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Oct. 1st, 2009 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaThis week Alex's class has been learning about differences and similarities between people. Today I visited her classroom to talk about having a disability.
It was a challenge. I knew that it's much much harder to handle a group of preschoolers than it is to handle one preschooler, but I hadn't really figured out the effects of group size. Her class is about twice the size of the preschool RE classes I've taught, and it was at least twice as hard to keep them focused and with me.
I started off by having us all raise our hands as high as we could. I commented on how long and strong their arms looked, and asked them if there was anything different about my arms. "Your arms are longer," said a kid who, admittedly, was seated on my left. I agreed that my left arm is longer than theirs, then showed them just my right arm.
"My right arm is much smaller. I have one big arm and one little arm. Did anyone ever notice that before when I came in the classroom?" They all shook their heads.
I had one kid come over and try to bend my elbow. Then I asked another one to count the fingers on my right hand. (Everyone else in the class decided that they had to count their own fingers and report to me that they had five.)
"So, my arm is short, the elbow doesn't bend, and I have four fingers. That makes me different from everyone else in this room. When somebody's body is made differently or works differently from most people's, that's called being disabled." I explained that I was born this way and was this way when I was their age.
I asked them if they had ever seen anyone else whose body worked differently. One kid volunteered that her brother is bigger than she is, and I realized that I would have to be much more concrete. So I asked about people in wheelchairs (most of them had seen one) and people who can't see (most of them had also seen or heard of this). One kid volunteered that blind people can have dogs that lead them.
I had two points I wanted to make about disability. First I asked them if they thought that, when I was a little girl with one small arm, I could still play. They thought so. Then I asked them about a child who can't see and a child who can't walk - could they play? They were a little unsure, so we talked about things those kids could play.
"Sometimes, when kids see someone who is disabled, they think that person can't do anything. But if you watch, you'll see that disabled people have neat ways of doing things you might think they couldn't do. My arm is little, but see, I can use it to hold Colin. I can also type on the computer and play songs on the piano with my little hand. Alex's grandpa is blind. He can't see to read a book, but he can listen to stories on CD and he can even go hiking in the woods with special sticks to keep him on the trail. So when you see someone who is disabled, look out for their special ways of doing things."
At the end, I invited all the kids to come get a close look at my arm and hand. I told them that they could touch me if they wanted and that they could try to bend my elbow - that it wouldn't hurt me. About half the class took me up on it, including one of the teachers. The kids really liked putting their own hands up to mine and patting the smooth curve I have on the inside of my arm instead of an elbow crease.
I think it went well. It was kind of fun, too.
It was a challenge. I knew that it's much much harder to handle a group of preschoolers than it is to handle one preschooler, but I hadn't really figured out the effects of group size. Her class is about twice the size of the preschool RE classes I've taught, and it was at least twice as hard to keep them focused and with me.
I started off by having us all raise our hands as high as we could. I commented on how long and strong their arms looked, and asked them if there was anything different about my arms. "Your arms are longer," said a kid who, admittedly, was seated on my left. I agreed that my left arm is longer than theirs, then showed them just my right arm.
"My right arm is much smaller. I have one big arm and one little arm. Did anyone ever notice that before when I came in the classroom?" They all shook their heads.
I had one kid come over and try to bend my elbow. Then I asked another one to count the fingers on my right hand. (Everyone else in the class decided that they had to count their own fingers and report to me that they had five.)
"So, my arm is short, the elbow doesn't bend, and I have four fingers. That makes me different from everyone else in this room. When somebody's body is made differently or works differently from most people's, that's called being disabled." I explained that I was born this way and was this way when I was their age.
I asked them if they had ever seen anyone else whose body worked differently. One kid volunteered that her brother is bigger than she is, and I realized that I would have to be much more concrete. So I asked about people in wheelchairs (most of them had seen one) and people who can't see (most of them had also seen or heard of this). One kid volunteered that blind people can have dogs that lead them.
I had two points I wanted to make about disability. First I asked them if they thought that, when I was a little girl with one small arm, I could still play. They thought so. Then I asked them about a child who can't see and a child who can't walk - could they play? They were a little unsure, so we talked about things those kids could play.
"Sometimes, when kids see someone who is disabled, they think that person can't do anything. But if you watch, you'll see that disabled people have neat ways of doing things you might think they couldn't do. My arm is little, but see, I can use it to hold Colin. I can also type on the computer and play songs on the piano with my little hand. Alex's grandpa is blind. He can't see to read a book, but he can listen to stories on CD and he can even go hiking in the woods with special sticks to keep him on the trail. So when you see someone who is disabled, look out for their special ways of doing things."
At the end, I invited all the kids to come get a close look at my arm and hand. I told them that they could touch me if they wanted and that they could try to bend my elbow - that it wouldn't hurt me. About half the class took me up on it, including one of the teachers. The kids really liked putting their own hands up to mine and patting the smooth curve I have on the inside of my arm instead of an elbow crease.
I think it went well. It was kind of fun, too.
