Special Education

Special Education High School Program Opens Doors to Compassion, Acceptance

BY: Kaylee Campbell

A special program at Norman’s two high schools are giving some students opportunities to exercise compassion and empathy while others in the program are learning what it’s like to be loved, accepted and treated like peers.

The Service Learning programs at Norman High and Norman North are laying the foundation for a more inclusive future for the community by placing students in classes to help other students with a range of special needs.

The program is running near capacity at Norman North, said Principal Kristi Gray. The school has some 30 service learners enrolled, with as many as two to three service learners assigned to each class where there’s a need.

Norman North’s student community is some 2,350 strong, including about 400 students whose needs and abilities vary from students with a learning disability to students with more complicated needs, including accommodations for health conditions.

Like the Norman community as a whole, the Norman North “T-Wolf” community includes “kiddos of all sizes, shapes, colors and abilities,” said Amber Pennell, assistant principal at Norman North.

“The program increases empathy and awareness, understanding that we’re all a part of this world, together.”

“For us, what it comes down to is connecting different populations in the school, but also helping teenagers step away from themselves and to think about something, somebody other than what’s immediately in front of them – which is something we all struggle with,” Gray said.

“It’s an eye-opening experience –you go into it thinking of it more like babysitting, but in reality, it’s more like hanging out with friends,” said Jacob Gray, Norman North senior and service learner.

“I’ve always wanted to work with kids, even when I go into my professional career,” said Jack Adams, another Norman North senior and service learner.

“I want to be a pediatrician – so getting a hands-on experience right now really helps me get a grasp of how it might be like in the future.”

Adams and Gray both recalled moments that have been significant for them during their time as service learners, showing just how much they get out of serving others.

“There’s one girl in this class who is not very active, not very talkative – she’s pretty much non-vocal,” Gray said.

“Every day we can get two or three words out of her, and it’s mostly names. But one day she was in her own world, dancing … I remember, it’s the only time I’ve been able to get her to correctly say my name, I walked over to her and said can we dance together? And she pointed at me, nodded, said ‘Jacob,’ and we proceeded to dance.”

Adams recalled a time when the same girl impacted his life.

“She was bawling and one of the teachers said she had been having a bad day. I asked what was wrong and she gave me the biggest hug out of nowhere. And to see her smile as I was talking to her, it was heartwarming,” Adams said.

“Being a part of the service-learning program has opened students’ eyes to how special and unique special needs kiddos are. Their brains may been put together differently, or physically they may be a little bit different, they still have their own personalities and their own little quirks and they have tremendous hearts and things they can give back to the school,” Gray said.

“Instead of looking at them as someone who might be perceived as very different – they go through the same teenage things, that they all do at this age – so looking at them as a peer, as an equal, it’s just somebody to get to know.” -BSM

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