Holly Heath

Professor Raass

EDUC-230

12/1/18

IDSP PAPER

This project has easily been the hardest assignment I have done in a while. I had started

off by going to the principle of the school I was doing my service learning project through I

thought two birds one stone how perfect. I met with him got everything set up and he said he

would contact me, a week had gone by I hadn’t heard back from him, so I emailed him didn’t

hear anything back, so I emailed his secretary and she finally said she would see what was going

on. I waited for a few more days, and I got nothing back. So then I finally emailed again and said

listen I know everyone is busy, but I put all my eggs in this basket and if it’s not going to work I

need to be able to find another school to work with. She emailed me back finally and only gave

me a start date for my service learning. Within a few hours of that happening I got a text message

from one of our family friends who just so happens to be a Preschool special education teacher.

She had asked me if could substitute for her, my heart sank, all I could think was I am so not

ready to take on a whole class by myself. Side note my very first class I ever subbed for was a

tier 2 special education 1st and 2nd grade class, and I had a blast. It’s just the initial thought of

being in charge of all these kiddos! I walked in and got my classroom prepared for the morning

to get them off their buses and bring them into their classroom. The very first tiny human off the

bus was a blue eye blonde haired little boy with Down syndrome. Let’s just call him James.
 James ran right up to me and gave me a big huge, and said hi my name is James, what are

yours! I said hi I am Miss Holly, I looked around and all the aids and the one other preschool

teachers jaws just dropped, they said he is so shy and never talks to anyone! Right then and there

I knew the kid I wanted to monitor for my project. James to me is a very high functioning

Downs, there are 2 other students with downs in the class as well that aren’t quite at the level of

speaking, and understanding. James loves to do art project we were counting apples, on an apple

tree, and he liked to pick out the colors: lellow, wed, geen (yellow, red, and green). He can count

to 10 he swaps his 6, and 5 sometimes. As far as physical fitness goes he loves going to

Disneyland ( a whole classroom, dedicated to little obstacle courses, and mini trampolines).

James can hold a pencil pretty well he doubles up ( uses his pointer and middle finger over the

top of the pencil) he also has a tough time cutting paper, he flips his hand almost upside down

and tries to cut the paper upside down as well. He loves to run and jump and crawl through the

obstacle courses I haven’t got to see him kick a ball or anything of that nature.

Whenever I am having an off-day James can just make by day with his little smile, and

warm little hugs. James is in his first year of preschool. James is in the special ed preschool

room. These kids in this specific room attend two years, and then get placed into a kindergarten

gen ed classroom. James has what I would call a normal amount of weaknesses. He struggles

with the way he holds scissors, and a speech problem.

James has a slight problem sitting still and paying attention during actual work time. The

only time he will sit still for full rotations is when we have a counting, or ABC, or shapes video

playing. He likes being interactive with the activities we do. Before snack/ video time we draw

straight lines on the smart board. This is also a time where we have them practice walking up

steps and holding on to a railing. They are not allowed to jump off the steps or they have to walk
back up and down, James is a typical little boy when it comes to defying rules he loves jumping

off of this step. James goes out of class for one of his rotations to see we shall call him Mr. M he

is the physical therapist he goes out in the hallway during one of his rotations and works with

him for 20 minutes every day.

James really surprises me, actually since I have been in the classroom James has

surprised everyone. He talks a little more, and is more into doing activities. Miss Kim says that

James works better on the days Miss Holly is there with him. I would have to say that James is

still in the sensorimotor stage of Piagets theory. He still motions for things he wants, He hasn’t

quite grasped full sentences sometimes he says simple sentences. He loved gluing the pumpkins

on the pumpkin patch vine. Sometimes it amazes me at some of the things he can do and some of

the things he struggles with. I wish there was a way to monitor their brain while they work, or

play, or really do anything.

James is very out going when it comes to him and his classmates, he isn’t the most open

little kid when it comes to adults, or new peers in the classroom. James picks and chooses the

adults he is close with. He has formed a type bond with me, like I stated in the beginning the aids

were really surprised when he took to me right away. The set up in there classroom is there are

two separate classes of 6-8 kids in each class, they start of in their own rooms, then they continue

onto rotations and then the combine classes. James is fine when it comes to rotations, He always

loves when its Miss Melinda rotation, He is a little hesitant about the new aid, he listens he just

doesn’t talk very much when he is around her. I have no doubt in my mind James at this point in

mind does not know he has a disability that makes him a little different than the rest of the kids.

James for as young as he is he holds his head up high, and almost proud of every thing he does.

When we do practice drawing lines he always is so excited about all his work, even when he
knows his lines are a little crooked, he says “it okay I do next time”. James makes me want to be

proud of myself when I mess up on an assignment or I procrastinate a little much. James is at the

stage of initiative vs. guilt. He strives to make Miss Kim, myself and Miss Melinda all so very

happy. He always picks up his stuff after snack, tells us when he needs to go potty. And most

importantly never fights physical therapy. James is one very upbeat little boy who simply does

not let his disability change what people think about him. James is defiantly a little boy who has

down syndrome, he does not let this disability run his life, he runs his disability.