I’ll begin once again with the affective form of reflection. One of the best things that happened this week occurred when we were on the swings. I was pushing Dev and Zach, and Dev told me that he wanted to swing next to Zach. I was standing in the middle and pushing Dev with my left hand and Zach with my right. I worked with the timing a little bit and got it so Zach and Dev were swinging at the same resonance. This made Dev really happy and he said, "we’re swinging together. Zach’s so cute. I love him." Dev and Zach are normal brothers, they fight a lot, but there is no doubt in my mind that they have a strong connection to each other.

Another great emotional part of the day occurred when I was watching Zach and Dev run around a circle in the parking lot. It’s so amazing to me that Zach has healed so much. I can remember coming to visit him on the first day and seeing him in his wheelchair. And here he was this week running around. He’s not quite as fast as before the accident but I have no doubt that in a little while longer he’ll be back to normal.

I don’t know if I’ve made it clear or not, but Zach loves to sing. Today it was sprinkling a little bit, and he kept singing "it’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring. He went to bed and bumped his head, and couldn’t get up in the morning." This is very interesting to me, because when I was his teacher in church, I had a hard time getting him to sing the songs. I guess it’s another case of a different environment producing different results.

Next I’ll move on to the behavior part of reflection. Once again it was a pretty peaceful day. We actually ended it a few minutes early because of the rain. I suppose if I were very particular about the way my visits were run, I would have a long list of things to change in the future. However I tend to have a pretty laid back attitude to the visits, and feel that I can get to know Zach and Dev best by observing them in an environment they are more comfortable with.

Lastly, I’ll move onto the cognitive form of reflection. This week we talked about areas of strength and giftedness in people. I feel that Zach definitely shows areas of great talent. As I mentioned before, he has a great ability to work with music. Plus I think he has a talent for making friends, and also for performing. He may not be up to his level in all areas, but the things he is interested in, he knows a lot about. I love to listen to him talk about trains and trucks. In some cases I think he knows more than I do in that area. I think that these areas could be more fully developed if he was encouraged in them. He seems so willing to learn that I’m sure that given some encouragement, he could really develop his loves and talents.

First off we’ll visit the affective form of reflection.

Today was a lot of fun. We went to the park yet again, and along with the usual swings and such we also played the octopus game. Basically the game is played as follows: Dev runs around as the octopus chasing after me, unless of course he mysteriously falls to the ground, in which case I become very sad and try to save him. Once he has been saved he once again becomes the mean octopus. Zach’s job is to at one moment be chasing after me as well, and then at the next moment need my help to be saved from the octopus. Once I figured out the way the game was played, it really was quite enjoyable.

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this or not, but one of Zach’s favorite games to play is what I refer to as the copycat game. Basically he tells me to say something, and then I say it.

Usually it goes something like this: He will say, "Say Meow," and I will say "meow." Then he will say "Say MEOW," and I would say "MEOW". Then he will say, "say la-la-la-la-laaa-la," and as you can probably guess, I will say "say la-la-la-la-laaa-la," too. There are a bunch of different things he wants you to say, but this week, when we were on the swings, he got stuck on the Meow part. I kid you not, I probably spent 10 min. repeating Meows back to him. Of course I had to make the meows sound different, and I admit I sometimes got a little silly with the way I said it. Zach thought it was great fun, and started to laugh. We continued on, and finally Zach, in little bursts of laughter concluded, "Sister May is a kiddy cat."

As far as the behavior part of reflection goes, I think I should refer you to last’s weeks discussion to this topic. I don’t really have much more to add.

On to the cognitive form of reflection. This week in class we talked about transition skills. I think Zach is learning a lot of transition skills both in school and at home. Basically everything that Dev can do, Zach can do too. He can get something to eat, get dressed, and perform other important tasks. However, he still has a long way to go if he is to succeed in the world. He doesn’t read, and I’m not sure how close he is. He may need to find other means in which he can get and process information. I think it’s definitely do-able though, and I think he has the possibilities for a great future, given the talents that he has.

We got snow! So, instead of our usual trek to the park, we stayed at Zach and Dev’s house and played with the white stuff.

I’ll discuss the experiences by first reflecting on the affective part of the visit. I’m really starting to feel attached to these kids. Today Zach was excited to see me, and even told me that he loved me. I thought it was really cool. However, I’m feeling a little worried about the transition phase. It’s going to be hard not to see his smile on my Sat. mornings.

Playing in the snow was a lot of fun. Zach and Dev worked together, throwing as much snow as they could onto me. Unfortunately for them, as soon as the snow would make contact with me, I would proceed to pick them up and spin them around.

It was also interesting to see how Zach was interacting with his dog, Spock. When I was playing with the boys earlier in the day, Spock was eyeing me with very protective glances. Then when we went into the backyard to play, Spock would chase Zach, and vice-versa. Zach and I both got a kick out of the way Spock was romping through the snow. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Next we’ll move onto the behavior part of reflection. I have to admit, one thing that I have a hard time with is discipline. I think for the most part the way I handle things currently works ok, but I’m not sure it’s the best method. For example, this week Zach was taking a lot of pictures without looking to find something to focus on. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get his attention, I retrieved the camera. This didn’t make him too happy, and he said a few choice words to me. At this point I explained to him that it was all right for him to take pictures, but that he needed to make sure he had something to take a picture of. I gave the camera back again, and he was fine with it.

The last part of reflection I will talk about is that of cognitive. This week we talked about asset values. I guess I’m supposed to address how I would apply the asset values in my life. I think it’s important to take a step back and really look at what I have going for myself. I think my family and friends are some of the best asset values I have, along with my educational commitment. I think that by focusing on these, and other of my strengths, I can better improve upon them. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think awareness of asset values is key. I think by recognizing them, it will both help build confidence in me, but also allow me to better fulfill the things I am already good at.

I think both Zach and Dev have the roots for a strong asset system. They are part of a good family, and have the drive to succeed. I think as long as they keep on going as they are, they will have very bright futures.