DAY 4

The students at Escuela Especial continue to amaze me. I started off in the deaf classroom this morning. They were all signing back and forth to each other, while I was trying to make out what they were saying. They were so welcoming of me. I introduced myself by spelling out my name in sign language and then they came up with a sign for me. They were trying to talk to me by signing and I think I got the jist of some of the things they were saying, but on others they just shook their head at me and gave up. I also showed them where I live on the map. I watched them review for their test which was pretty cool to watch and see how many signs they know. The teacher, Allen, is deaf and knows English. He was really nice and helpful. You can write down something on the board in English and he will sign it back to the students. He showed me the sign for "test" which was putting your fingers up to your throat like a knife which I thought was funny. The kids were just like everyday kids, joking around with each other. It was so interesting to just sit in the silent room and watch them sign.
    While the deaf classroom took their test, I hung out with Estreynar, a little boy with down syndrome. He was looking at an I Spy book when I first saw him. It was so cute to see him sitting by himself on the floor so interested in the book without a teacher telling him to. I have never personally talked to or met him before, and when I went to sit down next to him he wrapped his arms around me with full force. He is so adorable. We played I Spy in the book for a while, which he was pretty good at. He kept his arm around my shoulder while we played and he got so excited every time he found something. He was so fascinated with my camera and cracked up when he looked at the pictures of us. We went in the courtyard and kicked the soccer ball back and forth. He would have never stopped if it wasn't for the lunch bell. It was so awesome to give him my full attention and gets laughs, hugs, and smiles out of him.
   After lunch Ava and I worked with Diana. We helped her subtract simple numbers and then taught her a few English words. Diana is amazing, she has a permanent smile and she looks at you so intently. She was so interested in what we were teaching her and so happy to learn, it was a great feeling. These kids are so inspiring. Most of them come from homes where they have so little love and attention, but they come to Escuela Especial and open up to us and embrace our help.