Outing. Monday. Waterfall. Classroom.
These are some of my friend Khaw Sheng’s favorite words. “Teacher Kaila, waterfall-la!” he said over and over as we sat in the shallow end of the pool at a local park. Khaw Sheng couldn’t see the fountain that was spraying water into the pool, but to him it sounded like a waterfall.
- Here’s what I love about Khaw Sheng:He smiles all the time.
- He remembers his teachers by name and is learning to recognize our voices.
- When I sing “You are my Sunshine” to one of the other kids, Khaw Sheng always joins in to help me out.
- Sometimes when I talk, he giggles like I’ve just said the funniest thing ever.
- He is determined. Learning new things can be a slow process for him, but he works diligently at it.
- When we’re on an outing (field trip) he talks about his classroom. When we’re in the classroom, he talks about outings.
- Over the past 4 months, there have been few people who pronounce my name the way I do. Khaw Sheng is one of them.
This young man is funny. I’ve only gotten to hang out with him a couple of times, but always puts a smile on my face. A few days ago we had a fun day with the kids from the Deaf-Blind Multi-Handicapped program at St. Nicholas’ Home. We all went to the park and spent a couple of hours playing in the pool. I spent a lot of time sitting with Khaw Sheng, making sure he didn’t fall over while he enthusiastically splashed me and talked about waterfalls.
Blind and diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, 16-year-old Khaw Sheng is wheelchair-bound. He couldn’t swim around the pool on his own, but he could sit there and splash like the best of them. The only time I’ve seen him cry is when he was back in the classroom asking for another outing, and he was told the next one would be two days later.
I could write about how much I’ve learned working with special needs kids, or about how joyful kids like Khaw Sheng can be despite the challenges they face. I could tell you how much I enjoy hearing their infectious laughter and about the unique way they approach things.
But that’s not what this blog is about.
I just wanted to brag on this sweet kid a bit, because he makes me so happy. That’s all. I hope his smile brightens your day like it always does mine.
