Sweet Memories

My internship is officially over yet the imprint of the staff and students are engraved in my heart. The challenges were great but the rewards were greater. Over the past few weeks I have seen several students in the community away from the pressure that comes from being in school and our interaction has been extremely pleasant. I wonder if the challenge of having to succeed in a classroom setting when you have a disability adds to their stress. My UCAN experience has taught me that life has no friends and is not fair. However, in every situation I can choose the proper response to dictate my future. My students are well versed on their rights, DCFS system, foster care, and the CPS system. Many even know how to manipulate the system. As Dr. King Jr. Spoke of in "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" we are all tied together. Injustice or suffering anywhere is injustice everywhere. Therefore, I am forever tied to UCAN and their cause to heal those who have suffered trauma.

Weathering the Storm

My stay at UCAN can be difficult at times especially when students are escalated. Recently I had to physically restrain a student who was attacking a staff member. The incident was exhausting, problematic, and heart wrenching. I believe I forget that the children at the school have a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder when I see them performing at their base level. The illness is so spontaneous in its appearance that you have to just weather the storm. UCAN is a healing center because love is the only vehicle that will allow you to process with a student who has been escalated and move forward as if nothing ever happened. My heart has become attached to some of these young people because I recognize their will to overcome the limitations.