QTC chapter 3

 

Chapter 3

(3.1) Personal and social development can have a major influence on both individual student learning and the learning environment as a whole.  Identify a case from the CSEL guidelines* that you would like to address in your paper.  Then, examine the possible developmental factors that could be influencing your target student(s) or classroom in the case study.  Consider all dimensions of personal and social development, including cognitive, language, social, emotional, and moral development. *CSEL guidelines can be found under CSEL Artifact. Cases are included at the end of the document. Choose the case that best suits your desired grade level.

 

Lisa is a first grader who is unengaged in group work. She refuses to participate and withdraws from the group when she doesn’t get the group role that she wants.  Lisa may struggle with perspective taking, and may not consider the thoughts and feelings of the students that she is working with. She may not be thinking about how her peers feel when she refuses to participate. Lisa probably has greater concern for her needs than the needs of others. She wants to be in a particular group, and likely weighs her desire to be that “role” as more important than the needs and desires of the group of children that she is working with. I would encourage perspective taking and pro-social behavior to solve this problem.

 

QTC 3.22  I will be looking at Lisa’s case student in the CSEL paper, with Lisa being a first grade student. Students are at this stage of development are largely limited to creating a sense of self that is based concrete, easily observable characteristics. For example, Lisa might think that she is bad at a particular role because she failed at this role only once before, or because a peer made a negative comment on her abilities. I would need to provide Lisa with sufficient scaffolding to make success possible, as well as providing Lisa with other opportunities to succeed in the same area. Lisa would need to have concrete evidence of her success in order to increase her self-concept and self-efficacy in this area.

 I really like the idea of teaching perspective through story books. I would ask questions about characters’ thoughts, feelings, and motives when I read books out loud, or when students read books during silent reading time.

Barb

We so often (wrongly) believe that people with autism are somehow incapable of communicating with or understanding us that it can be difficult to attach wit and wisdom to the diagnosis.  Barb's presentation proved that not only do people with autism poses the capacity for both, but also the ability to reach each and everyone of us in a very meaningful way.

Many of my colleagues have spoken at length about Barb's inspiring life and story, and while I am also moved by her accomplishments, I am equally fascinated by the discussion of the implications autism has on the human race.  Last summer, I discovered a TED video by Juan Enriquez in which he proposes the theory that humans are currently undergoing an evolutionary change; one of the avenues for this change could be autism.  When viewed not as a disability, but as a new, hyper-active and hyper-sensitive response of the brain to the plethora of information and data available to us today, one begins to view autism in a brand new light.

Barb's "smiling shrink" discussed how advances in civilization were almost surely made by people with ADHD and/or autism.  It is easy to see the possibility of these "disabilities" as being responsible for moving society forward--without people who are willing to consciously think against the grain, norms go unchallenged and unchanged.  Enriquez goes one step further and suggests that humans will become the first species in history to not only undergo evolutionary change, but be in complete control of the method and outcome of that transition.  We have the technology to bend, break, manipulate, transmute, and clone nearly anything into nearly anything else; it is only a matter of time before a game-changer turns that technology on him or herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed Barb's presentation and the intellectual workout it gave me.  Her bringing up the idea of autism being simply a different type of neurology, not a disability, has inspired me to do more research into the possibilities of autism and how to best reach those students in my classroom.

 - B

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TED profile of Juan Enriquez:
http://www.ted.com/speakers/juan_enriquez.html

"Will Our Kids Be a Different Species?" TED Talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_will_our_kids_be_a_different_species.html

Chapter 2 QTC

Unit 3

Chapter 2

(2.1) One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean Piaget.  After reading about Piaget’s basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention at the stage of child development you would like to teach.  The other most cited theory of human development belongs to Russian developmentalist Lev Vygotsky.  Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development leads us to expect greater diversity among our same-aged students than Piaget.  Given these two influential theorists’ ideas on cognitive development, how might you accommodate students who are not yet working at the level of their peers?

I will be teaching first grade, and children will be bordering the preoperational and concrete operations states of development. It is likely that I will have students in my class at both stages, especially when considering that Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development leads us to expect some diversity among same age students. In my current placement, the first graders are learning basic fraction concepts. It is the end of the year, and many of the students are firmly in the concrete operations stage of development. However, some students appear to remain in the preoperational stage, and struggle with conservation of size. Some students easily grasp that fractions have to be composed of “equal parts,” but struggle with the idea that equal parts don’t have to be the same shape to have an equal area. For example, a problem with a cube divided into four equal parts (divided into two squares and two rectangles) stumped about half of the class. To accommodate various levels of development in this scenario, I would provide concrete shapes for kids to play with. For a cube, I would provide many tiny cubes that the students could lay over the larger cube. How many small cubes fit in the rectangles? How many fit in the small cubes? This will help all students learn to conserve area with different shapes. I would have students draw lines in to make equal parts in the shape, and then count the same-shaped parts within the whole. These experiences will move the students towards the next stage, but will allow them to complete the same coursework as their peers, working toward understanding fractions.

 

(2) Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development.  Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching.  Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.

I want to teach students aged K-2. I will certainly read age-appropriate books as a way of enhancing both vocabulary and reading skills. Today, I read “Cat in the Hat” with a kindergartner who claimed he “couldn’t read.” He was able to recognize many sight words, and figure out the other words by context. He asked many questions, including “Is ‘I’ the name of the boy in the story.” I was able to use the story to explain that “I” signifies point of view, asking the student, “What do you say when you want a cookie… Who do you think is telling this story?” The student was able to understand perspective and have a better understanding of the word “I.” I will continue to use books as a way of enhancing vocabulary in my classroom. I will also ask follow-up questions to make sure that students accurately understand important messages. If I had not asked this student to summarize the story so far, he might not have responded by asking a question about something that he did not understand. Many first graders and kindergarteners can read things out loud without understanding the meaning of what they are reading. Asking follow-up questions is necessary to ensuring that students understand both written and spoken materials.

Barb

I found Barb and Dr. Prislovsky's speech/discussion to be very eye-opening, and I experienced many mixed emotions while listening. I think it is wonderful that Barb has been able to find her voice, and to help give a voice to so many people who live with Autism, but I also became sad when thinking of the many people with Autism who were never able to get their voice out and heard because there was no one there to help bring it out of them. I hope that Barb's story, and her writing will show the world that people with Autism do have voices, and emotions, and passions, and also help people not to feel sorry for people with Autism, but to see the up side to Autism, and to see what Autism has to offer the world.  I found Barb's positive spirit to be extremely inspiring and uplifting. She embraces her Autism and is working to make the lives of all who live with Autism better through her words, insight, and fantastic sense of humor. 

Connecting the Dots: How Race in America's Classrooms Affects Achievement

While reading this article I had many issues with the assumptions that people seem to make based on an individuals race. In the article it says from the beginning, American constructions of race and class have determined who had access to education. It goes on to talk about how schools ability group. Some of these groupings are inaccurate by language barriers, culture barriers and testing anxiety. The biggest problem I have with this is that students that are grouped in a lower class are being measured lower and are not expected to achieve. Another concept that is misunderstood by our community is that intelligence is something that is inherited. I have huge issues with this because the country as a whole is not only labeling your parents, but also labeling you based off of your parents' performance. If this is how it really works where did all the brilliant scientists come from? If it is hereditary how come their parents didn't come up with the ideas first? My next issue comes from IQ testing. This was supposed to be used as a test for an individual in their environment and should only be used as such. Again, there are barriers in IQ testing including language, culture and testing anxiety. To fix the issue teachers should use some of the following intervention ideas: Communicate your expectations in many ways, offer a genuine smile, greet the students by name, call on all students, prompt further thinking, and make effort to include the students culture in activity.

Barb

I have been around a fair amount of children and adults with ASD, and I have seen all ranges on the spectrum. With that being said, I would have to say that Barb Rentenbach was exceptional; her writing shows her unique wisdom and surprises those individuals who doubt the mental capabilities of those with ASD.From the first sentence she communicated through typing to us, I amazed. She typed, "Autism is my prism, not my prison. Those words, that simple sentence resided with me throughout the entire presentation. She does not view her Autism as a hinderance; it will not cage her in and confine her to not exploring every aspect of the world. Listening to excerpts from her book was entartaining and enjoyable. I admired her sense of humor and silently cheered her on as she proved to doubters that she was not "stupid", but indeed a witty woman with great wisdom.

Barb

I went to the first field trip with Barb and was totally taken back by how enthusiastic and engaging she really was. She listened intently when people were reading her writings and was excited when someone took the passage seriously and punctuated it as she had planned. Wow what kind of humor she has. She had my laughing through the whole field trip and I thought she was very pleasant and sincere to hear speak. The thing that stood out to me was when she spoke about not feeling sure about making friends and how she was reluctant to trust anyone. What a fear to have to have and what a shame that society has put that on someone that's a little different than what they consider to be "normal". I have learned that no one is normal and we each have a quirk that is unpleasing or that is different than others. I feel she has really brought the forefront to Autism and I applaud her for that. I look forward to seeing her again and was hoping to attend the second one.

Barb

I unfortunately was unable to see Barb in person but after watching the video online I was very moved. As a verbal communicator, I spent much of Barb's presentation thinking about how differently my life would be if I could not talk to communicate my thoughts or feelings. Barb is absolutely incredible and her large vocabulary is mind-blowing. As a teacher, it is important to consider Barb's struggles that my future students may relate to. Perhaps, my future students may be capable of learning but show difficulty in providing evidence of their knowledge. I need to consider alternative assessments to allow these students to demonstrate their knowledge like Barb eventually discovered. I did further research on Barb after watching the presentation. Her comments about friendship were touching. I believe that relationships are important to being a human being and it made me sad to think of Barb living much of her life lacking such connections. Communication is necessary to maintain relationships so it is a blessing that Barb is now able to communicate through written expression. My preconceived notions about Autism were disarray. I have researched Autism in SPED 402 and presented my findings of stereotypical autistic behavior and symptoms of autistic individuals. However, Barb changed the beliefs I used to have about autism in general.

Barb

I went to the first of Barb's presentations and even though it has been nearly two months since I saw her, what was said there that night has stayed with me. When I look back there are several things that have stuck with me.

The first among them is Barb's sense of humor, which relies heavily upon sarcasm. I loved it! To me humor is one of most normalizing elements of our existence. When she laughed, or more often made us laugh, she did not have autism. We often think that people with autism, or any other neurological disorder are incapable of adjusting to what is "normal". This proved that wrong. For it is "normal" people who have the problem.

The second thing that was really interesting was the fluency that she exhibited in her writing. Before the audience was a woman who is learning to talk, and yet when you read her work there is a level of intellect and emotion that is absent from a lot of work by "normal" individuals. Even when she was answering questions during the Q&A portion of the presentation, with little time to edit and refine her language, she was still remarkably concise in her language.

The last thing that really shocked me was the sheer force of her will. Although she said that she enjoyed giving presentations, it was clear that she was definitely out of her comfort zone. And yet, there she was proving everyone in attendance that she could it. I think even she was admit that she would have rather been doing something else, but there was a point to be made, and minds that needed changing. She was very aware that many of us in attendance were going to be future teacher and I think she changed everyone's perception of the person with "autism". She sure changed mine.

Barb

Like many others, I have little experience with or knowledge about autism.  Going to this presentation, put on by Barb and her "Smiling Shrink," has helped me better understand and appreciate autism and the people that struggle with it and other disabilities..  Going into the presentation I did not really know what to expect.  Before I watched the videos I expected the presentation would include Barb getting up and talking about autism and advocating for people affected by autism.  I was picturing a Temple Grandin type character.  After watching the videos I knew that the presentation would be a little different since Barb could not speak on her own.  I thought maybe the whole presentation would be done by her typing out responses that a computer would read.

The presentation was much different than I expected.  Although Barb was able to type out her thoughts and communicate, it takes her quite a bit of time to do so.  She gets her thoughts across well and has a great sense of humor in her responses.  I was honestly surprised at how comfortable she seems around people.  I was also very surprised by the little language that she does use.  I expected her to not be able to produce any sound, when in reality she just has no control of her voice.  Reading and hearing her writing makes it clear that she is a very bright individual that has a lot to share with the world.  She has a very positive outlook, despite her disability, that is very inspiring.

After the presentation I did what I always do when I want to find out more about someone: I googled Barb Rentenbach.  I found her website and blog and read more about her.  Along with this, and the job posting that Elizabeth sent us, I learned that she is a very active lady that loves to be social.  She lives in her own house and has many of the same wants and needs as everybody else.  She seems very happy with where she is in life, and wants to share her life with others.  I really appreciate her being so open in sharing her story and building activism for people living with autism.  They are important in this world.  They have their ways of bettering others and the world around them.

As I go away from this experience I hope to always remember the things that I learned from Barb.  People living with disabilities are people too, and have many of the same wants, needs, and fears as the rest of the world.  Although they may appear to be incapable of doing anything, many of them are very intelligent and can change the world if they are given the chance.  As I start my career as a teacher I want to always remember that all of my students have something to add to the classroom.  They can all learn and can all make a difference in the world.  They may need a little help getting there, and will have to find their own positive way to do it, but they can make a difference.

Barb

         I am so thankful to have had the privilege of attending Barb's lecture this week. I am still thinking about her words several days later. First of all, I am amazed by Barb and all of her accomplishments. Her perseverance in working hard to express her brilliant mind is inspiring. Barb's attitude is inspiring as well. She typed in the beginning of the lecture "...autism is my prism, not my prison".
         There are a couple of things that I will take from Barb's words that will shape the teacher that I become. One important piece of advice to us was to enjoy our lunch. Do not be like a businessman juggling chainsaws frantically running around, but rather be like a native sitting in the grass enjoying nature. I have to admit that I have been much like the businessman these past couple of weeks. I have been running around like crazy trying to keep my head above water and finishing all of my final assignments. Barb's reminder to be more like Mary rather than busy Martha was so refreshing. I know that when I have my own class I will be tempted to be the chainsaw juggling businessman. However, I believe that it is so important to take a pause and delight in the world that surrounds us. Children need to see adults doing this. Children need to know that life is to be experienced and enjoyed, not rushed through. I hope to set this example when I am a teacher.
         Another word of wisdom I will take away is that the world need autism. I need autism. I need those around me who think, act, and experience the world differently that I do. It is really easy for me to think that students I will have with special needs will need me. The truth is I will need them just as much. Barb also encouraged us to help students find out who they are and to help them be that on purpose. We must meet students where they are to connect with them. If students are mute or do not speak, join them in their silence until they are comfortable enough to express themselves.

Barb

When I arrived at the presentation thinking that I knew what to expect. I had watched the videos ahead of time, and I had worked with students with autism before on many occasions. I brought my boyfriend with me, but I didn't really think to explain to him what autism was before we showed up. I really should have put more effort into explaining to my guest what the presentation was going to be about, and what to expect during the presentation. However, I am almost glad I didn't. The presentation was that more intense for him because he wasn't prepared for it. Barb didn't act "normally." She rocked back and forth, and sometimes squeaked out noises and cuss words. If I didn't know Barb, and just saw her in on the street or in a restaurant, I would not guess that she is capable of communicating so artfully, effectively, and with such a big vocabulary. I suppose this reveals my unconscious prejudices - I should never assume anyone isn't capable of something, especially as a teacher. It should be up to the individual to determine what he or she is are capable of, and to themselves as individuals.

Barb seemed to get really uncomfortable and make more vocalizations when students did a less than perfect job of reading her writing (a few students mispronounced words or names, and a few stumbled over the unique syntax). It must be hard to have written a work of art with a unique voice and have someone else butcher it (or not read it with the same emphasis, intensity, and tone with which you intended it to be read). I wonder how Barb would have wanted her work to be read - even as her voice comes through powerfully in her writing, she has to rely on others to "read" her work and interpret it. Barb must share this with other poets and writers whose work has been performed by other people.

I was really interested in the story about the student with Autism who was really good at DDR. The psychologist reached him by doing something that she was really uncomfortable with and not very good at (dancing DDR in the mall). Many of the things that we ask students with Autism to do are difficult for them, and we don't think about how the academic tasks that we expect students to do can be extremely difficult and uncomfortable. This story also reminded me of the many ways that people and students can be intelligent. We should not assume that students aren't "smart" because their brains aren't wired in the "average" way. I agree with Barb that respecting not only racial and cultural but also neural diversity is really important. It also reminded me how important it is to develop good relationships with students.

Barb

I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend Barb's lecture. So many of her words have stuck with, even now a day later--after only 2 hours of sleep :( Yet, I'm still reflecting on the experience. I keep thinking about the excerpts from her book--how she takes the time to appreciate the rainbow of colors from a droplet of condensation on a cup or how she can feel her hair follicles expanding as she feels the warmth of the sun. This message couldn't have come at a better time for me. I often juggle so many things at once and forget to take time to just..be. 

Barb's words about there being a flip-side to every neurological coin really made me think. So often we jump to medication. Barb urges us to consider the fact that we don't what we are missing if we medicate it away. This made me think about how I will approach this matter in my own classroom. For example, a child with ADHD who can't sit still and wants to move--I should let them move. I want my students to be themselves and be comfortable. If that means standing up while they are taking a test while everyone is sitting because they are more comfortable, that is fine with me. Barb's favorite quote, by Dolly Parton "Find out who are, and be that on purpose"captures the kind of environment I want to have in my classroom. I want to inspire my students to be comfortable in their own skin and enjoy life. 

To do this, Barb suggests that teachers should not be afraid to meet these individuals where they are--get on their level, find out where they are comfortable, be patient, and be open to other communication levels.

What really stuck with me however, is how strong her voice really is. It is clear that Barb is remarkably intelligent, strong-willed, passionate, and equipped with a tremendous sense of humor. In her lecture, she mentioned that without the technology that Stephen Hawking uses, he wouldn't have a voice either.  No one would know. He would have been "another tree falling in the woods for no one to hear." This makes me think about how many other individuals are out there who are disguised as poor thinkers. How many other strong voices are out there? I will always remember Barb's. 

Barb's Lecture

     I was incredibly moved and a little stunned by Barb's lecture. Perhaps it is because my experiences with those with "disabilities" are very limited or perhaps it is because my perception of disabilities is so different than that of Barb's, but I can say with certainty that I walked out of the lecture with a very different and new perspective of Autism.
     My personal experiences with Autism are quite limited - I have some close family friends with very mild Autism, which only limits their socialization and desire to speak in large groups of people. What Barb said about people's perceptions of those with severe Autism like herself is true - people look at her (and them) with pity, patronization, repulsion, and fear. Though I believe myself to be an accepting and open-minded individual, I can admit now that I went in to the lecture with lowered expectations for Barb. How happy I am to be proven so very wrong! Though Barb cannot speak and takes a long time to type her thoughts, she is undoubtedly brilliant. It pains me to know that she spent so much of her life guised as a poor thinker merely due to her difficulties communicating. Likewise, after hearing about her 19 years of schooling that were, as she put it, worth nothing, I felt a sense of duty to prevent my future students slipping through the cracks academically and socially. Autism is not an intellectual disability per se, and should not be treated as such. However, what I learned from her lecture that is somewhat counterintuitive from what I have learned this semester in that perceptions and expectations do not make the person, but rather confine the one who is perceiving and expecting. Even if I have students come to me labeled as "profoundly retarded" (though unlikely in my general education classroom), I must look past that label and try to connect with the student as an individual, not as his or her disability.
     Barb's open acceptance and pride of her Autism is particularly meaningful - no one should feel regret or shame for who they are. Barb is happy to be Autistic, saying "the world needs Autism". The world is made up of individuals, and to attempt to weed out the individualism would inherently destroy society. As her SS said, "cloning" eradicates what is so special about an individual and can likewise limit the greatness of society. Her flower analogy really put labeling into perspective for me - by dubbing each oddity or difference in an individual as a limitation or something to be fixed, it lowers that individuals self-esteem and desire to play their necessary role in the world.
     I hope I can apply what I learned from this experience to my teaching - by emphasizing everyone's differences and being proud of those differences, those individuals are far more likely to grow and succeed to their fullest potential. If Barb's cause had been foregone, she would not have been able to bring her strengths to light and therefore would not have been able to help those like her.
     "Autism is my prism, not my prison."

Barb

What an incredible experience it was to learn about Barb, her experience, and amazing, insightful, intelligent perspective.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity and look forward to gaining more insight from her book, I Might Be You.  There were so many things that I took away...
I have many friends with children diagnosed as being mildly autistic.  Sadly, I don't think I ever really considered their future lives as adults partly because I don't know any adults with autism.  Becoming aware and leaning from Barb, gave me a different perspective.  For the children I know and the ones who may be in my classroom, how will their experiences, the expectations or lack there of that society places on them shape them as they grow into adulthood?  How will I, as a teacher, influence that?  As Barb stated, "Autism is my prism, not my prison."  How can I help to shape that same mentality in my students by understanding their structural and functional difference, not focusing on their challenges?  I liked the analogy that there is "no standard flower, no standard culture, no standard brain."  As Barb suggests, "We are all flecks of God, all diverse and all important in this world."

I believe as teachers we need to become more introspective of our teaching, our purpose, and our influence just as Barb has become through her typing.  It's a process but something that is highly important in understanding our role and how that effects our students.  Through this introspection, we can become more aware of our actions, particularly with how we approach students with disabilities or "neuro-diversities."  As Lisa, Barb's smiling shrink suggested, "Meet students where they are, build on their strengths, be comfortable with other forms of communication," and I think, of most importance, "be patient."  I LOVED the quote, "Everything is within walking distance, if you have the time."... How true!  And praise those who took the time to walk the distance with Barb.

And that brings me to my final take away related to time.  I truly admire Barb and her ability to find peace, purpose, live a happy life and give back.  I can't help but reflect on this week and the mad rush with time and obligations (many of which are self-induced).  I realize I'm often one of those "chain saw juggling normal" and all I can think of is "Martha, Martha, Martha... ", how much do I miss out on in this rat race and how jealous am I of the contemplative ability/ gift of Barb/Mary.

Therefore, in closing, through Barb and this semesters experience, as I approach my internship year, I'll become more mindful, introspective, contemplative in my purpose as a future teacher.  I liked the quote from Dolly Parton that said, "Find out who you are and be that on purpose."  In doing so, it will only better me as a teacher and allow me to encourage that in my students, as well.

Barb Rentenbach

     If I could describe Barb Rentenbach's lecture in one word, I would choose inspiring. I just think she is an amazing person and has the best outlook on life. She made me want to be a better person and reminded me how important it is for us to enjoy our lives. I almost envy her outlook because she enjoys everything she does to the fullest. She eats long lunches, goes for swims, journals, and really reflects on what is going through her mind. I on the other hand, I obsess over minute details and always feel stressed. I feel like the world is going to end if I do not get everything done, and she opened my eyes to what it truly means to "pause and take a breath." I don't take enough time to "smell the roses," and this is something I would like to work on. Therefore, I plan on following her advice.
   
     1) Discover-- figure out who you are as a person and do it on purpose
     2) Persevere-- don't ever give up
     3) Remember-- everyone is the same; we are all human beings
     4) Understand-- take time to reflect on your situations and give others time to gather their thoughts
     5) Open-- have an open mind about all people as well as all situations
     6) Empower-- give people the chance to succeed and celebrate people's differences

     Finally, I loved the part where Barb and her "SS" (smiling shrink) talk about how people with disabilities are capable of great things. For example, Bill Gates, creator of Apple, and Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, are Autistic. In addition, they are two of the most successful people in American, which goes to show you that people with Autism are capable of accomplishing great things. The one thing that really opened my eyes was when she talked about taking their creativity (disorder) away. What would happen if we tried to fix people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg? Would they have been able to come up with their creations? This is just something to think about, and I believe it is so important for people to embrace Autism. Therefore, I want to end this blog with two quote from Barb Rentenbach. She wrote this saying on the computer screen at the beginning of the lesson, and this is something I will never forget.

     "Dear UTK Autism is my prism not my prison!"

     "Autism needs the world, and the world needs Autism!" 

   
   

Barb

Before attending the Barb Rentenbach presentation, I held a somewhat narrow idea about autism, and although I have a close friend whose child has autism, I had never had the opportunity to note the differences in severity from personal experience. Barb is inspiring in that she has been able to rise above the views of others regarding her abilities and has proven that she is more than her autism. Having the type of disability such as Barb's that interferes with a person's ability to communicate must be more frustrating than most of us can possibly imagine, but Barb has put an enormous amount of time and effort into building alternative means of communicating with others. 

As someone who has studied literature for years in college, her writing is comparable with all of the writers that I have been exposed to, and I am excited about the prospect of having time to read her book as soon as classes are over for the semester. From the excerpts that we heard in the presentation, Barb has a type of descriptive language that is unlike anything that I have read in the past due to her ability to view the world differently through her "prism" of autism. This connects to one of my favorite parts of the lecture in which Lois discusses the idea of neurodiversity and how our differences in the way that we perceive the world should be seen as an advantage, not a weakness. When we think about disabilities, we often consider the negative aspects, or the things that a person is unable to do, rather than considering how a disability can create a strength for an individual. Lois and Barb are both able to look beyond that and have instead chosen to view Barb's autism as a powerful force within her that enhances her gift of writing and her creative energy. 

The most important thing that I am taking from yesterday's presentation is the mindset that despite our differences, we all bring our own unique abilities to the world, and like Barb, all of us have something to contribute. I think as future teachers, this is a perspective that should be ingrained in all of us, as we will encounter diversity in our students every day that we are in the classroom. We should learn not acceptance, but gain the ability to welcome these differences in our students and to consider how each of them can enrich the learning experience for everyone. 

Barb

Before attending today's field trip, I watched the videos to get an idea of what to expect. The videos however, did not do Barb justice. Being there in person today to experience it all was really eye opening. It took her nearly five minutes to type the statement, "Autism is my prism, not my prison." Combined, the effort it took to write the sentence and the message itself were a powerful way to begin the presentation. Barb's SS talked through the entire presentation, but that did not take away from the message. Autism is such a misunderstood neurological disorder, but today's presentation gave the audience such perspective. Barb is an inspiration because like the quote she said in the beginning, she doesn't see Autism as necessarily a bad thing. To her, all of the people in the world are over-stimulated. There is a weird fascination with being too busy to do one thing at a time; multitasking is the only option. Barb said that Autism is evolutions response to our current world. With Autism, Barb is able to pay attention to the dew on a blade of grass or the prisms of light in a drop of condensation. Instead of converse fervently with everyone around her, Barb takes in what she sees and hears and puts it into text. It took Barb ten years to complete her book, but it was a goal that she set and one that she met. It was so mind-blowing to me that someone so socially inept could say such intriguing, insightful, and true things on paper. She in her own way is a genius, despite her ability to act like everyone around her. She enjoys company and she has friends like most people, but her life is in a way more rich because she is able to take the time to listen and reflect, when most of us have a million things going on a once. I think what I took away from today was it is so wrong to just write off someone with Autism. Yes, from the outside those with the disorder don't look or act the same, but they have feelings and they're brilliant people. They feel like we do. They desire every basic need that we do and I don't want to forget that.

Barb

I would like to start off my response by saying I have found a new idol. Barb Rentenbach is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. Prior to the presentation, I watched both videos. I also visited Barb's website for Mule and Muse Productions. I read some of her material, but not all of it. I came into the presentation not knowing exactly what to expect. I wasn't sure if it would be purely Barb or Barb with a panel of others with verbal difficulty. During the videos I watched the night before, I could tell that Barb was a very smart woman that had many thoughts and feelings. I also noted in the videos how much the commentators with verbal difficulty had to say. They were all very funny. When the presentation began and Barb began typing, I was expecting her to type "Autism is my prison." When she changed her sentence on me, I was surprised. She seemed, not to embrace, but at least learn to live comfortably with her disability. I wondered if she had always been at peace with her disability, or if took many years, if not decades to come to the place she is now in life. I have worked with many students with disabilities; many that I know comprehend the receptive language, but cannot respond or express much. So this was not a new phenomenon to me.  I personally feel that many people diagnosed with a disability are automatically treated differently because they cannot verbalize themselves. However, I have a feeling there are a lot more people that have feelings and thoughts like Barb, but are still trapped (or as Barb says their voices are still in the "shop.") During the presentation, I kept racking my brain for a question. I have this brilliant woman sitting in front of us, and I felt intimidated a little; not because of her disability by any means, but because she was smarter than almost the entire audience. This may be jumping to conclusions, but she has had her whole life to do what she says she does best "think." She has had her lifetime to contemplate, while us "normals" are always on the go. We are always doing or acting or speaking. We never shut up and watch, listen, relax. I think that was one of her most important lessons to me. How different would I be if for at least fifteen minutes a day, I just contemplated? Not necessarily about academics or work, about life. Her words were very carefully chosen, but they always had strong meaning. After the presentation, I had the pleasure of meeting Barb. There was no denying she could understand everything around her, even if she wanted to have lunch instead. 

Field Trip

A quote by Dolly Parton was said during the presentation; “Find out who you are and be that on purpose.” I think this is what Barb has done with her life. The presentation was a very power representation of the benefits of inclusion. In the last ten years Barb has made leaps in communication skill with the help of technology, she has made many friends and written a book. The question I asked myself way did it take till she was 30 for her to make these strides. Barb was considered mentally retarded till she was 19. It wasn’t until she started working with her “Smiling Shrink” did she began to break these communication barriers.

A portion of the book was read by her SS that described how people should approach people with autism. Give them opportunities to discover, always persevere, remember we are all the same, keep an open mind, empower them, and give chill time. Barb says people with autism have an amazing ability to focus on one life concept at a time and teachers should allow this to happen. As a general educator I want every student to be successful this is a great way to implement a successful inclusive classroom. I love the ways Barb never says we anything silly like “we aren’t that different” but instated emphasizes that are differences are a beautiful thing. Diversity allows for different perspectives and as teacher we need to find what works for our students, maybe, by using some of Barb’s advice so that people do have to wait till they are 30 to be heard.