Bonus Meeting with Sue King.

Last night Sue King took the time out to take a group of 20 members on a tour of Belvoir Special School in Wodonga.  What a spectacularly interesting evening!  The spotlight was on the use of Visual Resources in a Special Development setting but many questions were asked and answered on many points during the tour.

For many members it was their first encounter with a special development setting in schools and a real eye opener.  Classroom setups, the use of visual resources and support structures within the school were often quite different from a mainstream school and prompted questions and discussion about how the special development setting operated in contrast to mainstream.

Even the grounds proved to be an eye opener.  The equipment to deal with sensory issues such as vibrating chairs and a spa were also a real surprise to many with the amount of playground equipment being very high compared to a mainstream school.  There are "upsized" equipment such as extra large bucket-seat swings and other equipment for the older students requiring them to give them the same sort of sensory input that the equipment normally provides in a safe manner.  The extent to which the school is able to cater to the special needs of it's students is astounding compared to Mainstream schools.

The inclusion of a trampoline in one of the play areas also drew some inquisitive remarks, being unusual in mainstream schools due to safety issues.  It truly brought home the high amount of supervision available in a Special Development School due to the quite small class sizes and high number of Teacher's Aides.  It allows so many experiences just not on offer to mainstream students outside of specialist classes such as Phys Ed where supervision on trampolines can be guaranteed.

Last night I recieved an email from one of the participants which I'd like to share:

Just wanted to say thanks for organising today's session with Sue. I found it extremely interesting and enjoyable. I have very limited experience working with students with disabilities, and have never worked in a school like Belvoir, but would really like to give it a try. I felt inspired by Sue's obvious passion for what she does, and the obvious dedication of the staff as a whole.

Anna.

One of the biggest surprises on offer was the totally different approach to CRTs.  So often in schools we find ourselves saying we had a good day even when it was a struggle.  We do this out of fear that saying anything else will lead to the school believing we are not up to the task and simply not offering us much work in the future.  Special Development education thrives on good CRTs much more than Mainstream and these schools understand that.

They are much more attune to the fact that a CRT in a room can be a little disastrous in itself.  While many Mainstream students see the opportunity to play up with no recriminations, many students in Special Development simply do not cope well with change.  This makes the job of a CRT a tough one and that is recognised and allowed for by school heirarchy.  They have a much more vested interest in helping to build you into a skilled and knowledgable CRT.

Of course I've worked in Special Development as a CRT for over 5 years now.  I've seen CRTs come and CRTs go because, in the interests of being truthful, it's not a job for everyone.  Some are a little timid for this type of work and have issues with behaviour.  Others are unable to develop a modicum of professional detachment and it can be heartbreaking to truly understand the situation some of these students are in.

If you have what it takes though?  It is one of the most innovative, supportive, enjoyable and rewarding settings a CRT can work in!

We would like to thank Sue King for taking the time out to give us such a wonderful tour of Belvoir Special School and see so many school resources in their native environment!  As always your efforts on our behalf, and the support you show for CRTs, is greatly appreciated.

If any of you would like to thank Sue personally we suggest joining the Victorian CRT Network Members group on Facebook and leaving a comment below Sue's message!  Alternatively comment here and we'll let her know to keep an eye on the post ;).

Regards,

Mel.