Billy would change the way I interact with all individuals with special needs and for that I am eternally grateful.
Billy is nonverbal and uses an augmentative communication device to communicate with others. Talk about judging a book by its cover . . . he let me know from day one, that his ability to navigate his way through his device far outweighed my expectations of him. Interestingly enough, every time I raised my expectations for Billy- I learned that my bar needed to be raised again, and again, and again. This is an interesting practice to try on yourself . . . just a thought.
Over the nine years I worked with Billy and his family, my teaching skills with all learners changed. Billy taught me that when a child didn't understand a concept I was teaching, that teaching it a second time with a louder voice was not the answer. Billy taught me that "individualized" means understanding how a person optimally receives and expresses information. Billy taught me that everyone is capable of learning and growing towards greater independence every day. He was my "wake up call" to teaching.
Billy was introduced to yoga several years ago. Eve, Billy's Mom, a consistent practitioner of yoga and Billy's greatest advocate (right next to his Dad, Matt), believed that Billy was entitled to learning yoga. Her intention was for her son to use yoga as a means of regulating himself. Up until that point, Billy's request for a "break" entailed him entering a comfortable area to relax and breathe for a designated number of minutes. As Billy grew older, Eve intuitively knew that her son needed to learn what "relax" meant. She knew that he would benefit from something physical and organizing to his entire body - both during times of peace and stress . . . yoga seemed like the natural next step.
Billy's Mom and yoga instructor, Hannah Gould, created a sequential visual system with photographs of yoga poses that would be optimal for Billy's learning style. Billy took to his yoga practice beautifully, and it clearly became a prefered activity for him.
For a few years, Billy's health took a very serious turn for the worse. For weeks at a time, in between hospitalizations, he would rest in his darkened bedroom. When everything had turned upside down for Bill and his body - and all activities were taken off of his daily schedule, yoga was the one choice that always was there for him. Yoga was Billy's blanket of peace time and time again.
Billy's yoga practice inspired me to rethink the way I taught my learners to balance themselves. After taking a closer look, I learned I was regulating my students as opposed to offering my students tools to regulate themselves. It is one thing to teach someone how to request a break. It is by far something very different to teach someone how to successfully take a break. Think about that for a moment. How often do we tell children to take a break or a time-out without showing them them how to relax themselves? When was the last time you allowed someone you know to feel upset and then offered them, some steps they could take to feel calm again? When was the last time you felt upset and what were the steps you took to feeling at peace with yourself and the situation? Learning and teaching how to find that place of calm takes time - but it is worth every second.
Billy taught me that taking the time to teach myself, my students and my own children how to find internal balance - is more important than any other life skill.
Thank you Billy.
Thank you Eve for encouraging me to think outside of the box with all of my students. Your unbelievable commitment to Billy's path as a life long learner, reminds me to always get out of my own head and into the minds and hearts of my students and my own children.
Stretch What Matters Yoga System:
Dedicated to Billy Megargel,
my longtime student and greatest teacher.
my longtime student and greatest teacher.
