Day 11: Lessons on Hearing Impairment

While I was home with my hubby helping him recover from surgery, my sweet students were working hard.  I know they had some good times playing over Spring Break, but they also were working and sacrificing for other kids.  My butterfly box was full of Ziploc bags this morning.  Each little baggie contained dollars and coins, as well as wonderful stories.  

The kids are always so proud to come in and show me the money they have raised.  They also enjoy telling the other children about what they did to earn the money.  One little boy really touched me when he stood up and shared how he had raised almost $200.  That is the first time in the seven months I have known him that he stood up in front of the class with his head held high, his voice loud enough for us to hear him, and an enormous smile on his face.  It was powerful to see what his sacrifice meant to him!

We spent the first part of our day writing names on butterflies for every dollar that had been raised, swarming our little fundraisers with butterflies and then hanging them on the wall.  Fifteen five and six year-olds have raised over $1,000 in just three weeks!!  This is enough for six wheelchairs!

We continued our unit on disabilities by learning about hearing impairment.  As we started our lesson I put a pair of ear protection domes on one of my students.  They would each take a turn experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss.  They were all anxious to try them but were also grateful to take them off!

We talked about a variety of accommodation strategies for the hearing impaired including:

• hearing aids
• cochlear implants
• speech therapy
• lip reading
• flashing lights
• vibration
• closed captioning

We passed four hearing aids around with each hearing aid getting smaller.  We talked about how you can barely see them now and can even buy disposable hearing aids, similar to using contacts for the eyes.  In addition, the children were able to see a representation of the cochlea or inner ear.

We concluded our lessons by watching, "Signing Time."  The kids have already been exposed to about 50 signs in just two class days.

Day 10: Fund-raising Is Fun!

Day 10 was a day of review.  I had a little quiz for the kids on how to be polite to those with a physical disability and a visual impairment.  I was amazed by how much the kids remembered!  We followed the quiz by reading, You've Got A Friend, by Joni Eareckson Tada.

I spent the morning interviewing and videoing the kids as I asked them questions about disabilities.  I look forward to sharing the videos with the parents of my students!  They are so insightful and incredibly cute!

The students have gradually brought in money and love to stand up and share with the class how they raised it.  They also shared what they will be doing over Spring Break to raise money.  They have come up with some very clever ideas!  I am looking forward to Monday and all of the excitement and enthusiasm they will have as they bring in their little bags of money!

Day 9: Congratulations, kids!

Yesterday we had a larger view of what it would be like to be completely blind and today we brought it down to a fine motor skill view of what it would be like.  My aide and co-teacher filled a box with about 45 items and the kids had to keep their eyes closed as they pulled an item out of an enclosed box.  They were given three tries to guess what the item was.  The hardest item was a glue stick apparently.  The activity broke the ice for the rest of the morning on visual impairment.

I handed each of the children a piece of construction paper with two windows in it.  In the top window was a piece of wax paper and in the bottom window was a piece of wax paper with a hole in the middle of it.  The children looked through the windows to see what it is like to have vision that is severely blurred vs. tunnel vision.  Afterwards the children looked through cards that showed what your vision is like when you have glaucoma, diabetes retinopathy, or cataracts.  They all came out of the exercise with a greater appreciation for their ability to see.

The next segment of our morning was learning about some very talented people that happen to be blind.  We listened to the amazing talents of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder!

I am so proud of the kids as they continually bring in money for the wheelchairs.  They have already raised enough money for two wheelchairs and I know their little heads are spinning with ideas!!  They never cease to amaze me!

Day 8: From the Mouths of Babes!

Today we learned about how to be polite to someone with a visual impairment.  I loved the look of shock and then laughter as I pretended to talk to someone that is blind in a very loud voice.  I told them how funny it is but adults do it all the time!  The kids already knew that you don't need to speak loudly to someone that is blind because they can hear, they just can't see.  We did a number of exaggerated role play exercises and the kids left the day with a new understanding.  

We read the story from John 9:1-12 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Three of the children in the class have moms that are expecting babies.  They knew the babies cannot sin in the womb.  God would use this to show His power!

We had great discussions during our class time but one of my favorite things happened first thing in the morning.  One of the moms shared a precious story with me.  Her daughter had been playing with her four little mermaids and suddenly ran off to retrieve a mermaid she had bought from a dollar store.  This mermaid was missing an arm.  She brought the mermaid with the missing arm to the other mermaids to play.  She said, "She just has a disability, there is nothing wrong with her."

This story was so powerful to me.  This little girl is only five and she is already beginning to understand what may take a lifetime for the rest of us...everyone is valuable!!  She now sees the mermaid first, not the disability.

Day 7: Visual Impairment

A lady with a gentle and tender soul came in to share with my kids today.  She has been a kindergarten teacher for the last twenty years and now stays home with her sweet baby boy.  She is beautiful, talented, smart, and very compassionate.

She was also born without one of her eyes and had to have some other surgeries as a result of her disabilities.  She shared with the children about the limitations of the eye she does have and shared about the artificial eye that was made for her.  She went to a school for the blind as a child because doctors believed she would no longer have any sight by the time she became a teenager.  She learned to read Braille in preparation for blindness.

I loved how she explained everything to the kids but even in the midst of the difficulties she had hope.  She also had the courage to do whatever God asked her to no matter how challenging it was or even frightening.  The kids were spellbound as she shared about taking her students on a field trip to Interspace Caverns when she is uncomfortable with being in the dark and has depth perception problems.  Making her way through the cave was difficult. She also lead a hike through some higher elevations but she had God by her side to give her strength.

The children were told about tools someone with a visual impairment can use to help them such as a magnifying glass, a cane, and a seeing-eye dog.  By the time she left she was a new friend and we all had a better understanding of what it would be like to live with a visual impairment.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."  Proverbs 3:5,6

Day 6: Amazing People

It is difficult to document all of the lessons learned in the classroom and the great conversations that follow.  The kids truly are like little sponges as they have learned about a variety of people.  We started off the day watching a video about Joni Eareckson Tada and the summer she dived into shallow water and broke her neck.  She has been affected by quadriplegia ever sense.  The kids already know how the Lord has used her talents, drive, and platform to reach so many people that had lost their hope.

We read the story of Mephiboseth from the book of Luke.  Mephiboseth was in line to be the next king but people didn't feel he was fit to be a king because he had lost the use of his legs as a young boy.  He was also banished from the palace because of his disability.

King David reached out to Mephiboseth, however, and not only welcomed him to the palace but gave him a seat at this table.  He made sure that all of Mephiboseth's needs were met.  As a result of King David's actions and kindness, other people started to treat Mephiboseth well and his life was changed forever.  I have seen this happen in churches as well.  Once the pastor has a friendship with those with a disability, people in the congregation will begin to as well.

The kids were also introduced to one of my other heroes, Nick Vujicic.  What an inspiration he is.  Nick travels all over the world sharing his faith and encouraging teens.  Nick has no arms and no legs but can swim and skateboard and a multitude of other things.  The kids laughed at his stories and his great sense of humor and loved him before the video was over.  When Nick showed them how he gives a hug, they all wanted to try it and closed the day giving each other "Nick hugs."

As the day came to a close we recited our Bible verse for the week, 

"A new command I give you; love one another.  As I have loved you so must you love one another." 

John 13:34

From No Limbs To No Limits - Nick Vujicic - YouTube

▶ 1:10:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLyHdjEdtus

Day 5: Healing from Traumatic Brain Injury

One of my students was proud to have her dad join us at school.  She had a huge smile on her face as she introduced him.  He was hurt in a car accident four years ago.  He underwent 11 months of hospitalization and rehabilitation due to damage to his neck and skull, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke like symptoms on the ride side of his body.

Our guest shared the challenges of being in a hospital for so long and how difficult it was to learn how to do everyday tasks all over again.  He had to learn how to eat, swallow, walk, read and write.

I loved how well he communicated to five year-olds and the enthusiasm he had for perseverance.  He shared how you can't give up and you just keep moving forward.  He also shared his dreams for the future.  It was great to see such a spark in his eye as he shared those dreams.  No doubt the journey has been hard and exhausting, but he only had positive things to say.

In addition, our special guest shared how he looks at people with disabilities differently now.  They aren't different than anyone else and they need our support.

I hope the kids will remember the great examples they have had this month of endurance, perseverance,  and a positive attitude.  We have already met people who have endured a lot on their journey, but they are stronger and more compassionate as a result.