Final Entry

1. What was your favorite part of the topic you chose?
My favorite part was definitely going to the school and seeing how they are at school. I learned a lot about them and the way the school system is with them.

 2. What was your least favorite part of the topic you chose?
I didn't have a lease favorite part. It was all a good experience.
3. What do you like best about Genius Hour research?
Genius Hour gives everyone a opportunity to learn something new that they wanted to  learn or add on too things they have already knew. A lot of people are super busy and don't have enough time to do this.
4. What do you like least about Genius Hour research?
I think the blogging got me the most. I'm not used to having a project that i have to keep up with every week for a grade. A lot of times I found myself looking for things to write about.
5. What was the most important thing you learned about yourself, how you learn, or research in general as a result of this work?
I learned that I can get frustrated with teaching people about things I know about. 

Visitation

This week I worked out the opportunity to visit a high schools Special Ed. I stayed there for a class period and was shown around the different rooms and classes that they take.
 

I learned that some kids spend all day in the Special ed program, and some only need one class. The classes are a mixture of grades; ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth in class together. They are taught the same things as the regular grade, but they are given more time and help to do their work. They take regular state test, but they are in a simpler form so they can understand it. Some of the kids are higher, almost to the point that they can go to regular classes. And some are lower, where they need more help than others. They get the same opportunities as other kids including sports. I learned that all the kids want are to be normal teenagers and hang out with their friends in lunch and go to sports events.


However, I also learned that home is almost like a prison. Some parents won't let their special needs go out anywhere. So some have never been a restaurant or a store. The Special Ed program takes field trips with the kids so they can experience interaction with people outside of school. Overall, this was a great way to see into the kids life and learn more about them. I was invited back anytime I wanted and maybe I get to the singing battle with the class like they wanted next time.

Clarification

     This week I emailed a Special Ed teacher at a high school. He had told me that I wouldn't be able to visit because I said study in my email. I wanted to clarify what I mean by study. I want to go inside the lives of special needs kids.
   

     I do not what so ever want to study special needs kids. When I think of studying people, I think of experiments with rats in a lab. Testing them trying to see if they can get the cheese in the small corner. Poking them in the brains seeing if they react the same way as human beings. I want to learn about their lives, not study them.

        Special needs children and adults are very important to me. I do not want to harm them by going to see how they live during school. I feel that if you don't have anything to hide in the Special Ed class, what's the harm of letting a high schooler see how they do things in the classroom? Nothing. Nothing is wrong with it. Unless they are hiding something. So, I hope to go to this high school and see the teenagers in their classrooms. Hopefully this clarified concerns about my subject.

Princess Ayleen

Today, this sweet little girl, Ayleen, passed away today. She was born with Pfeiffer Syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the premature fusion of bones of the skull. This prevents further growth of the skull and affects the shape of the head and face. She would've turned two years old this year and her brother is three. Three days ago, she stopped breathing, but got rest was better. She has had many surgeries with her nose, head, and heart. RIP little angel.

Emailing and Questioning

For a week I have been emailing a principle about visiting for a day to see how their special education goes through their day. I have yet received a email from them back. It has been very frustrating checking every day with nothing new. I am moving on to a different school hoping for better luck there.
 

On the brighter side, I have had asked parents of their children and have gotten responses. Both parents have a child with a rare disease. I asked them what are some struggles they face everyday with them blessing they have brought to the parents life. My mom also shared my blog page on FaceBook. Many people are interested in talking about their child or have information about someone else.
 

Hopefully this week is a better week with my project. I am going to start talking to more people about their children and hopefully get to spend a day with special education. I can't stress enough how this project is going to help not only me, but hopefully the parents too. Maybe helping them realize some things they never knew about their son,daughter, or friends.

What is Life Like for Special Needs and their Family?

If you think your life is hard, imagine the life of a special needs kid, teenager, or adult. They live everyday with a physical/mental illness and they can't do anything about it. I am starting Genius Hour at my school and I am tackling the tough subject of a special needs life. 

Being around and making special needs person smile is a very big part of my life. Every summer I go to a camp for a week and be with them 24/7 taking care of them and having fun with them. I want to go beyond the facts about their lives. Like down syndrome having a very low metabolism and not feeling the sensation of being full. Or autism having different ranges of the disease. 

I want to see how their everyday life is. What they do when they go to school, how they are when they get home, the activities they are invested in, etc.. I want to go to school with them and play out their day. I also want to interview parents of special needs. Asking how hard they can be at times and also what a blessing they are to their lives. Once a week, I'll post on here how the research is going.