A few weeks ago I received a revised schedule. Perhaps you'd like to hear about it? My new schedule has me with the Exam class Monday-Thursday mornings. Wednesday and Thursday late mornings and Friday morning I am in MSR (multi-sensory room). I have arranged it so that on Friday morning before the first MSR session at 9:30, I can help out my friends in Arts and Crafts who are always swamped with orders and projects. The two hours I spend there is hardly enough to make a dent, especially considering my perfectionistic tendencies lately. I still help with the concert training in the afternoons but this is the last week of rehearsals!
The Exam class is the class of six students who have regular English lessons and are extremely independent. I am there to assist the teacher if she needs anything and answer questions from the students as I am able. A few weeks ago the teacher asked me to help her make a teaching aid. That was awesome! I love drawing so my task was to make 4 different environments and then the animals that live in those environments (ie: in the house, under the sea, in the jungle, and in a field). The drawings are all cut out and laminated but I still haven't had the chance to apply velcro to all the animals and their locations in their environments. I thought it was really cool that I could use my creative talents to make something to help these students to learn.
MSR is a different environment. MSR is sweeeeeeeeet. It's brand new (practically) and fully furnished. We have different teaching and sensory tools like lights with a corresponding remote, a floor piano, tumbling mats, giant legos, distortion mirrors, a talking panel, and more. Some students have regular appointments for about an hour and the occupational therapist does stretches and activities with them. I'm only allowed to help if I am directly instructed by the therapist in charge because I haven't had the proper training to know what's best for the student. Usually when I'm in MSR we have a group of kids, like an entire class, and we do a session with them. We usually start with a small obstacle where the students practice various gross motor skills and then perhaps matching colors or saying 'terima kasih' [thank you] when they are handed an item. Next there is a fine motor project like placing beads on a thread or another activity along those lines. After that, the kids lay down on these giant mats and we have relaxation time. The disco ball is lit up with different colors and we listen to soothing music. The therapist uses oils to massage the hands of the students and help them to relax. I have no problem relaxing to the point of almost falling asleep, but sometimes it's not so easy for these kids. I can see why too. I mean, they're in a room filled with toys!!! In MSR I help to wrangle kids who don't want to listen or sit still. Sometimes I help model or demonstrate the activity/obstacle before the kids do it. I really like it in MSR. I think with more experience and training I could maybe bring something awesome to that place in terms of psychology and what types of activities are good for which kids, etc.
In Arts and Crafts I either help my friend with computer stuff, like transitions in a power point or creating a flyer, or I actually make crafts. Lately we have been cranking out bookmarks like crazy. These bookmarks are made out of recycled paper and made right there in the sunshine and then we creatively place dried twigs, leaves, and flowers on the strips of paper so that they are cute and pretty. Some of us are so enthralled with our work and it becomes a very tedious thing. It probably takes me a total of 2 hours to make 10 perfect and mostly the same bookmarks (they come in bundles of 10 so 10 are supposed to look the same[ish] if possible). I could make it a lot easier and paste the flowers on hastily, but that wouldn't be pretty!!!
Most of what is being done in Arts and Crafts is for our Anniversary Dinner and Concert coming up in one week!! Some crafts will be auctioned off and we even made the invitations and tickets for the event! This is a very big deal for Seri Mengasih. It's their 30th year anniversary. I am having a custom fancy outfit made so that I can wear the same thing as the rest of the staff. I am also co-leading a group of 6 students in the Charlie Chaplin style dance to be performed at the Dinner and Concert. I wish I could be more helpful but teaching a dance is hard when you don't speak the same language. We are the last ones that night of about 8 different groups and I am so looking forward to this! I was thrown into this assignment somewhat late in the game but it's okay. All of the dances practice Tuesday-Thursday afternoons. It is the cutest two hours of my day. No matter what happens, these kids will be adorable, but it seems like the rest of the school wants the event to be absolutely perfect. We have had rehearsals ever since the week I got here (they probably started before I got here) and we wont stop rehearsing until show time. I hope to get you a video and plenty of pictures. They really are so cute!
This is what my weeks here look like. After the concert we'll start looking at the long vacation and my schedule will probably change because of the new year. I'm excited for this dinner though. I wish you could come!
But still beautiful enough to stand there and watch until the rain touched down
As always, thanks for reading and praying. You are the best!!
peace
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