2 day week!

This week was a little funny from the 3 day weekend. That's okay though because we still learned lots! Wednesday we talked about visual impairments some more. Then on Friday we learned about emotional disturbances.

When we talked a little more about visual impairments the groups decided to do an activity. They put blindfolds on us and we had to be led around the top floor. It took a lot of trust. I went first and put the blindfold on. Walking through the hall was scary because I couldn't feel the wall, but I also couldn't tell where I was going. Getting a drink from the water fountain was especially difficult. I couldn't find where the water was. Then I led someone else around and for me it was less scary because I could see, but for them it was hard because they had to depend on me completely for their sight.
It would be difficult to become blind. The world is such a seeing world, but without it people can still function and that amazes me.

Friday we talked about emotional disturbances. There are different kinds under that label such as depression, OCD, Phobias, and more. We focused on those three kinds. Depression is a scary thing because it isn't just sad. It is more than that because it is hopelessness and low self esteem and it can be life threatening. There are medications and treatments for depression that should help. People should try to be aware that most people don't have great lives and everyone struggles with something.
OCD was interesting to learn about. I know that OCD can be a little things, but extreme OCD is more than just wanting things to be right. We watched a video of a man expressing what he felt. It was frustrating for him because he was arguing with himself because some of him knew what he wanted to do was irrational. In the classroom it can be helpful to let them help with organization and give them small jobs around the classroom to help them feel comfortable. They may need more time for tests and other activities.
Lastly we talked about Phobias. There are different levels of phobias, but fear is not the same thing as phobia. A phobia makes someone compelled to avoid the thing at all costs. It can be a fear of a situation, place, thing, or activity. The best thing for this is the avoid the phobia in the classroom, but if it adversely affects their education then therapy may be the best thing for them.

This week was very informative and I really liked the part about emotional disturbances the best! I think the mind is an interesting thing. It is important to remember that everyone is a child of God and he loves them no matter what.