Working for easter seals has been incredible. From the in-class interview where I got to play guitar for happy children clapping their hands and dancing and attempting to jump, to actually working in the room and getting to know how each of them functions... what is difficult for each of them, what to do for each of them when they are having a melt down, or when they are frustrated and unable to communicate.
I also walked them through walking, I read books over and over until they started pointing to things in books and telling me: "boots!" "fire truck!" "apples!" And getting responses to "What color is that apple?" "Red!"
Then they move on to the two year old room, but whenever I visit I get hugs and kisses and exclamations that always show how much older and smarter these children are getting... "Jo-ee! It's summer time! You came to my classroom! It's raining outside, I need my raincoat!" Everything seems to be an exclamation, which I appreciate -- why shouldn't all of those things be so exciting??
I also had the gift of getting to know parents, of babysitting some children outside of the center, and of learning from and getting to know my amazing co-workers from Somalia, Camaroon, India, you name it! We were an eclectic bunch and many of my co-workers are parents themselves so I've heard so so many stories about children, parenting, giving birth, living in other countries... I've learned far more in this job than can really be expressed on paper on my resume. What a gift!
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