Tuesday, April 18, 2006

The brain and the stars and autism and that...

I am very lucky that a task that was required of someone two times was only asked of me once. Every teacher in the school where I work was required to decorate/create interesting hallway billboards..elementary style and to do two of them. I know that every teacher in the school knows what a hard time I'm having this year. They don't care that I'm the only one not doing two billboards but only one.

The brain and 'ability awareness' came to mind when thinking about how to approach this project. Since the majority of students in my room are 'on the spectrum,' otherwise known as having some degree more or less of autism. Neuroscience became my topic. It doesn't matter that the board is in the kindergarten area. The fourth and third graders pass by it. I'm hoping it will stimulate someone into studying the brain of a child with cerebral palsy or autism. Dividing the brain up into jobs, as it were. The occipital lobe governs vision, for instance. We have a child in the school who is blind. He is learning to use the cane stick for walking. Kids must wonder what it must be like to be blind and they have no concept of what autism might mean as well as cognitive 'impairment.'

Tonight I went out to buy teacher border decorations. I found some cool, colorful stars with green clovers--no, there were just stars of all hues with glitter inside. I think after this one they may never ask me to do one again! This one will be an eye-popper. There will even be a huge eye on it. Some of the information I got from www.sciencebob.com.

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