Back to my happy place

If the title doesn't sum it up, the look on my face in this photo will. I was lucky to join the Service and Awareness Club in our Middle School on their filed trip this week. They went to a NASOM (National Autism Society of Malaysia) school, which is a center for children with autism in Kuala Lumpur. This picture was taken about five minutes after we arrived and it really exemplifies why I have such a profound passion for working with children that don't share the same language as myself. I started my teaching career as a EAL teacher in South Korea and then volunteered in Siem Reap, Cambodia working at an NGO school for a few months. These two experiences are what helped me decided to become a teacher. Since becoming a certified teacher, majority of my students have been at least close to proficient in the English language. Now in the high school at ISKL, there are very few students that are not fluent in English (in addition to one or two other languages). But, there is something so special about interactions that use body language and very few verbal words.

Within five minutes of arrival, one boy and I took turns tracing each other's hands and just enjoying the sensory experience. We looked at each other, raised our eyebrows, smiled and then handed the crayon to the other. While I was doing this another boy picked up the glitter tube next to me and kept looking back at me in amazement. Within another minute or two a third boy started sitting next to me and then leaned on me. He slowly slid down on the floor and then picked himself back up doing it again. Just a quick look at the photo it looks like a pretty calm and quiet scenario, when in fact there are kids running around playing football and being pushed on tricycles. This little moment of peace in my happy place after a day of teaching, made my week.