I have been working at Dybery Day Camp, a camp for mentally disabled children ages 4 to 21, for the last 3 weeks. I am working closely with two children, the first whom, Sean, has aspergers, a disorder similar to to a mild case of Autism plus the person obsesses over one or two topics, in this case rocks and The United States Navy Fleet exclusively the U.S.S. Pennsylvania. Patrick, the other child I work with carries out long, in depth conversations with Master Chicken or one of his many other stuffed animals.
It is an interesting task trying to keep an eye on these two children at the same time. Sean sits in the sand box all day, looking for and inspecting rocks, while Patrick runs around the entire camp, talking to Master Chicken. I spend most of my day chasing Patrick around, stopping him from wandering out onto 191, and occasional checking in on Sean who is usually amassing large piles of rocks, sorted by size, color, and shape, or explaining the ballast tank system on the U.S.S. Pennsylvania to one of the non-verbal Down Syndrome kids.
So far my time at Dyberry has been a wonderful learning experience. It has boosted my confidence and ability to deal with socially awkward or difficult situations, whether they involve mentally disabled people or my family (sometimes i can't tell the difference.)
2 comments:
i see Benny boy direct front n center rockingthe sleeveless navy blue.
ANd this letter that made me LAF, then consequently fart, and was, i think, a very effecient and well crafted vessel. Nicely rounded characters, like master chicken, are in short supply in the literary seas of today.
N'i say t'ya, bonnie brother mine,
\ trusting your intincts will serve you well at Dyberry/
Aye! tis so tis so, quoth the ancient, graying, badger warrior.
I went to family night tonight at Dyberry Day Camp - I was impressed with the program, the spirit and the cheerful counselors!! Good job Curtis!!
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