Hello all! Let me start this week off with a confession. This is my first time blogging! I am a religious follower of tons of blogs and the writers are always so amazing that I feel like I am sitting down having tea with them, not sitting behind a computer screen on the other side of the country. I have been sitting in front of my computer while the television babysits my three year old for the last hour ( I know, mother of the year award material, for sure) trying to figure out how to make this next week interesting for everyone. I have had all kinds of wild delusions this past weekend while anticipating my blog writing. I have imagined adding “Samantha Hicks – Blogger Extraordinaire” to my resume and having the following conversation with a new friend at the play ground: New friend: “So what do you do for a living?” Me: “Oh nothing much. I blog. I’m a blogger.” Needless to say, these things are not really going to happen. So, I hope you all can bear with me throughout this week. I will try to make it as interesting as possible. My goal is for everyone to feel as though they are walking alongside me through my experience in volunteering over the next week. Let’s get started, shall we?

It’s Monday morning and I wake up extra early to make sure I arrive on time at SRVS (pronounced serves). I was especially nervous this morning because I was going to be working with a population I have had no experience with. After an amazing morning I now know I had absolutely no reason to be nervous. Let me tell you more about it. I walked into the lobby and was immediately struck by how beautiful the facilities were. The entire building was impeccably clean and was furnished with comfy, modern furniture and accessories. What a wonderful place for both the staff and the individuals receiving services to be able to spend their days. I also received a tour of the learning center facilities, where I was going to be spending my day. The area consisted of two main hallways that were broken up into several small classrooms. The participants spend their mornings working at their own pace on Montessori style activities. I know a little bit about the Montessori style teaching approach with children but had never heard of it being incorporated with adults with developmental disabilities. I found out from the curriculum director that SRVS is the first agency to offer this service to this particular population. What a wonderful idea! Montessori is all about working with each individual at their own level. Although the classrooms are generally grouped by ability level, each individual is unique, and has specific areas they enjoy working with. Being in the Montessori classroom enables them to work at their own pace on whatever activity they enjoy.

The activities vary from math and science projects to activities that promote daily living skills such as pouring and scooping. Okay, enough of my Montessori spill! I can’t help it. I think it is an amazing approach to learning, and I’m so excited that the people who are served by SRVS are able to benefit from it!

I spent most of my time here working one on one with individuals in the classroom setting. Everyone was so interactive and seemed genuinely thrilled to welcome a new face into their classroom. The teachers appeared to have a wonderful relationship with each and every one of their students. They were all very kind and patient. It would be a lie to say that this is an easy population to work with. It comes with many challenges and the staff at SRVS all seemed to truly love being there and love all of the people that they work with.

In addition to the main classrooms the facility also offers several special activities, such as an amazing music room! The large room was filled with bongo drums, keyboards, and lots of other instruments. From talking with the individuals at SRVS it was clear that they all loved and looked forward to having music time. They also have an apartment model where participants can practice life skills such as ironing, making a bed, and sweeping. This particular day, the class I was working with was going to have a special treat in the afternoon. They were going on an outing to a movie theater. Most of the individuals look forward to going out to do things such as going to the movies and going bowling. However, there was one individual who did not want to go to the movies. The staff made special arrangements so that he could stay at the facility and practice music with another class. This is a wonderful example of how they accommodate to the needs and desires of everyone they serve. They recognize that they are working with adults who have their own individual personalities and treat them as such. I can imagine that it is sometimes hard to remember you are working with adults when working with the developmental disabled population. This does not happen at SRVS. The individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Overall, I had a wonderful time today! I look forward to returning to help out in the near future!

Thank you for reading! I’m searching for a job opportunity where I can apply my social work skills and improve our community. If you know of a great fit, please send it our way: jobleads@volunteerodyssey.com

Want to know more about Samantha? Check out her bio:

https://volunteerodyssey.com/participants/#samantha-hicks