Aleena’s 20 Blessed Days
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with
great love” – Mother Teresa.
On December 16th, I started my SUPA Project with YMCA BodhinilayamSpecial School. My responsibilities included the development of social skills and
cognitive functions mainly assisting the students in their academics,
introducing them to the latest technologies and working as a team, teaching them
about self-regulation. My interactions with them were a valued learning
experience in dealing with aggressive physical contact and practicing how to
remain calm when they are having behavioral issues.
Due to the diverse range of disabilities among the students, each
student has different needs in comparison to others. So identifying the
children’s needs, characteristics and learning the sign language was one of the
main challenges and I managed to learn it in a week’s time. Another main
challenge was staying calm and patient when the students were experiencing behavior
escalations. In such cases, it is very important to stay calm and manage that
situation patiently in order to avoid tension, injury and requires lots of
patience and practice.
Some of the contributions that I made to the school include
bringing technology in their educational system which includes implementing
Laptops in their classes, introduction of special computers, conducting
workshops and classes, music workshops, bringing potential sponsors for the
financial support, introduction of projector for better learning, a new
Facebook group for the School and so on.
SUPA has been a unique and educative experience for me. It has
really helped me to improve characteristics such as attentiveness, acceptance
and patience in myself. It has also helped me to develop an ability to
realistically gauge the need of the intellectually challenged students and to
take initiatives to overcome their difficulties.
YMCA isn’t just a place to do social service alone, it’s also a
place to learn and fill your heart with unexplainable feelings when you accomplish
certain tasks for these children who are in need. And I thank the XIME family for
giving me an opportunity for the same.
Batch 07
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