Thank goodness for the game of Dominos. We have finally found the one game that all the kids can learn and enjoy. It doesn’t require that much skill and effort so that’s a plus. It's also rewarding for us because the first time I tried to introduce the game of duck, duck, goose, that failed miserably. It made me realize how much I needed to check myself in terms of my own ability to play simple games like this while others, who have certain disabilities, do not have that privilege. Thanks to Peter for bringing that in. Now I got to step up my game and be a little more creative as well.
We’ve also been giving the students profile pages where they can draw their own portrait, write down their name, hobbies, goals in life, etc. It’s been pretty cool. Many of them can’t do it themselves so we draw their portrait for them. I can’t say that my interpretations of them look anything like them but I try! I love the way the students will color their portraits green as if they had green skin or something. Haha. It's been really interesting to hear what their goals are in life. One student said he wanted to be a firefighter. Another one said she wanted to be a teacher. It makes me wonder how possible these dreams really are. Can they really become a teacher or a firefighter? Probably not. And have they been asked these sort of questions before? In Vietnamese society, how do they view the disabled? Do they write them off as forever at a disadvantage and incapable of a successful future? Or do they try their best to improve the lives of the children? I know in the U.S., we have disability rights but here, it doesn't seem like thats the case. So to have these dreams, are we sparking something in them or are we reminding them of what they can't become...I don't know for right now.
Furthermore, although we are trying our best to make the exercise room a more enjoyable and lively space, there’s a lot that just makes me cringe. For instance, we’ve seen kids getting hit with rulers and metal sticks way too many times. Because it’s the “physical therapy” room, a lot of young children who haven’t learned how to walk yet are dropped off into this room by their parents. Sometimes, they are forced to stand against the wall for a whole hour and if they bend their knees or drop to the floor at all, they are scolded and hit. I mean, honestly, I wouldn’t want to stand there for that long and I can stand up fine. Just this week, one of the students (who I secretly want to adopt because he’s so damn adorable) was getting his legs and back straightened out by the physical therapist. Because the kid couldn’t stand up straight like the way that the therapist wanted, the therapist begins yelling at the kid. The whole time, this kid is just crying but you could honestly feel no sympathy in the therapist’s voice. It was really strange and depressing. At the same time, I know that I can't say anything because one, I know it's not my place and 2) how can I say that this person's form of discipline is the wrong form?
It makes me wonder what forms of training goes on here. Positive or negative reinforcement? Traditional methods of hitting children? It really bothers me because although I am trying to be culturally sensitive, sometimes I think the therapists, especially one of them, is just being power hungry and unethical. But maybe that's just me being an outside looking in. Other things, too. They don’t give the children any water throughout the whole day. They also force the bigger kids to do a lot of work. Although I understand that they are trying to teach the students ideas of responsibility, I wonder if the nurses take advantage of their mental disabilities. They know that they will do what they are told and not complain as much as other students. And then, I wonder if the nurses think about this, too. There’s just a lot of questions going around in terms of their teaching methods, their purpose, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment