So at school I'm in this program called PALs (stands for peer assistance leadership or whatever) and our job is to go to elementary schools and one middle school and basically be like a big brother or sister to the younger kids. The first time we went to the schools, we got to meet all the kids and it was really wonderful! I connected with many different kids at the different schools and I requested all of the ones I had spent the most time with. There was one kid in particular at this one elementary I really connected with. He can't speak English very well (or any language for that matter ) so he tends to speak with body actions. I've worked with a kid in the past at the daycare I work at so it was really easy for me to connect with him and I told my teacher/coordinator that out of all the kids I requested I really wanted to be with this kid. It would be nice to have all the kids I requested to be with, but he was the one I wanted to be pals with the most. There was another girl that I had a great connection with and I really wanted to be her pal too (she was at a different school) but I still wanted to mentor that boy the most out of all the kids.
Today we received our assignments and when I looked at the lists I noticed that I got none of the ones I requested. It was alright, until I heard the reasons why I didn't get any of them including that little boy. This girl, who got ever pal she wanted, apparently wanted that little boy not because she connected with him like I did, but because she thought he was adorable and cute. We had an argument and I told her the reasons why I wanted him (as I stated in the first paragraph) and she still refused to let me take him so I brought it up with our teacher. The teacher agreed in my favor, but the girl still whined and thinks I'm being selfish for wanting to have this kid. Despite the fact I'm 99% positive that he connected with me more, spent the most time with me, and was half expecting to be with me the next time we meet. But okay.
Then at this other school where I wanted that girl I mentioned, the reason why I didn't get her was because nobody wanted this different girl because she apparently is in 5th grade and is already cutting herself. The other pals in my group were so judgmental and thought she was some sort of lost cause and refused to be her pal. I thought that was ridiculous so I stepped up and took this girl even though I never met her when we visited. The point of this program we're all in is to HELP kids, especially ones that have a problem as serious as this one. I feel like a lot of these other people in this program with me are nothing but selfish high school seniors that judge kids based off of how cool or cute they are and it really upsets me that only a few of the others have the same good intentions like I do. =\
But I don't feel like I was doing anything wrong. The point of selecting our kids is because we connected with them well, and that should be the basis of why we want the kids. I really feel like that girl isn't going to be able to handle this kid when she doesn't understand his moods and stuff because he can't speak and I can... and I feel like that and a few other reasons is why I should be with that boy. The program is about helping kids and working with the kids you can handle the most but for some reason people are throwing in the "oh that kid was cute I want her for that reason" card and it's just really upsetting to me...
So at school I'm in this program called PALs (stands for peer assistance leadership or whatever) and our job is to go to elementary schools and one middle school and basically be like a big brother or sister to the younger kids. The first time we went to the schools, we got to meet all the kids and it was really wonderful! I connected with many different kids at the different schools and I requested all of the ones I had spent the most time with. There was one kid in particular at this one elementary I really connected with. He can't speak English very well (or any language for that matter
) so he tends to speak with body actions. I've worked with a kid in the past at the daycare I work at so it was really easy for me to connect with him and I told my teacher/coordinator that out of all the kids I requested I really wanted to be with this kid. It would be nice to have all the kids I requested to be with, but he was the one I wanted to be pals with the most. There was another girl that I had a great connection with and I really wanted to be her pal too (she was at a different school) but I still wanted to mentor that boy the most out of all the kids.
Today we received our assignments and when I looked at the lists I noticed that I got none of the ones I requested. It was alright, until I heard the reasons why I didn't get any of them including that little boy. This girl, who got ever pal she wanted, apparently wanted that little boy not because she connected with him like I did, but because she thought he was adorable and cute. We had an argument and I told her the reasons why I wanted him (as I stated in the first paragraph) and she still refused to let me take him so I brought it up with our teacher. The teacher agreed in my favor, but the girl still whined and thinks I'm being selfish for wanting to have this kid. Despite the fact I'm 99% positive that he connected with me more, spent the most time with me, and was half expecting to be with me the next time we meet. But okay.
Then at this other school where I wanted that girl I mentioned, the reason why I didn't get her was because nobody wanted this different girl because she apparently is in 5th grade and is already cutting herself. The other pals in my group were so judgmental and thought she was some sort of lost cause and refused to be her pal. I thought that was ridiculous so I stepped up and took this girl even though I never met her when we visited. The point of this program we're all in is to HELP kids, especially ones that have a problem as serious as this one. I feel like a lot of these other people in this program with me are nothing but selfish high school seniors that judge kids based off of how cool or cute they are and it really upsets me that only a few of the others have the same good intentions like I do. =\
But I don't feel like I was doing anything wrong. The point of selecting our kids is because we connected with them well, and that should be the basis of why we want the kids. I really feel like that girl isn't going to be able to handle this kid when she doesn't understand his moods and stuff because he can't speak and I can... and I feel like that and a few other reasons is why I should be with that boy. The program is about helping kids and working with the kids you can handle the most but for some reason people are throwing in the "oh that kid was cute I want her for that reason" card and it's just really upsetting to me...
/endrant