Eagerly waiting in line, freshman FALS student Gabriel Rianlloyd Lopez orders his own pizza and practices his social skills in a real-world setting.
On Feb. 28, the FALS class took a field trip to Palio’s Pizza to apply the social skills they learned in the classroom into their everyday lives. The students work toward social skill development throughout the year, and each have an individual goal to master by the end of the year.
“Practicing these goals and objectives in the real world is huge for them,” FALS teacher Mr. Nicholas McMahan said. “My favorite part is seeing the students make a choice for themselves. Whether it was picking a favorite pizza topping or choosing their favorite drink or dessert, seeing their faces light up when they recognize something they like is so endearing and special.”
The field trip gave students the opportunity to experience a sense of independence as they apply their social skills with little to no guidance.
“My students are non-verbal, so it’s hard to understand how they really felt,” Mr. McMahan said. “But I believe it was a nice break from the normal school day. They stay in the same room for most of the day, so it was nice for both the students and staff to get out. Plus, they got to have some pizza which I think everyone enjoys.”
With the intention of developing personal goals, the field trip gave the community of Mansfield to meet the students. Whether it’s Palio’s workers, customers or just anyone walking by, any sort of positive interaction benefited the students greatly by giving them confidence and finding comfort in the uncomfortable.
“This was a great way for members out in the community to meet them,” Mr. McMahan said. “Representation is important, and it was nice to see how others in the community interacted with the students.”
The real-world environments the FALS class provides benefits both the students and the general public. Normalizing the presence of people who may be different brings a sense of social acceptance among the students who lack communication skills.
“Not everyone is going to want to communicate with a special needs kid,” FALS teacher Ms. Candace Triggs said. “It makes some people nervous, but at the same time it helps the public become more accustomed, and accepting.”
Presenting unique challenges, FALS staff find ways to communicate with non-verbal students, and personally understand the student through means other than words. The environment of a FALS classroom differs from standard teaching. With the goal of developing social skills in mind, the FALS class participates in real-world practices in addition to classroom learning.
“Our classes are unique and always changing,” Ms. Triggs said. “I like being mobile as opposed to sitting at a desk and doing paperwork. The variation of environments is one of my favorite parts of special education.”
Ms. Triggs’ motivation for teaching sprouts from her desire to make special education students — or those with disabilities in general — become more socially accepted, and ensure that their treatment does not differ from one who may not have a disability.
“I love seeing my students happy and having fun,” Ms. Triggs said. “The world is so stressful for those that can’t communicate and may not be understood, [so our goal is to help as much as we can.]”
Teaching a FALS class presents unique challenges in contrast from a standard classroom setting.
“Teaching special education isn’t for everyone, but I feel like I was meant for it,” Mr. McMahan said. “I followed the path that life put in front of me, and my favorite part of my job is giving parents a peace of mind that their students are in a fun and safe environment where they can learn new skills and feel comfortable.”
