Diversity experience reflection and personal learning

Multiculturalism

Diversity Experience Reflection

My choice for a diversity experience was to volunteer with Autistic children and teens. Autism is a condition that sees a great deal more attention in the press in the 21st century, yet I do not have a direct experience with Autism when it affects so many. I decided instead of reading about or watching a program about Autism that I would learn about Autism experientially. I performed some basic Internet research to find volunteer opportunities in my area. I contacted a few places via email and phone, and secured a session at a Special Education school in Lower Manhattan. The center welcomed my intent to volunteer and said they would make sure I would interact with as many age groups as possible. I volunteered at Hawthorne Country Day School on William Street. It is a center that practices Applied Behavioral Analysis with the students. They service young children into early teens. During my time at HCDS, I visited three classrooms.

One of the first things I noticed about HCDS is how colorful and vibrant it is. Every classroom is decorated with themes. The classrooms are equipped with computers and multimedia equipment, plenty of books and other literary resources. HCDS is very well staffed. There is one primary teacher and two or more assistant teachers in each classroom. The class sizes vary, but none are overly big. The classes with larger populations are proportionately staffed. There was a generally friendly and productive atmosphere. The staff is very well trained and many of them enjoy what they do very much. The management encourages and supports staff members improving themselves inside and outside of work.

The class settings are very inviting. There are many places to sit and many different types of things upon which to sit such as various kinds of chairs, stools, pillows, beanbags, and others. The children really feel connected and responsible to their classroom spaces. The teachers encourage the students to participate in group activities as well as demonstrate academic and social independence. The students are very energetic and they are very connected to the staff in their classroom or other staff they work with such as previous teachers, other volunteers, and specialists that provide related services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, and others.

Since I did not know any of the children, I would be with kids that did not have a staff with them or if a teacher gave me a specific direction to work with a child I would. I got to work with several kids. The kinds of activities I did with them varied. There was an instance when I helped a boy about eight years old pronounce his vocabulary words then matching the word with a picture on the page. That was more traditionally work intensive. We worked together for approximately fifteen minutes until his speech therapist arrived to take him for a session. I had not truly considered the ability to accurately and quickly produce and understand speech as a gift or a reason to be grateful, but now I am. I also worked with a little girl. She became upset during a group activity and she came over to me because of the color of my shirt. She liked it and therefore liked me; she calmed down. The teacher asked me if I would sit with her during group time so that the child could still have regularity, but also stay calm. She was very small and she leaned on my leg as we sat on the floor for "circle time." No matter what kind of condition we are in, there exists the ability of most people to be comforted simply by the presence or closeness with another person.

I enjoyed the few hours at Hawthorne Country Day School. I admit I had no idea for what I was in store. I was nervous, but then I remembered that I am a volunteer, so it is highly unlikely I would be put in a position to be in charge of anything or to make some horrific mistake with dire consequences. From the receptionist to the executive director, everyone was super friendly and really grateful that I wanted to volunteer. The kids were generally happy and occupied. There was a lot of diversity among class (by the intention of the school policy) and ethnicity at HCDS. A lot of the staff were discussing Autism statistics with me. There were quite a number of boys over the number of girls, which matches with current accepted statistics that Autism occurs with greater frequency in males rather than females.