March 9 – Monday, Monday!
I did not start this blog until the beginning of Week 2, so I am playing “catch up” on this blogging idea. I am doing my internship in Special Education at the Carolina Springs Elementary school. It was no surprise that my Principal and Mentor Teacher are outstanding. I have received an encouraging welcome.
The hardest part of the first day, I must confess, was getting started early. Though I claim to be a morning person, arriving at school before 7:00 am seemed unreasonable. Daylight savings time had just sprung forward, and it is dark at 7:00 am! There is just something wrong about going to school in the dark! But my whining ceased when I pulled up to the school at 6:50 am and saw three school buses sitting in the bus lane. The day of an elementary student begins very, very early. When did these children wake up and get dressed? Did they get enough sleep? Did they eat breakfast? What time did the bus come? The answer: before 6:50, since these poor souls cannot get off the bus until 7:00 am! No wonder more than half the school arrives by car, who wants to get up that early?
Now I certainly know that electronics are standard tools in today’s classroom, but I was overwhelmed with the volume! This is not my first public school teaching experience. I first taught in 1977, fifth grade. The sum of electronics that were available to me was a cassette player, and a record player. In the library were filmstrip and movie projectors that had to be shared by all classes. In my small special education resource room we have three computers, printers, scanner, phones, voicemail, email, internet, a SMART board (appropriately named, for at this point this white board is smarter than I am), listening centers, and an ELMO projector (I always thought Elmo was a fun red puppet from Sesame Street, but apparently he made good on his investments!). Wow, what a ton of resources! Our class must be really special, and then I got the building tour…Every classroom had the same equipment and more computers! I wonder what would happen to teaching when the power fails, I did not see any chalk….
The first days are days of observation. Just follow the teacher, watch and ask questions later. Working with a resource teacher is busy. Our schedule changes every 30 to 40 minutes, with a different set of children, with different needs, teaching a different subject. This week I tried to learn the schedule and the names of our students. Some have learning disabilities, some mild mental disabilities, and many have behavior issues. I’ll figure those out as I get to know the children better. I saw diverse classes, the brightest and the saddest of faces. I can’t wait to learn their stories.
Some Applications: One of my personal goals is to learn about the daily lives of the elementary children we attempt to minister to at church each week. Here are my first thoughts:
The school day begins very early. How does church programming contribute to a good school week?
The children live and learn in a very electronic age. What is the role of electronics at church? Is there a place for a computer in the Sunday School class?
Every child is a story. Every child is shaped by family and outside forces. How well do we know our children at church? How well do we know their families? Are we working hard enough to build the kind of friendship and relationship that gives us natural opportunities to share our faith?
Thanks for reading. I can’t wait to see how God is going to use these next ten weeks.
For the Children,
AL
Monday, March 16, 2009
Week 1.0 - Awakenings and Reminders
Prelude to the Internship
Reprint of The Living Water, March 2009. The Newsletter of Lake Murray Baptist Church.
From Pastor Al Lawson:
In 1982, while in the midst of my seminary education, Kristin was born. Kristin slept all the time, which I thought was wonderful, given the fact that I was working two part-time jobs and going to seminary full-time. But Elaine knew, as mothers do, that something was wrong. After two years of chasing “medical rabbits”, we were told that Kristin was developmentally delayed. (Actually we were told that Kristin had mental retardation, a perfectly legitimate medical term, but today socially unacceptable)
Thus we began a life journey that we did not plan to make. As hopes and dreams dissipated, the blue print for raising this child could not be found. What we did find were occasions when our own faith experiences were challenged, stretched, and reorganized. We found opportunities to minister to a remnant of God’s creation that was not even in our thoughts. And over these 27 years, a passion for special education has developed. Each church that I have served as a full-time staff member has either begun or grew a special education ministry. Elaine and I have had the privilege to write numerous articles and Sunday School materials for LifeWay Christian Resources. (The Spring 2009 Access materials is my latest publication.)
In 2005, before I came to Lake Murray Baptist, I began a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Over the last four years I have been chipping away at the course requirements. One class remains. The Personnel Committee and Pastoral Leadership have approved a Part-Time Sabbatical for me to complete a required internship in an elementary school in order to finish my Masters Degree.
During these 10 weeks, I expect to gain valuable insight into the daily world of the elementary children we seek to minister to each week. In many ways I expect these days to be a refresher course in the social and educational world of children. I expect to observe trends and behaviors that will enhance our ministry to children in the years ahead. In addition, I expect to gain new insights into the special needs world, which will help us minister to these families more effectively. During these 10 weeks, though you will see me a little less around the office during the day, I will still be available, and present on Sundays and Wednesday nights.
All of this to say “Thank You”. Thank you to a church that is willing to accept persons with special needs into church life. Thank you to a church that provides educational space and resources to develop a special education ministry. Thank you to a church that elects a Personnel Committee that values the education and development of their staff. Thank you to the Personnel Committee for approving this Part-Time Sabbatical experience. Thank you to my Pastor and staff for your support and encouragement.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and the leadership of our Children’s Ministry.
For the Children,
Al Lawson
Associate Pastor for Children
From Pastor Al Lawson:
In 1982, while in the midst of my seminary education, Kristin was born. Kristin slept all the time, which I thought was wonderful, given the fact that I was working two part-time jobs and going to seminary full-time. But Elaine knew, as mothers do, that something was wrong. After two years of chasing “medical rabbits”, we were told that Kristin was developmentally delayed. (Actually we were told that Kristin had mental retardation, a perfectly legitimate medical term, but today socially unacceptable)
Thus we began a life journey that we did not plan to make. As hopes and dreams dissipated, the blue print for raising this child could not be found. What we did find were occasions when our own faith experiences were challenged, stretched, and reorganized. We found opportunities to minister to a remnant of God’s creation that was not even in our thoughts. And over these 27 years, a passion for special education has developed. Each church that I have served as a full-time staff member has either begun or grew a special education ministry. Elaine and I have had the privilege to write numerous articles and Sunday School materials for LifeWay Christian Resources. (The Spring 2009 Access materials is my latest publication.)
In 2005, before I came to Lake Murray Baptist, I began a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Over the last four years I have been chipping away at the course requirements. One class remains. The Personnel Committee and Pastoral Leadership have approved a Part-Time Sabbatical for me to complete a required internship in an elementary school in order to finish my Masters Degree.
During these 10 weeks, I expect to gain valuable insight into the daily world of the elementary children we seek to minister to each week. In many ways I expect these days to be a refresher course in the social and educational world of children. I expect to observe trends and behaviors that will enhance our ministry to children in the years ahead. In addition, I expect to gain new insights into the special needs world, which will help us minister to these families more effectively. During these 10 weeks, though you will see me a little less around the office during the day, I will still be available, and present on Sundays and Wednesday nights.
All of this to say “Thank You”. Thank you to a church that is willing to accept persons with special needs into church life. Thank you to a church that provides educational space and resources to develop a special education ministry. Thank you to a church that elects a Personnel Committee that values the education and development of their staff. Thank you to the Personnel Committee for approving this Part-Time Sabbatical experience. Thank you to my Pastor and staff for your support and encouragement.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and the leadership of our Children’s Ministry.
For the Children,
Al Lawson
Associate Pastor for Children
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