State of the Planet!

I am typically not a fan of poetry and enjoy short stories and novels much better. Although I really enjoy the metaphors and figurative language used in poetry, I tend to be confused about the meaning and tone the author is trying to portray. I have never heard of Robert Haas prior to this blog post but I really enjoy his style of writing. A couple of his lines that really stood out to me are stated below.

“Poetry should be able to comprehend the earth.”
When I first read this, I had to go back a second time and reread it because I couldn't make any connections. Once I reread it, I was able to make the connections and read more into the phrase. Poetry is so complex and can have different meanings for different people. Although the author may have a centralized meaning, readers can take different things from it. For instance, a person who loves nature would definitely have a deeper connection with State of the Planet than someone who enjoys the city life. People also can have different views on earth and the life should be lived. Many people dedicate their lives to taking care of the earth while others chose not to and consider the side of the road to be there trash can. Also, many people dedicate their whole lives to the study the earth and its components while some doesn’t even know the difference between a tsunami and a hurricane. Both poetry and the earth are similar in their complexity.

“ Because the earth needs a dream of restoration.”
I feel as if the author is stating the whole purpose in this line. I feel as if he wants his readers to be concerned about the Earth and the damage that the human population is doing to it. He wants us to take action and use the resources that are available to us to save the planet.

AFI

Before going to AFI I was a little hesitant. Although I have worked with students with disabilities for the past couple of years, I have never worked with adults with disabilities or even been around them. I was especially apprehensive whenever we pulled in since the location is in a random,weird place. The fact that it’s so old also made me feel weird. I thought it would get better as we started the tour but it definitely did not. Nothing really changed until we did the one on one conversations. I did not feel uncomfortable at all and felt like I had known some of them for a long time. They were so nice and just wanted to talk to someone. One guy in particular was so fascinated with Southeastern University and described certain things about it that he was familiar with. He was also fascinated with the fact that I was in college.

Being around some of the men reminded me of Arnold, Norman, Barry and Lucien. It most definitely made the characters come alive to be around a person with the same characteristics. One man particularly reminded me of Norman because they had similar physical features. I could also understand why Jack would get so frustrated at times. I sometimes was bothered at the fact that they would repeat themselves about 10 times in five minutes, and I was only with them for such a short amount of time.

The financial struggles that AFI is going through made me think of the struggles that the Fetke family had had to deal with. Sometimes I forget about the struggles that come along with supporting adults with disabilities. I can’t not believe that they have gone through the budget cuts that they have. It is sad that it is continuing to drop because the clients are the ones that have to suffer, especially since they need the services so desperately.

Experiencing different aspects that relate to adults with disabilities has definitely opened my eyes and has helped me understand them more and allowed me to become more sensitive to their struggles.

What's Normal?

I have always wondered why certain people are born with disabilities and why most aren’t, especially since I have worked with students with disabilities heavily for the last two years. It is definitely hard not to ask God why he made certain people with disabilities. Not only are the people hindered from living a functional life, but their families are as well. Parents that have a child with disabilities not only have to care for their child till adulthood, but during adulthood as well.
My view on the creation of people with disability definitely shifted after reading Mr. Fetkes article, “ The Spirit of God Hovered.” I before did not view them the way God did and did not relate their creation to imago dei. Now, my question to God is not why did you allow this to happen to people, but instead, God, what can I do to help these people.
In this article, one thing that stood out to me was the part where he discusses people being “normal,” and “abnormal.” He states that , “ In identifying “normal,” people some might refer to the regular activities of humans in “ normal,” relationships and communication with other humans and with all creation. However, for the disabled, especially the mentally disabled, this communication and relationship with other humans might be deemed “abnormal,” because of the disability." This is most definitely true and how the majority of society views disable: sadly, including the church. Before I started working with the disabled, I considered them to be “abnormal,” instead of considering them to be equal to everyone else. Who’s to say what’s normal and abnormal anyways? We are all a little crazy and corky in our own way. Just because the disabled cannot communicate or function as effectively as the nondisabled, that doesn’t mean they are abnormal.

The Boys, Take 2

It is definitely a challenge for me to read plays by myself. It’s so much better to have other people to read with. The activity that we did in class made it so much easier for me to get into the play. I am definitely going to implement this strategy when I become a teacher. This scene also reminds me of what I’m going to have to deal with when it comes to parents. Barry’s dad most definitely is a good example of some of the parents that I am going to have to deal with. During this act I was able to connect with Jack again because he was the mediator like I will soon be. It just breaks my heart to see how Barry’s dad treated him. I could not imagine what my life would be like if my parents treated me in such a way. Unfortunately, this sort of behavior is very common for parents that have students with disabilities. Most parents do not know how to properly handle their child and the proper behavior modifications that need to be implemented. They tend to easily get frustrated and take their frustrations out on their child. This is so disheartening because if they parents can not develop the special patience that comes along with working with these students, the student will not be able to reach their full potential. When I start teaching, I am going to do my best at providing my parents with the proper information that will help them effectively deal with their child. Also, the majority of these parents are low educated, which is also a set back. It is not necessarily the educator’s job to flow over into parenthood, but when the child’s future is at hand, it is definitely a legitimate reason. I was overall very pleased with the play and thought that Griffin did a great job at portraying the life of individuals with disabilities.

The Boys Next Door

When I read the title of this play, I did not think that it would be about adults with disabilities. I thought it was going to be some twisted love story. Once I found out that the main characters had disabilities, I was instantly connected with the play. I definitely love plays and am studying special education, so it is a great combination. I found it very interesting that a play would involve people with disabilities. I can imagine that it would be hard to write a play that incorporates humor when dealing with the disabled. Some would consider it to be disrespectful. I on the other hand think it’s amazing and feel like a lot people will benefit from it. More people need to be exposed to the disabled and some of the struggles they deal with. They also need to be exposed with the struggles that other people deal with that work and live with them. I never really enjoyed working with disabled people until I got to Southeastern. In fact, I actually felt really uncomfortable around them and never imagined that I would be majoring in Special Education. God definitely had a different plan that I expected and has led me down this path. I have been working with these students for the past year and a half and have had such an amazing time. I definitely have been stretched to my limits and can completely understand how Jack feels. There are so many times that I get frustrated like him and feel inadequate to be in the position that I am. Jack has his hands full and has every right to get overwhelmed. Norman, Barry, Arnold and Lucien are a hand full and require a lot of assistance. Some of the things that they do are funny to read about but not too fun for Jack to deal with.