Larissa's best day yet

Today was by far the best day I’ve had at my internship this far; I loved every minute of it.  First of all my kids were adorable as always, calling me over to them so they could kiss my cheek when I first got to class, and later making me smile with their Justin Bieber karaoke breakouts.  Secondly my teacher Mrs. Wicomb took the time to talk to me and explain more about the school, the community, and working as a teacher in general.  Not only did we speak about my possible future as a teacher, but also I shared about my interest in psychology and Mrs. Wicomb.  She was kind enough to set up a meeting between the school psychologist and myself so that I could test the waters in both career paths. 

It was really interesting to hear more about my students’ home lives, because it’s something I’ve always been curious about, but I never want to ask questions that may seem too personal.  Unfortunately a lot of my questions were answered with the responses I feared hearing.   It is not uncommon for women in South Africa to drink excessively throughout their pregnancies with the intentions of having their child born with severe disabilities.  Basically the more handicapped their child is, the more money the government gives to the family.  Some of the kids in my class were born into that scenario, and once their mothers got their government support they abandoned their children to live with family members.  Only three kids in my class live with a parent, the others are all with more distant family members. 

On a more positive note, I had my first meeting with the school psychologist, and he even let me stay for an assessment on one of the pre-grade-R children.  In the United States we use the Wechsler scale to assess a child’s intellect, but I learned that the system used here is the Junior South African Individual Scale (JSAIS).  It works very similarly to the Wechsler scale, using subtests in specific areas such as Vocabulary, Ready Knowledge, Memory, and Picture Riddles to figure out a child’s IQ and mental age.  The psychologist allowed me to shadow the assessment and take notes, and then afterwards he explained the scoring system so I understood where this child stood.  The child being tested, is six years old and sadly has the mental abilities of a three year old.  Many children like this are recommended to Eros from a hospital when they are babies, but are then re-assessed after two years at the school to see if it is going to continue to be a good fit for them.  If a child is that far behind intellectually they are usually recommended to a different special school; one that focuses on more high needs children and one that provides a curriculum specifically set up for special needs children unlike ours which is a mainstream curriculum. 

I loved getting to see some of the behind the scenes work of being a school psychologist, and I’m still really enjoying being in the classroom on a daily basis.  It’s not making my career decision any easier knowing how great both jobs are for me!  At the end of the day it all comes down to the fact that I love working with children, and I love knowing more about how their minds work!  I have one of the most interesting and fulfilling internships; I’m really feeling lucky to have been placed at Eros School!