I was able to participate in both helping with the bocce and Show Stoppers with special education students. This opportunity allowed me to seek appropriate leadership roles in the area of special education. These two days gave me the chance to help collaborate with students in activities. I was able to learn how many different extracurricular opportunities there were for children with disabilities. I also worked with families of the students to explain the rules of a new sport added to the Special Olympics this year. I was able to work with colleagues and other school professionals to set up the game area and learn for the competition. Finally, I was able to work with members of the community to provide opportunities with students with disabilities to participate in activities with their non-disabled peers.
My job at the Show Stoppers was to sit with the Weatherford Special Olympics’ team and to cheer on all of the students who showed animals. This was a great opportunity because I got to work one-on-one with a specific team and was able to interact on a much personal level than in any other setting. This led to me being able to walk away from this event knowing more names of students and really what each student needed in the educational setting. This has spurred my ideas for how a classroom could be modified for these students and how they would benefit from the extra learning opportunities.
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A short summary of what I did at the bocce tournament was I was a judge who worked with one other classmate of mine to run a bocce lane. I was the official judge for my lane and was in charge of making sure the lane was on time and the athletes were taken care of. I was able to learn a new sport by working this event, and it really helped me expand my knowledge of Special Olympic opportunity for the athletes to participate in. I enjoyed seeing all of the athletes' faces when they were able to score for their team. I saw how each student was supported by not only their teammates and parents but also their competitors. Each student acted with the upmost courtesy and respect to all adults and other athletes. It was a nice change from normal sporting events where it is all based on who wins and there must always be a loser. With bocce, there was no loser; there was only second place and everyone who participated got a ribbon.
Before attending these two events, I was excited and looking forward to working with younger students. I had already had much experience working in these types of setting due to my prior experience in the special education classroom with my mom. I was looking forward to interacting with the students and getting to know the person, not the disability. I was hopeful to see how each event modified and accommodated the needs of every student.
Attending Specials Olympics provided me the opportunity to work with students with the types of disabilities we had learned about in class. I was able to implement strategies that were demonstrated in class to actual real life situations. I left both events feeling happier and with more energy. I felt ready to tackle the following days. At both events, all of the people involved and the participants had this optimism and happiness surrounding them. You couldn't be unhappy at these two events due to the fact of all the overwhelming support coming from all different directions. I met some wonderful people who truly opened my eyes to see how the world may not be perfect, but it can always be modified.
