Monday, June 14, 2010

Autisticky Skola

So I had the opportunity, last Thursday to visit the local school for kids with disabilities in zilina. It was so much fun! I'm really glad I had the chance to visit. As it turned out one of the Rotarian's wives is a teacher there and after I did my presentation to my host club and expressed my love of working with kids with special needs they set it up for me. I thought it was a really nice thing for them to do and I really enjoyed myself.

The school is a small private school for kids with all kinds of disabilities and has a really great system I would say. There are eight classes i think with each class having 3-4 kids in it. The kids are grouped into class according to ability not age and there is one aid and a teacher in each room. The classrooms themselves are quite small but well designed. There are work stations seperated out for each child so that they can have a space to do their individual activities as well as a desk in the center for one on one work with the teacher. Each kid has an individualised education plan with unique objectives and outcomes and so each child has a personalized schedule for the day. The have all kinds of learning tools and games and puzzles and crafts and things to aid the children in learning. As well there was a gym with a slide and mats and things where they can work on gross motor skills. So that's the school on the main floor for kids ages 6-18. They also run an adult program and a pre-school upstairs and there is a dentist which comes in to do dental work on the students.

The day I went was a special day. Traffic safety day so a couple of police men came with traffic lights, a motorcycle, and cop car and were showing the kids how to ride their bikes safely and cross the street and things. It was a big hit and each kid got to sit in the driver's seat of the car and turn on the lights and siren which really made some of their days. I had a lot of fun and met alot of raelly neat kids. Roman was one of the coolest kids I've ever met. He had autism and was 15 years old and very smart. If you told him you're birthday (day/month/year) he could tell you what day of the week you were born on. It was crazy! And he also had the ages and names and addresses of all the staff memorized and could list them off on command. He was a really neat guy and I had a lot of fun chatting with him.

So all in all it was great visit.

Now I'm busy packing for my upcoming canoe trip in the Czech Republic. It should be soooooooooooooo much fun! I have a tent and sleeping bag and a backpack to put all my stuff in so i think i should be set but we shall see. I'm taking the night train to prague and then spending the morning there. Then there is another train after lunch to ceske budejovice which is the city where i will be canoeing. the train ride will be a little brutal. I get on at 130 in the morning and then dont' arrive to prague until 9 am but the night train is much cheaper. And by now I would say I'm an a pretty good traveller so it shouldn't be too terribly difficult, but an adventure for sure.

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