One of my autistic students broke a school rule that compromised his safety. He didn't do it maliciously, although he did it intentionally. The principal and I talked to the student about this matter and later I chatted with my student privately about how there would not be a next time. The situation had been dealt with swiftly, but only time will tell if what we discussed gets through to this student.
Another thing was that our school underwent a global review. It sounds serious, but every school gets a review every year. What it basically entails is ensuring that paperwork and programs are all in place for all the designated students we have in our school. Our school's reviewer is a wonderful person, very knowledgeable, and very compassionate, plus our school is known for keeping good records, so I wasn't too worried. Our learning services team is full of people who really care to dot their i's and cross their t's. We're OCD that way. Despite all that, preparing for this global review was a daunting task, partly because we are also in the middle of creating progress reports for all of our students and partly this was in addition to the teaching services we provide for students on a daily, regular basis.
After an exhausting day at work, I tried to prepare for my youth group. Tonight's program was different in that the youth leaders decided to take a day out of our regular schedule to set guidelines for behaviour. I volunteered to lead the whole group and explain what our agenda was going to be before we split up into smaller groups. Because of the day I had, I didn't feel mentally prepared for what we had planned. I had butterflies in my stomach and worried that I would stutter and tell really lame jokes, which I tend to do whenever I get nervous. God allowed me opportunities to connect with some of the youth tonight that I hadn't planned on being with at all.
- Two of the teens were sort of hiding out during games time and because I was also using that time to settle my nerves and go over my notes, I found the chance to chat with them and get to know them better.
- I deliberately sought out a girl whom I've wanted to talk to about her attitude and behaviour. She was really receptive to what I had to say, so I was pleased I got that chance to talk to her.
- I followed up with another teen to let him know that I really noticed a positive change in how he acts during youth group. He's still goofy, which we all love, but he's learned not to take his clownish behaviour too far.
- I chatted with a girl about looks and let her know that people would find her attractive and that her family loves her no matter what.
These connections made me feel more confident in what we were doing as a youth group. I hope these kids found something meaningful in our discussion tonight. I strongly believe, though, that kids will respect us and rules more if we make meaningful conversations and connections with them. Best of all, the guidelines were created by the teens themselves, so they get to feel ownership of the youth group and not view it as something the adults made up for them. I truly feel blessed by these teens and the hard-working volunteer youth leaders who help guide them.
Sometimes, it seems like when I do something deliberately, it doesn't always work, but God always finds a way to remind me He's got everything under control.
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