankful to Westfield Schools Superintendent Paul Kaiser for paying me for my time as a teacher’s aide because the money will be used toward my college expenses.