Two weeks down; Three to go.
Tuesday was day 6 out of 24. End of 1st Quarter.
ESY is an experience. You take the neediest of the neediest kids and families, pull them from different neighborhood schools and put them all together. I'm sure it's the equivalent of a roller coaster ride for the administrators. There's always a crisis going on somewhere.
For me, it's a very different experience than what I do during the year. I'm using two different types of lifts to assist students in wheelchairs with toileting, feeding one kid through a g-tube, feeding another kid with a specific regimen because he can't feed himself reliably, and I'm escorting one student to the bathroom to guide him through the process daily. Student goals range from learning their names to recognizing which coin is which.
And I'm only on day 9.
I keep busy. I'm tired by the end of the day and it's a relatively short one. It's an eye-opening experience that teaches me to be grateful on many different levels. I don't feel called to work with this population year round, but I do feel called to never forget they exist. Each of these students' needs was a shock to their families. Parents have sacrificed to take care of their children. From dreams and careers to the daily dishes and lack of time to do anything. The divorce rate is high.
It would be nice if there was an 'ESY break,' but there's not. That's okay, though. Carrie's already made some fun plans for when it's all done!
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