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The following 1 pages belong to KristinVescio:
PsychClub
Bornhava
Hi! My name is Kristin and I am a psych/soc major here at Canisius. I am a first semester senior and I will graduate in December. This semester I worked with Dr. Bayer to find a practicum site that would suit me best, Dr. Bayer set me up with Bornhava.
My interests strongly lie in the hands of children. I hope to one day become a school social worker, and work with children of all backgounds, including children with developmental or mental disabilities or illnesses. For the past year and a half I have worked with Compeer of Greater Buffalo. They set me up with two wonderful children who I spend time with every week. Ryan has many illnesses including ADHD, tourettes, and ODD. Debra is not diagnosed with anything, but had a very hard upbringing and felt a mentor would help to guide her through her teen years.
Most recently, Dr. Bayer introduced me to Bornhava. Upon my first visit, I was overwhelemed. Although I had much experience in the mental illness field, I had not had any in the developmental field. Bornhava was a whole new world. During the first few hours I put in, I got aquainted with the building, the teachers, and the children themselves. I later on learned about the disabilities each child had, but also what each child had to offer.
Bornhava is a place of growth. I work in Tara's classroom, with children of the age of four. These children are wonderful. One child has down's syndrome and the other 11 have various learning disabilities. Some of the children use very little verbal language, some use sign, others have no communication skills. It was very hard at first to understand the children, or to get used to the sign language.
Yesterday, I brought my boyfriend with me so that the kids would have a male 'friend' to play with. I also brought him so that he could observe the classroom. It was then that I realized just how much these children had grown over the two month span that I had been there. Those children have learned a lot just in the short time I have known them. It is wonderful to step into a classroom and know that everyday these children will have learned something different and new. I help with circle time, gym, music, play time, and most importantly I help these children learn.
Not only is Bornhava a place of growth, but also a place of friendship. Everyone is a "friend". When the children are speaking to each other, or a teacher, they refer to them as friends. Bornhava is a home, where everyone is welcome. It is a wonderful place to have done my practicum and I am looking forward to working with them for the six week summer program. I would recommend anyone to put in hours at Bornhava.
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