Hey all!
It's been a while huh? We'll I've got some pretty neat experiences to share with you since last time and I'm so excited to share! Over this little break I had a few opportunities for class I needed to complete (as always right?). The first is regarding vision. My finance likes to poke fun at me for wearing glasses as often as he gets the chance, if I ever say something like " I can't see that far..." he'll ask "did you put your eyes in today?" referring to my contacts. I know he's always poking fun at me and my poor vision but I'll take that over little to no vision! As part of an experiment assignment for class I was to walk around for 4 hours wearing various masks over my eyes. These masks were created to replicate glaucoma, the loss of an eye, problems of the lens (such as astigmatism), and macular degeneration. What I found to be the most difficult part of this experiment wasn't the fact that part of my vision was missing, but that part of my vision was still intact! I would have rather gone the 4 hours being blind! The whole time my attention was drawn to the portions of the world that I could see. Needless to say this was a difficult assignment to navigate around, especially when trying to write or type!
Though the loss of vision was frustrating, it was nothing compared to the difficulty of speaking while omitting the letters "L" and "N" from my vocabulary. For this experiment I tried to told a conversation with my fiance, he simply asked me "how was your day?" and I struggled to answer him! What story would have taken me 30 seconds to tell, took me around 10 minutes because I was trying so hard to omit words with "L" and "N". When I thought I was doing alright he would correct me as I accidentally used those consonants, then it would take me another minute to think of a way to rephrase my answer. Though sometimes in life when I'm not asked to speak in such a way I still stumble over words, I'm grateful that I have fluidity in my overall speech.
Finally, after trying difficult assignments, I found great joy in one last project. Throughout the semester I was asked to perform 5 simple hours of service, that gave me experience working with the special needs community. Service is such a wonderful way to lift the spirit isn't it? I spent 2 of my hours working at the special needs walk-a-thon, 2 at the HANDS program and 1 in service learning. Of all of these my favorite by far was the HANDS program, where our friends would come and make arts and crafts with us on Wednesday nights. This opportunity was so enjoyable because I had time to sit and chat with special friends. One sweet old man knew just about every state and would ask everyone "now where are you from?" if anything I learned from this tender man it as that I need to slow down and take a minute to enjoy anthers company. Another lesson I valued with my time in the special needs community was in the walk-a-thon. I admired so much the attitude of these people! I can't ever think of a time I've done any form of exercise without complaining, but these special friends had the best attitude!
I was so grateful for the opportunity to have these experiences as I was able to better appreciate the body, mind and spirit that God gave me.
--Julie
Friday, April 1, 2016
Saturday, March 5, 2016
"You'll Be a Great Teacher"
Hey Everyone!
This week was busy with assignments...I guess all weeks are busy with assignments though, right? In trying to keep up with the semester I decided to complete two tasks for this class. One, try out the stuttering experience, and two, teaching the class! I'll have to admit I really enjoyed both of these experiences.
While running to Walmart earlier this week I remembered the stuttering activity assigned in class and took the opportunity to try it out on the cashier. Walking into Walmart with my boyfriend I notified him of what I'd be doing, which I was glad I did because he was able to give me pointers and a little pep talk! While waiting in line to check out I practiced my repetitive "C-C-C's" and "W-W-W's". My boyfriend made it to the cashier before I did and started a polite conversation with him, only to realize that was a mistake as the cashier went on and on about his baby's crib. Finally relieved when I stepped up to the cashier, he gently reminded me to stutter. After our friendly greetings, I stumbled out a quiet "C-C-Can I have C-Cash back?" having to repeat myself because he couldn't hear me I realized I was so uncomfortable doing this! I like to think of myself as a pretty polished speaker, one who can carry out a conversation and actually enjoys talking to strangers (thanks Fresno!). However, with the challenge of stuttering I could hardly muster out a simple question! I can't help but think if I actually had a stutter would I be so confident in my speaking? Probably not. This experience was nothing short of an eye opener.
Later this week I completed my assignment of teaching the class about Traumatic Brain Injury and Orthopedic Impairments. Overall, I think it went pretty well! Working with Kenzie to prepare and teach the class was a wonderful experience, she'll make an excellent teacher. On my part though I feel I did a wonderful job with my delivery (if I do say so myself!). My one goal for teaching the class was to be engaging. Kenzie and I realized we needed to use a PowerPoint for two videos we wanted to show and a picture as well, but we ultimately decided to use it as little as possible. It's one of my biggest pet peeves when people lecture from a PowerPoint, especially when they just read from it. I'm pretty sure the fact that we used the slides at a minimum is what really helped the students stay engaged. This way they had to focus on us as teachers, instead of reading through PowerPoint quickly and spacing off. While giving my point of the lesson I also tried to be engaging by sharing a personal story while moving around the room. THIS WAS CRUCIAL! I really believe that because I moved around the room, I kept the students attention. I noticed a lot more head movement and eye contact on me. I also felt more participation as I asked quick questions "have any of you had a traumatic brain injury?" "What do you know about...?" By doing so I felt more students could share their brief knowledge on the topic being discussed. The last aspect I feel that really helped the students be engaged was to give them an activity or challenge to try for a few minutes. In my experience students can focus more when they have a minute to move around or do something other than just listen to me. Had I given this whole lesson by myself I would have put in a few more activities for the students to work on alone or together to keep them well engaged. After teaching, I knew my lesson went well when two girls came up to me after class and gave me a genuine complement on my teaching. Its in the small moments like that when I'm reminded I love teaching and it's something I feel I'm good at. Though I feel my lesson went well I know for next time to improve by engaging my students more, and pacing myself so all the material can be taught. Kenzie and I definitely deserved a 9 for our teaching though! We worked well together and prepared as best we could! Our delivery was top notch and just about flawless, the only thing we could have done better is make sure we had enough time to teach our final points.
--Julie
This week was busy with assignments...I guess all weeks are busy with assignments though, right? In trying to keep up with the semester I decided to complete two tasks for this class. One, try out the stuttering experience, and two, teaching the class! I'll have to admit I really enjoyed both of these experiences.
While running to Walmart earlier this week I remembered the stuttering activity assigned in class and took the opportunity to try it out on the cashier. Walking into Walmart with my boyfriend I notified him of what I'd be doing, which I was glad I did because he was able to give me pointers and a little pep talk! While waiting in line to check out I practiced my repetitive "C-C-C's" and "W-W-W's". My boyfriend made it to the cashier before I did and started a polite conversation with him, only to realize that was a mistake as the cashier went on and on about his baby's crib. Finally relieved when I stepped up to the cashier, he gently reminded me to stutter. After our friendly greetings, I stumbled out a quiet "C-C-Can I have C-Cash back?" having to repeat myself because he couldn't hear me I realized I was so uncomfortable doing this! I like to think of myself as a pretty polished speaker, one who can carry out a conversation and actually enjoys talking to strangers (thanks Fresno!). However, with the challenge of stuttering I could hardly muster out a simple question! I can't help but think if I actually had a stutter would I be so confident in my speaking? Probably not. This experience was nothing short of an eye opener.
Later this week I completed my assignment of teaching the class about Traumatic Brain Injury and Orthopedic Impairments. Overall, I think it went pretty well! Working with Kenzie to prepare and teach the class was a wonderful experience, she'll make an excellent teacher. On my part though I feel I did a wonderful job with my delivery (if I do say so myself!). My one goal for teaching the class was to be engaging. Kenzie and I realized we needed to use a PowerPoint for two videos we wanted to show and a picture as well, but we ultimately decided to use it as little as possible. It's one of my biggest pet peeves when people lecture from a PowerPoint, especially when they just read from it. I'm pretty sure the fact that we used the slides at a minimum is what really helped the students stay engaged. This way they had to focus on us as teachers, instead of reading through PowerPoint quickly and spacing off. While giving my point of the lesson I also tried to be engaging by sharing a personal story while moving around the room. THIS WAS CRUCIAL! I really believe that because I moved around the room, I kept the students attention. I noticed a lot more head movement and eye contact on me. I also felt more participation as I asked quick questions "have any of you had a traumatic brain injury?" "What do you know about...?" By doing so I felt more students could share their brief knowledge on the topic being discussed. The last aspect I feel that really helped the students be engaged was to give them an activity or challenge to try for a few minutes. In my experience students can focus more when they have a minute to move around or do something other than just listen to me. Had I given this whole lesson by myself I would have put in a few more activities for the students to work on alone or together to keep them well engaged. After teaching, I knew my lesson went well when two girls came up to me after class and gave me a genuine complement on my teaching. Its in the small moments like that when I'm reminded I love teaching and it's something I feel I'm good at. Though I feel my lesson went well I know for next time to improve by engaging my students more, and pacing myself so all the material can be taught. Kenzie and I definitely deserved a 9 for our teaching though! We worked well together and prepared as best we could! Our delivery was top notch and just about flawless, the only thing we could have done better is make sure we had enough time to teach our final points.
--Julie
Saturday, February 27, 2016
God Gave Me Two Legs for a Reason
Hey Everyone!
I've got to run out the door but I wanted to make a quick post this week about an assignment I was required to do for class! The assignment was to spend 2 1/2 hours in a wheelchair! Sounds fun right? Well at least my 6 year old self wants to think so...In all reality though it was a great experience.
Our assignment was to spend those 2 1/2 hours in a wheelchair performing various tasks. We had to experience wheeling ourselves into a restroom, push ourselves up a hill, attempt to get a drink from a drinking fountain, ask someone for assistance and a whole slew of other experiences. While I did quite enjoy the arm workout, I found a few of the tasks pretty difficult. The hardest by far was wheeling myself into the bathroom. Within the bathrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Hinkley building the bathrooms have a small lip you have to roll over in order to enter the restroom. When I say lip though I don't mean just a little ledge that looks like a tiny rap you can just use enough force to roll over, I mean an actual little ledge. Maybe a 1/4 inch off the ground, just a straight chunk of metal, it makes it almost impossible to hold open a door for yourself while rolling into the rest room, needless to say I might have had to ask for assistance on this one. Other tasks I found much simpler such as getting a drink from the drinking fountain, using the elevator and wheeling through the door after pushing the handicapped button.
If there's one thing I learned from doing this activity, it's that God gave me two functioning legs for a reason, of which I need to be grateful for!
--Julie
I've got to run out the door but I wanted to make a quick post this week about an assignment I was required to do for class! The assignment was to spend 2 1/2 hours in a wheelchair! Sounds fun right? Well at least my 6 year old self wants to think so...In all reality though it was a great experience.
Our assignment was to spend those 2 1/2 hours in a wheelchair performing various tasks. We had to experience wheeling ourselves into a restroom, push ourselves up a hill, attempt to get a drink from a drinking fountain, ask someone for assistance and a whole slew of other experiences. While I did quite enjoy the arm workout, I found a few of the tasks pretty difficult. The hardest by far was wheeling myself into the bathroom. Within the bathrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Hinkley building the bathrooms have a small lip you have to roll over in order to enter the restroom. When I say lip though I don't mean just a little ledge that looks like a tiny rap you can just use enough force to roll over, I mean an actual little ledge. Maybe a 1/4 inch off the ground, just a straight chunk of metal, it makes it almost impossible to hold open a door for yourself while rolling into the rest room, needless to say I might have had to ask for assistance on this one. Other tasks I found much simpler such as getting a drink from the drinking fountain, using the elevator and wheeling through the door after pushing the handicapped button.
If there's one thing I learned from doing this activity, it's that God gave me two functioning legs for a reason, of which I need to be grateful for!
--Julie
Friday, February 19, 2016
You may call me Judge Julie now.
Yes that's right! Judge Julie! How official....
I'm not sure how this all stared, but I have this ongoing joke with my boyfriend about titles of authority I get from obscure places. When I was serving in Fresno someone once confused my companion and I for being a "pope" and they kept referring to us as girl popes! Even when we corrected them! Sister missionaries, not popes....anyway my boyfriend thought it was the funniest thing so now he'll refer to me as Pope Julie the first from time to time. Every so often I'll gain some new title and he'll call me that for a while. This week in class (and the week prior) I accepted the titles "Judge Julie" and "Principal Julie". I couldn't have been more excited to tell him all about my new authority....
Honestly though, when in class we role play case studies or IEP (Individualized Education Program) mock meetings I learn so much! In the first mock case study we did I was able to play the "hearing officer" (which is basically the judge?). I loved it! I thought at first it was going to be the most cake job since I didn't have to present, debate or argue one side of the case but instead I was involved in different ways. I'm not going to lie, I got pretty into my role! Mostly I just wanted to ask tons of questions about the beliefs and views each party had in the case. Later when we got to do our first mock IEP meeting I received the title of "Principal Julie". This activity was even more exciting to me because having grown up with my own IEP I knew how these meetings should run. However, in the role of the principal I feel I gained a greater understanding of everyone's role within the MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting). Even down to the parents participation in creating their child's IEP, I've learned each member has something to say, and their assessment of the child is important in understanding and creating a plan to help the child reach their potential.
In the mission I hated role play...bane of my existence kind of hate, but now I love it! Perhaps Fresno prepared me, but honestly I really feel role plays are one of the greatest ways we can understand and learn in someone else's shoes!
--Julie
I'm not sure how this all stared, but I have this ongoing joke with my boyfriend about titles of authority I get from obscure places. When I was serving in Fresno someone once confused my companion and I for being a "pope" and they kept referring to us as girl popes! Even when we corrected them! Sister missionaries, not popes....anyway my boyfriend thought it was the funniest thing so now he'll refer to me as Pope Julie the first from time to time. Every so often I'll gain some new title and he'll call me that for a while. This week in class (and the week prior) I accepted the titles "Judge Julie" and "Principal Julie". I couldn't have been more excited to tell him all about my new authority....
Honestly though, when in class we role play case studies or IEP (Individualized Education Program) mock meetings I learn so much! In the first mock case study we did I was able to play the "hearing officer" (which is basically the judge?). I loved it! I thought at first it was going to be the most cake job since I didn't have to present, debate or argue one side of the case but instead I was involved in different ways. I'm not going to lie, I got pretty into my role! Mostly I just wanted to ask tons of questions about the beliefs and views each party had in the case. Later when we got to do our first mock IEP meeting I received the title of "Principal Julie". This activity was even more exciting to me because having grown up with my own IEP I knew how these meetings should run. However, in the role of the principal I feel I gained a greater understanding of everyone's role within the MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting). Even down to the parents participation in creating their child's IEP, I've learned each member has something to say, and their assessment of the child is important in understanding and creating a plan to help the child reach their potential.
In the mission I hated role play...bane of my existence kind of hate, but now I love it! Perhaps Fresno prepared me, but honestly I really feel role plays are one of the greatest ways we can understand and learn in someone else's shoes!
--Julie
Saturday, February 13, 2016
So Much Awesomeness
Here we go!
Okay so I'm super excited to tell everyone about all awesomeness that happened in my life this week! The first thing is tutoring. I never had a tutor until college, and now that I have one it's the most incredible experience! I get one on one attention, to ask all the questions I need and for no charge! I can't think of a better deal! The tutor I met with was the sweetest girl on the planet (with possible the best hair ever too). Feeling a little panicked about the test I have to take next week, I was in dire need of help so ....I booked a 2 hour appointment! Sorry to monopolize your time? I wasn't kidding though, I felt so unprepared for the test. However! Now after having met with her I feel so much better!
We started with a review of the 6 principles of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Which I definitely didn't know because I could only name two before I needed to look at my notes. Although I'm a champ and will tell you them all without looking!
1. FAPE (Free appropriate public education)
2. Non-Discriminatory Evaluation
3. LRE (Least restrictive environment)
4. Due Process
5. Individualized Education (IE)
6. Zero Reject/ Child Find.
Okay maybe I peeked for the last two at my notes...I'll have to keep studying...Another portion of studying with my tutor I was pleased with was reviewing the 13 categories that children with disabilities qualify under. This is where my tutor had some great ideas! She had me draw out a little stick figure girl and point to where each of these categories would apply! So for example, by my figures lips I drew an arrow and labeled "speech language impairment", neat huh? I was so excited to be able to remember all 13 in this way, visual help really works people! Now having studied for the test I feel like I have a clue as to whats going on! Bring on the test!!
--Julie
Okay so I'm super excited to tell everyone about all awesomeness that happened in my life this week! The first thing is tutoring. I never had a tutor until college, and now that I have one it's the most incredible experience! I get one on one attention, to ask all the questions I need and for no charge! I can't think of a better deal! The tutor I met with was the sweetest girl on the planet (with possible the best hair ever too). Feeling a little panicked about the test I have to take next week, I was in dire need of help so ....I booked a 2 hour appointment! Sorry to monopolize your time? I wasn't kidding though, I felt so unprepared for the test. However! Now after having met with her I feel so much better!
We started with a review of the 6 principles of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Which I definitely didn't know because I could only name two before I needed to look at my notes. Although I'm a champ and will tell you them all without looking!
1. FAPE (Free appropriate public education)
2. Non-Discriminatory Evaluation
3. LRE (Least restrictive environment)
4. Due Process
5. Individualized Education (IE)
6. Zero Reject/ Child Find.
Okay maybe I peeked for the last two at my notes...I'll have to keep studying...Another portion of studying with my tutor I was pleased with was reviewing the 13 categories that children with disabilities qualify under. This is where my tutor had some great ideas! She had me draw out a little stick figure girl and point to where each of these categories would apply! So for example, by my figures lips I drew an arrow and labeled "speech language impairment", neat huh? I was so excited to be able to remember all 13 in this way, visual help really works people! Now having studied for the test I feel like I have a clue as to whats going on! Bring on the test!!
--Julie
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Did I Stutter?
Is anyone
else a fan of Stanley Hudson from the Office? No? Perhaps I'm too big a fan of
that show...In high school I use to fake being sick so I could stay home and
catch up on episodes I'd missed...that only happened once or twice so no harsh
judgement please! Anyway, the episode that Stanley yells "DID I
STUTTER?!" is a perfect introduction to what I want to talk about today!
Speech Impairment.
Neither I nor anyone in my
family grew up with a speech impairment. Now that I'm thinking about it, I only
knew two people growing up who had any kind of speech impairment. One was an
older cousin who stuttered for a while, and the second a girl in my ward who
couldn't quite properly pronounce her S's. However, a statistic shared in class
reported "25% of the students served in the public schools' special
education programs were categorized as having a speech or language impairment
(almost 1 million children in the 1993-94 school year, which is the year I was
born!). Although I didn't grow up with too many people having this impairment,
its far more common than I was aware of.
After learning a crash course on
this impairment, I found I was most intrigued with those diagnosed with
Hypeplexia. Thanks to good ole Google I further looked into the definition
as
"Children
with hyperlexia have a significantly higher word-decoding ability than their
reading comprehension levels. Hyperlexic children are characterized by having
average or above-average IQs, and word-reading ability well above what would be
expected given their age."
Simply I would say these Children have a difficult
time understanding auditory instruction and verbally communicating. However,
they're like reading wizards with their higher level reading skills then other
kids their age. This got me to thinking, would I rather have a difficult time
communicating but be able to read like a pro, or communicate like a pro with
normal reading skills. I decided...neither, I just like the way I am! Though
these children have difficulty while in their early years, they're not doomed
to struggle the rest of their lives. The earlier the impairment caught, the
better chance the child has at overcoming this difficulty.
God makes each person
different. I'm grateful He didn't create me with a speech impairment, but is it
really the worst thing ever to have? I'm sure it must be frustrating for those
who experience it, but more often than not these children (with the proper
therapy) are able to overcome this battle while in school.
--Julie
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Making Connections.
Okay usually I'm not the quickest person on the planet, and I have no problem admitting that. Witty people blow my mind. A fair amount of remarks or comments just roll right over my head. In school it takes me a review session or two to grasp some concepts in class...However! This week in class we discussed a topic that clicked right away! Hahaha, I went to bed feeling accomplished that night....
Developmental delay. That's where this all started. Developmental Delay as we learned in class are "a diverse group of server chronic conditions that are due to mental/ and or physical impairments." These conditions can apply in one of 5 areas, cognition , communication, adaptive behavior, social/ emotional and physical motor. What qualifies a child as being developmentally delayed is to have 1 standard deviation below average in two areas, or 2 standard deviations below average in one area. Whatever delay is prominent (whether in one area or multiple) a plan can be created and implemented from a young age!! If caught early enough an adviser/ counselor can enter the home and work with the child to aid and monitor their development. Cool huh? There's so much that can be done these days it amazes me.
Now I tell you about my connection. I have a sweet little niece, who will turn two this year, who I think is just the most darling little thing on the planet. Since she'll be two this year, she was born back when I was in the ending months of my mission. I remember clearly opening the email containing the first picture I'd ever see of her. Something was terribly wrong and my eyes immediately filled up with tears. This sweet little girl who was going to be a perfect little blessing in our lives had some complications at birth. I distinctly remember seeing her tiny new born body hooked up to all kinds of machines with tubes wires and cords surrounding her. What had happened was during the delivery my sister's umbilical cord burst. Small chance right? Anyway, to make a long story short, my little nice went a little longer without oxygen than she should have. Now almost two years later she's just as perfect as we could have imagined her and growing just as she should be. The connection I made was how she went from having a traumatic birth to where shes at now, came from God's graces and the help of the worker visiting my sisters home to ensure my niece was hitting the developmental milestones she should be. Perhaps I'm a geek for learning but I thought it was so cool to have learned about something that affected my family in a positive way!
God blesses our lives in the most awesome ways. From blessing my sister and her daughter to even just helping me understand my class work! I never cease to be amazed at how involved the Lord is in the everyday little affairs of my life. GOD. IS. GOOD.
-- Julie
Developmental delay. That's where this all started. Developmental Delay as we learned in class are "a diverse group of server chronic conditions that are due to mental/ and or physical impairments." These conditions can apply in one of 5 areas, cognition , communication, adaptive behavior, social/ emotional and physical motor. What qualifies a child as being developmentally delayed is to have 1 standard deviation below average in two areas, or 2 standard deviations below average in one area. Whatever delay is prominent (whether in one area or multiple) a plan can be created and implemented from a young age!! If caught early enough an adviser/ counselor can enter the home and work with the child to aid and monitor their development. Cool huh? There's so much that can be done these days it amazes me.
Now I tell you about my connection. I have a sweet little niece, who will turn two this year, who I think is just the most darling little thing on the planet. Since she'll be two this year, she was born back when I was in the ending months of my mission. I remember clearly opening the email containing the first picture I'd ever see of her. Something was terribly wrong and my eyes immediately filled up with tears. This sweet little girl who was going to be a perfect little blessing in our lives had some complications at birth. I distinctly remember seeing her tiny new born body hooked up to all kinds of machines with tubes wires and cords surrounding her. What had happened was during the delivery my sister's umbilical cord burst. Small chance right? Anyway, to make a long story short, my little nice went a little longer without oxygen than she should have. Now almost two years later she's just as perfect as we could have imagined her and growing just as she should be. The connection I made was how she went from having a traumatic birth to where shes at now, came from God's graces and the help of the worker visiting my sisters home to ensure my niece was hitting the developmental milestones she should be. Perhaps I'm a geek for learning but I thought it was so cool to have learned about something that affected my family in a positive way!
God blesses our lives in the most awesome ways. From blessing my sister and her daughter to even just helping me understand my class work! I never cease to be amazed at how involved the Lord is in the everyday little affairs of my life. GOD. IS. GOOD.
-- Julie
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