Two Memorable Experiences

This final exercise blog has to do with two experiences I had from high school. One is being an eagle that helped to teach students about gun safety, and the other is a disabled experience from my Teacher Cadet class. I know you may seem confused, but don’t worry, I will explain. These two experiences definitely took me out of the ordinary.
The first instance has to do with being E. Eagle ( I am using only the initial of his first name in case I’m not supposed to reveal his proper name). My high school’s resource officer asked me if I would mind helping him go to elementary schools and help teach young kids about gun safety; I said no problem. After telling me who E. Eagle was, he said I would wear his costume, which I thought would be fun. Besides, this was a good reason to get out of class. The SRO recruited other students to travel with us each time because I needed help putting on and taking off the eagle costume. Our SRO, who we called “Coop” as a nickname, even took us out to eat before visiting each school.

So, this is how it went. All of us would arrive to the school early to keep my identity a secret. I was shown my dressing room and my assistants helped me get dressed. Coop reminded us of everything we were to do. Students gathered in a room for the assembly on gun safety. Coop would lecture them for so long on the importance of this issue and told them about E. Eagle. I was then guided out on stage by my helpers to know where I was going. It was fun seeing all of the kids and teachers faces, knowing they were looking at me. Coop would introduce me each time, and then lecture some more; while doing so, however, I messed around on stage to provide a little distraction from the students. In all seriousness, though, our message was clear cut to these children; we wanted them to know what to do in case they ever came in contact with a gun.
Here was the message: Stop, Don’t Touch, Leave the Area, and Tell an Adult! I used body language to act this out too.
Afterwards, I left the stage and the assembly would soon conclude. I think Coop gave away some items for the students. This was a fun, yet, educational experience to be a part of.
The other high school experience has to do with being disabled as part of a trust exercise in my Teacher Cadet class. Teacher Cadets are rising seniors who are given the chance to learn what it is like to be a teacher, and possibly consider teaching as a career choice. I was reminded of this exercise in a journal from an English class my senior year. Let me share this event with you as I wrote it about five years ago; the title is “The Disabled Experience”.
Today, the Teacher Cadets had the opportunity to experience various handicaps (disabilities). Before we did this, Mrs. Robbins (our teacher), had us categorize people with certain special educational needs. While doing so, everyone was disabled, which was uncomfortable. The next thing we took part in involved being blindfolded and led by a partner through the school. I can’t begin to say how awkward this feeling made me. I was directed by a partner who was blind in one eye, while being disabled myself. I was blessed to only have an arm injury, causing me to use my right arm for various functions such as writing and touch. Some of my classmates were blind, deaf, and even mute. Walking through the hallway, during this trust walk, seemed longer than normal. Going up and down the stairs wasn’t the same; it made me rely on my sense of touch even more, walking on carpet then stone, and vice versa. After participating in this activity, it allowed me to think about how people deal with disabilities on a daily basis. Many times we complain about the smallest things, but the most important thing to do is thank God for good health in our lives. I believe if everyone had the chance to be disabled just for a moment, they could understand how it feels to not possess all of their senses. Therefore, the disabled shouldn’t be mocked or ridiculed by others.
Both of these experiences provided a unique way of educating myself. One was fun, and the other not so fun. They let me know how someone can have an impact on your life, one way or the other. I am proud to have been a part of these two events back in high school; this is the stuff students do not learn in a textbook.