Another Environment

Because of circumstances outside of my control, I am not going to be able to stay in the placement where I observed the blind student all last week. So, at this point the project is very up in the air. I emailed the original student's speech therapist to check in about how the project is going, and all is well, but there is really nothing left for me to do to help with their situation at this point in time. They would like for me to attend one of the student's sessions in the new year which I believe my new schedule in cohort will allow me to do so. This would give me an opportunity to see my hard work in practice with the speech therapist.
The setting I have been placed into now is very different from any I have been in before. The school is a center for children with emotional and behavior issues, and these students have been sent here from their home schools who do not know what to do with the students who are being unsafe and unreasonable in the regular school setting. This school does not have a ton of funding from waht I can see. The building is old and poor looking from the outside and in not the nicest neighborhood of town. Going in, I had no idea how much technology was being implemented in the school, how much funding there is for technology, and what the purpose of technology is in a school like this. Some of these questions remain unanswered at this time, but some have become much more clear to me. One of my fellow cohort students has reported to me numerous times that her teacher lets the kids play on the computers so much/almost all of every day which I believe is completely inappropriate and not addressing the issues the students are there to tackle. Computer can be used as a reward but no in place of instruction and the teacher. Technology has a very different role in my classroom here because the students I am working with are high school students. The computer is used as a resource in our classroom but is not used for games or fun time. The computer is for work. The students are allowed to research with adult supervision, watch videos the teacher has found to supplement the educational lessons, and the students also are learning functional computer skills by making power points and using word. I actually had the opportunity to talk to the principal of hte school for a few minutes today and explained my situation and scholarship to her. I asked her to think and brainstorm to see if she has any ideas of technological projects that I could work on or help her with at this time in the school setting. Her mental wheels began to turn very fast and one idea really caught my attention. She has a student that has a computer program recorded in his IEP to use, and the teacher does not know how to work the program. I would love this challenge to see how the student and teacher could better use and understand this program. This would improve this at risks students education, computer skills, teach the teacher, and keep the school under federal guidance by following the IEP goals. I will follow up with the principal next week to see is she has any different ideas or if she wants me to pursue the one she mentioned. I am curious where this project is headed next!
These students have had extremely hard lives and my heart breaks for many of the stories I heard this week about their lives. More than anything these kids need to be shown that they matter and can succeed because so many people have given up on them or hurt them up to this point. Many students at this school on top of having emotional and behavior issues have been sexually abused, have parents in trouble with the law, or have family members who also have emotional issues. More than anyone else I know, these kids need someone to care about them, and this school is where they are finding a place to belong.
(8 hrs)