Insight into my daily experience

It has been a great week with so much going on it has just been nonstop.  Not only am I really enjoying the local culture and getting to experience new things but my placement at Anjo Gabriel this week has been amazing. I never dreamed that I could be so happy 3,700 miles from home. The staff and students where I work have made this a truly once in a lifetime experience and I feel like I am part of a family.

Over the past few days  I have been able to gain a better understanding of how Mis Lordis runs her classroom. Each day is very structured and she has routine she follows, which is very important when working with students diagnosed with Autism. Each day begins with student arrival and getting the kids in the room and situated. Following a bathroom visit she opens her day with a the equivalent of hello & how are you song that she sings to the class. As she sings she has each student identify their name and then take it to the board. We practice the days of the week, the daily weather and then we move in to some type of activity. Activities vary daily but typically involve arts and crafts or daily living skills of some kind. Lunch was typically around 10:30am and involved having students clean the tables and placemats and a lunch song led but the teacher. I helped set out lunch and utensils then monitored students and assisted as needed.

Following lunch was cleanup during which time the teacher had the students wash dishes and clean up the tables, etc. During the final two hours we often had different activities to work on, I aided with drawing worksheets for this activity time or for homework, we then had music time which allowed time for movement around the room and then it was clean up and preparing to go home. I would help with the students and she would fill out their daily reports to send home. Also during the day students were pulled out for various activities such as physical therapy and speech therapy.

Each day at Anjo Gabriel has been a gift and one that I will cherish forever. While things may be done slightly different at times but the core structure of education and teaching independence is intact and Anjo Gabriel is a godsend in a community that truly needs their services.