Hockanum Students Make Special Buddies

By Sandi Michaelson Warren

When the fifth-grade “buddies” visit Danielle Singleton’s class at Hockanum Elementary School in East Hartford, Conn., the magic begins. Eyes light up, smiles spread across faces, hugs abound.

The special needs students in Danielle’s class are in grades K-2, most of whom have been identified as autistic. The fifth graders are “buddies” to the students in Danielle’s class. They are one of twenty-four teams in schools across Connecticut taking part in The School for Ethical Education’s Youth: Ethics in Service, or YES, program (formerly called Building Ethical Communities). YES is a teacher education and youth leadership program that employs service-learning to encourage the ethical and character development of youth. Service-learning is a teaching method that links community service projects to academic learning.

Once a week fifth graders LaTasha, Amanda, Emily, Luz, Ashley, Hector, Jalissa and Elizabeth, all students in Mrs. Ciganik’s fifth-grade class, spend 45 minutes with their buddies. They play movement games like Ring Around the Rosie, do art projects and build towers. But the fun and games have a purpose. These activities are designed to help the special-education students with sensory integration.

To teach the fifth-graders about sensory integration, occupational therapist Maureen Pollard conducted an in-service for them. The students plan to purchase educational materials – with a small grant provided by SEE to YES teams – to work with their buddies on sensory integration. They have used team-building skills acquired through YES to come to a consensus about which items they will purchase and, with the remainder of their fifth-grade peers, have used math skills to figure out what they can afford.

Each week the fifth-graders reflect on their project in a journal developed by SEE. “The reflection portion of this program is essential because you need to know how your older buddies are feeling. You want all of the children to leave this experience feeling empowered and good. Reflection activities can also be the perfect opportunity for you as the teacher to offer guidance and make suggestions when they are needed,” says Danielle.

Danielle is delighted with the program. “It has been so exciting to watch the looks on the faces of my children as the fifth-graders enter my class. They smile and make wonderful eye contact with their older buddies and often initiate the interaction by walking right up to them. These children, who are often reluctant to share themselves, give their fifth-grade friends hugs and share a general level of trust that is miraculous and beautiful.”

“The students in my class know that there are eight older children who recognize their beauty and love them for who they are,” she continues. Staff who work with Danielle’s students have commented that the students seem to listen and behave better when they are with their buddies.

Danielle appreciates the opportunity and support given to her by SEE. And she has advice for others who want to initiate a similar project. “Keep the numbers low – with one-to-one ratios if possible. It allows the students to get to know one another better and avoids creating an environment that might be overstimulating for the students.” She adds: “Allow your buddies to choose one another if possible. Sometimes the kids know more than we do about good matches and the ‘right fit.’ Offer a lot of modeling for your older buddies, and plan well.”

Clearly, the students in Danielle’s special-needs class are benefiting from the buddy program. But what about the older students? “The fifth-graders have developed a strong sense of leadership, genuine care and love and kindness towards others,” says Danielle. “They look forward to our sessions as much as the children look forward to their visits.”

The fifth graders are eager to articulate what they like about the program. “I wanted to do this project because I want to be a role model,” says Luz. Other students remark that this project has helped them learn about differences among people and how other people learn. Adds Luz, “We have all become a family, but we aren’t related.”

For more information, contact Danielle Singleton at Hockanum (860) 622-5440 or Anika Knox at SEE (203) 783-4441 or aknox@ethicsed.org.