Maddy looking forward to what is to come at her internship

Orientation has come to an end and I just got home from the final day of our first week of internships. I could not have asked for more out of our orientation and each day I woke up excited to explore another area of Cape Town. Now that we are getting into a routine of classes and internships, I can confidently say I’m looking forward to what is to come in the next couple months at Eros School for the Cerebral Palsy.

Each day I spent there this week exposed me to something different. I am working in the Speech Therapy department and was given two students that I will be working with. Both students have severe forms of cerebral palsy and are unable to walk, hold themselves up, talk, or perform any other type of motor capacity. During my first week, I spent time with them in their classrooms and additionally learned how to feed them through a stomach tube. I realized while spending time in the classroom that if I or another intern were not in the classroom with them, they would mostly be sitting in their chair, not able to interact and participate in the class activities because of their disabilities. However, with someone there with them they are at least able to get attention and even though they can only smile, or tighten their grip on your fingers in return, I still know they are happier than they would be if they had to sit in a class all day with essentially no attention. While they touched my heart right away, at first I was unsure if I would be exposed to any speech therapy because it is clear they won’t be able to talk in my time here. However, as time went on I learned that the speech therapy hasn’t started yet because it’s the beginning of the term so in addition to working with my two students in their classrooms, I will also be able to sit in and help with the therapy sessions. In the weeks to come I am excited to continue to create a relationship with my two students, as well as the others in the class that are immediately drawn to a new face and a new person to play with in the classroom.

Touring the townships and learning about hardships that many families face here during our orientation helped me understand where many of the students at Eros come from and some of the struggles they face every day that we often take for granted. Things such as basic sanitation, parental support, and adequate nutrition are things that most students do not have. I noticed, even in the speech department, that they plan their lessons to include teaching the students about hygiene, resources, and even respect. I expected students to get lessons on these topics yet I didn’t expect every department to put an emphasis on it in their lesson plans. For these students, though, it’s necessary for them to be exposed to these lessons in every part of their day during school because once they go home they are not implemented. I look forward to the weeks to come in my internship and not only anticipate learning things from my supervisor but also from the students and the school as a whole.