Then after school I got to go on a night snorkel! That was really cool. I love snorkeling and have never done it at night. We met at five to drive out to Hol Chan. As the sun was setting, the dive master was informing us (mainly the divers) of what to expect and what we might see. Once it got dark enough, we headed out. The current was pretty strong, but that was ok. We saw all kinds of fish. I felt like they were more colorful at night then they were during the day. I also saw a nurse shark sleeping, a big hermet crab, a lobster, a shark and a really long green eel. He was around us a lot of the time and at one point he had his mouth open because he was feeding off of the plankton. They just swam around and we could feel them as we were swimming. It was all very cool.
Tuesday was an even better day. I got to go inland to a school for students with disabilities in Belize. Orginally we were told there was no special education here, so I was very surprised by the school. I guess they meant more by not on the island. This school was very into showing the ability in disability and educating all students and all the students were learning. There was a range of disabilities from "slow learners" as they called them to severe cerebral palsy, deaf, and blindness. They also had a seperate class for autism. I loved it and wished I could have been able to work there a little bit more. We got to spend break with some of the kids and they loved us. We just played and talked with all the kids and took pictures. They loved our cameras and kept asking if they could take the pictures. Even the teachers were excited we were there. They were really hoping that we were there to help them teach. I was so happy to be there. They do recognize the disabilities and do really cool things with them. They adapt some of the standards that we use in the United States. The students learn how to do vocational skills that would be usefull in Belize like making jewlry, cooking, and sewing. They also learn life skills for those who have severe disabilities that would not be able to be successful educationaly. The students have a garden they grow fruits and vegetables in then make stuff out of it. They raise chickens and learn how to use chickens. They also have a pond to raise fish and learn how to use fish to eat as well. It was definatly one of my favorite days in Belize so far. The kids were just so excited and we were so excited to see them and hang out even if it was only for a little while. I could talk about this school and the students all day, but I just summed it up in a nutshell.
The school has a marching band run by the lady who does physical therapy with the kids. There is a whole classroom set up just for physical therapy for the students. Also, they have a resource room full of books and a few computers. The teacher who runs this classroom keeps it very neat. He was so nice and was a student who went through the school's program when he was younger!
After we left the school, we went over to the Inspiration Center. It had only opened two weeks ago for clients. it is a clinic where kids with disabilites throughout Belize can come for services they need. It is the only place in the country where the students can get these services. There is a small clinic, occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy (which will be started next week). They also plan on having a day care and after school program started up eventually. They would also like to have a multipsensory room for students who may need it like kids with ADHD or Autism. They are taking it one program at a time because it costs a lot of money and they need to raise more money or get it through grants in order to get it all started. Families at most have to pay 10 Belize dollars which is the equivalent of 5 US dollars per visit for therapy sessions, however, this is on a sliding scale. The families who cannot pay this much, do not have to pay as much. The building was so nice and the services are great. The only way that students with disabilities can continue to grow and show their abilities is to be pushed through therapies. It is a great resource for the families to have. Not only do they have these services for the kids, but they also have a social worker who is there to help the families.
Before I went to school today (Wednesday) I got to go visit two pre-schools. The kids were so cute. I hung out in a three year old room at the first pre-school for a while. I had a little partner that would do everything I did and followed me around the whole time I was in there. There was also a little girl who would just sing very loudly. She sang the theme song to Calliou and to Frozen. Frozen is a very popular movie, even in Belize and all the kids just want to build snowmen, but it is way to hot for that here.
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