Mistakes

Every day I make mistakes. Whether it be a small math error on my homework or forgetting to call a friend, I make mistakes all the time. I have learned that sometimes it’s ok to laugh at yourself about things like mistakes.

An instance like this recently happened at Special Gifts Theatre. At the end of class yesterday, I was helping Billy put his coat on. Of course, Billy and Joe (his twin) did not bring matching coats that day. I picked up Billy’s because it had his name in it. Joe’s mentor grabbed another coat that resembled the one I had picked up, since they both had orange on them.

Another boy in the class, Tom, usually talks to the twins a lot and laughs with them. He is usually hard to understand when he is laughing. It was really interesting, however, because he was standing directly by Joe at the end, pointing and laughing. No one in the class could figure out what was so funny.

http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/image-files/identical-twins-short-hairstyles.jpg

When Tom’s mom came to pick him up, she asked where Tom’s coat was. He walked over to Joe again and started laughing. His mom began laughing as well and told us that Joe had put on Tom’s coat instead of his own! The whole room filled with laughter, including Joe. He apologized for the mistake and everything was fine.

Watching this happen, I realized that Joe was not embarrassed or sad at what mistake he had made. In fact, he thought it was hilarious! He taught me something that day. It turns out to be better if you laugh off a mistake rather than dwell on it for a long period of time. I have decided to try laughing off my simple mistakes from this point forward thanks to Joe.

Adapting

In one’s lifetime, everyone has to make adaptations. Whether it be learning to get along with a sibling, accept how much homework a teacher will be assigning everyday, or dealing with new friends at a new school. Everyone makes adaptations, on a small or large scale at some point.

Special Gifts Theatre is not exception to adaptations. There is a large variety of kids with special needs that attend the program. Some kids need to be pulled aside for speech and have their lines changed to help them shine when they speak. Others require extra help focusing on the class.

Billy has a few things that need to be adapted to meet his needs. For one, he needs a scooter to help him get around. One thing that happened last Tuesday was adapted to Billy and really helped him in choreography.

My class was practicing the choreography for the Hand Jive with another class. Billy is a really good dancer, but has a little bit of trouble keeping up with the dance. He is usually one step behind everyone else. While doing this dance, one of the teachers came up to us and offered a suggestion that he tries doing each movement for a longer period of time but a fewer count. Every person would do each movement in the hand jive four times and at a faster pace, while Billy and I would do each twice and at a slower pace.

This adaptation was not a big deal and really improved Billy’s dancing. He was on beat with everyone else and I could tell he was happy with the huge smile stretching across his face.

My point is that having something minor being changed to fit the need of someone is not a big deal and can make a big difference. By slowing down the dance for Billy, his movements were really improved. It was not a huge change to make and it resulted in a better outcome for Billy.

Just like taking a kid out for speech or learning to get along with a sibling, making adaptations can turn out for the better and don’t require much in the first place.

Normal

Last week, something occurred to me. I was talking to my friend who was interested in volunteering for Special Gifts in the future. I was explaining to her what the role of a mentor is. I explained how as a mentor, you stay with one buddy and help them with their lines, singing, and dancing. She then asked me a question, which took me a minute to answer. Does it ever get awkward, like how they’re not normal and all? Immediately I thought to myself, you did not just ask that. Not that the question was bad, but the way my friend had phrased it. Normal. Everyone at Special Gifts and beyond is unique in their own way.

To answer her question, lots of normal things happen while at Special Gifts. It doesn’t matter how many things a person can be diagnosed with, they can still have just as much of a “normal” time as someone like me.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/Hazi234/normal.png

I went on to tell my friend about a conversation my buddy, Billy and I had last week. Billy was getting on his scooter from at the end of a hallway that has a few stairs and a downhill to get back to the classroom. He started pushing with his legs and was going pretty fast. Being the cautious person that I am, I told him to slow down. He asked me why. I said I didn’t want him to fall and hurt himself. This, for whatever reason, made Billy laugh really hard. I asked him if he’s ever fallen before, knowing the answer was yes. He told me he never falls. I called him a liar and was joking with him. He was laughing very hard and started pointing fingers at me and calling me a liar!

It’s times like these where I take a minute to reflect. I’ve definitely had conversations like these with my friends and family before, which by most are considered “normal”. Despite Billy’s Cerebral Palsy, things between us are just like any other friendship someone might have. Of course things can get awkward at times, but it doesn’t stop us from having a great time together. This environment, if anything, has a more normal bond going on between friends. Just because the kids that participate aren’t as highly functioning as most people doesn’t mean they can’t have great experiences like everyone else.

Just Like Me

Foreword: For this post, I decided to share a piece I wrote for my English class last year. I think it really shows a lesson that's hard to teach. This is my reality of being a member of Special Gifts and just how much I get out of being a part of it.

I see them all the time; those kids who need some extra help to get around. Kids the same age as my friends and I, stuck in the body of someone with limited movements. How awful life must be for them, I used to think. My friend Billy changed all of that.

Billy is twelve and loves music and movies. We have a lot in common. Both Billy and I love Justin Bieber and can’t stop talking about the Hakuna Matata scene in “Lion King”. Billy and I both like asking questions and have a sense of humor. He’s just like me, on the inside.

Billy doesn’t look like all the friends I have.  He has Cerebral Palsy, which causes him to lack the ability of walking, so he uses a scooter. Also, sometimes when he talks it’s a bit slurred. No matter, he won’t stop asking the same questions repeatedly until you understand exactly what he’s saying. Billy is determined, just like me. Billy and I are best friends, even though he looks different than me.

If it weren’t for Billy, I would still be like my old self, just assuming people with disabilities can’t lead a normal life. But after getting to know him, I realized that we do have a lot in common, despite our physical differences. Billy has changed my mindset of judging others based on appearances, something that is hard to teach. Even though we look and sound a lot different, Billy and I can still hang out and have lots of laughs, just like normal friends. After all, that is what we are. Two typical best friends.

That Special Connection

Notice: Names were changed for privacy reasons.

As mentioned in a previous post, my buddy’s part in the play "Grease" is Stevie the T-bird. What I failed to mention earlier is what part my buddy plays everyday. “Billy”, my buddy is a twelve year old who loves Justin Bieber and iPhones. Billy also has Cerebral Palsy, which means he can’t quite function the same as someone like me. For instance, he gets around by sitting on a scooter and pushing with his legs.

Nonetheless, Billy and I have very similar personalities and both love to listen to music and watch movies. Another thing about Billy is that he is a triplet. As a member of the Special Gifts community, I only know one of Billy’s siblings, “Joe”, because he also has Cerebral Palsy and works in the same classroom as me. In fact, last year I mentored him.

            The two boys together share such a special bond between each other. Sometimes it can be hard to understand what either one is saying, but the two of them can always figure out what the other one is trying to say. It really is a privilege to work with Billy because he allows me to appreciate the special bond two people can share and what an impact it has on those around them.

(Joe on left, Billy on right. Taken from last year's performance of "Honk! Jr.")

(Joe on left, Billy on right. Taken from last year's performance of "Honk! Jr.")

            One of these moments happened last Tuesday. While practicing our lines in the classroom, it was noticed that one of Billy’s lines is a reaction to something his brother said and makes fun of him. Joe’s mentor and I thought it would be a good idea for them to practice these specific lines with one another. After the joke was said, both boys couldn’t help but burst out into laughter, slapping their knees in hysterics. Seeing this reaction instantly put a smile to my face. It made me think about how often I spend worrying about what’s wrong in my life instead of focusing on what’s right. Billy is always a happy person and his smile is truly contagious. I wish I had the connection Billy and Joe share with more people in my life. 

Role Announcements

     For every exciting year at Special Gifts Theatre, there comes one day that really stands out. This day passed by not too long ago. Role announcements. All of the teachers of the three classes really try to make this day really exciting and fun for everyone. Each class will have some sort of theme to it that relates the play being put on. With this year being Grease, my class had a pep rally for everyone to hear what part they would be playing. We all spent time making signs that said things like, "Go Rydell!" or "Rockin' Rydells Rock!". Everyone in the room was very anxious to find out what part they would be getting.

     Finally the time came where everyone would find out their parts. The way the class had it set up was each buddy was to enter, coming through a row of fellow classmates cheering, and break a hula hoop covered in wrapping paper with their fist, just like the football players would break though paper before the big game. My buddy was called first to the hallway.
     We went outside together and he was very anxious to find out his part. The class counted down from five and a song from the play started playing. Before I knew it he was flying down the alley, his mind set on the hula hoop. All of sudden, he bursts his head straight through the hula hoop. The whole class started laughing hysterically, as well as my buddy. It wasn't made clear to him that he was supposed to break the paper with his hand. Nonetheless, the whole class got a good laugh out of it.
     It turned out that my buddy's part was Stevie, a T-bird. After all had settled down, he could not stop smiling. That satisfaction of getting the part he wanted really meant the world to him.
     Although we tend to overlook the small things in life, that small thing may mean something much more to someone else. No one really thinks twice about things anymore, yet the next week my buddy came back and his part was all he could talk about. I knew this year was off to a good start.

First Day, First Smiles

     I have decided to write a blog about something that has greatly impacted my life, Special Gifts Theatre. I have been a peer mentor at this wonderful program for eight years and it has changed my life. So many new friendships and memories have been made for it not to be talked about somewhere. This blog will be all about my experiences with Special Gifts.

http://www.jjslist.com/filebin/bridgebuilderlogos/Special_Gifts_Theatre_Editedtwo.jpg

     Last Tuesday was a very important day. After going through another year of mentor training for three weeks, the mentors finally got to meet their buddies. I was getting very anxious walking down the hallway towards the classroom. My buddy last year was a twin, and this year I have his twin. I was so worried of how things would go, especially because the girl who was my current buddy's mentor was not even in our class. Special Gifts Theater divides the cast, which is performing Grease Jr. this year, into three classrooms. My buddy was in one classroom, but his mentor from last year was not.
     I walked into the classroom with such a big smile. I couldn't help it from forming after seeing the excitement on all of the students' faces from us walking in. Five other mentors and I waited towards the door as our names were being called off to go meet and greet our new buddies.
     As my name was called, I could already tell how great this year would be. My buddy smiled from ear to ear and immediately remembered who I was. The two of us have no problem talking to each other because we have similar interests. He went on for a good five minutes about his iPhone and all the games he has on it.
     Stepping back to reality, this day made me realize something special. It didn't matter how good or bad of a day I was having that Tuesday. By simply being able to walk into that classroom to be greeted by a smiling face made it that much better. Looking back on that day, I can't even remember how my school day was. All I remember is lots of laughter and a great time spent with a great kid.

Test Post

Testing