Reader In Chief

I may have referenced in the past but I am part of what they call the Next Chapter book club. It's a great program aimed at increasing people with disabilities options for socialization and some pretty good reading. I tell people I help with the administration of this program for the local developmental disabilities Council. This means a volunteer and that I help out the coordinator of the reading club. Up until this week my participation is pretty much been showing up for the weekly readings.

This afternoon, however, the group leader contacted me or texted me asking if I would take the group that she could get me the materials for the class by the time the classes.. I was on the bus heading for group when I got her text. I said sure no problem. Deborah, is the club coordinator and she has some variant of the flow. I just realized this and also realize now I've been exposed and I don't have the flu shot. Oh well,if it's my time with my time.

The materials for the book club consists of one big blue bag with about 10 paperback books there in the large white three ring binder to keep progress notes of the group – – because this is not just a social reading class and the social integration program too. I knew this, or I know this was just always weird to put something like this in the practice from all standpoints. Perhaps the most critical with me is the fact that I don't know everybody's name in the group, though I should. I'm lazy and I've never had a reason to know everyone's name, now I do too little too late. So today I am the leader of the leader reader. I have to contact the person from the library to unlock our meeting room, I then must welcome the group as we begin the session, pass out the books and go over what we read last week and get the group trying to begin. The process looks so easy when Deborah does it.

I did it , I played the grown-up an the guys did a great job playing the class. What's great about DD folks is they are very honest. They verbally groaned and were disappointed that Deborah was not in attendance. I don't know if it was actual or not but I thought I detected a grown when I good-humored way informed them I would be a leader for today. It also made me realize that perhaps some of these folks did not realize I was part of the administration – – I was the substitute. I was not one of them just one of the participants which I am, as I see myself, but not anymore and their eyes.I did the first day/meeting routine of everybody going around the circle giving up their names. I'm sure that I am respect from these people I lost it then when I did not know the names of some of the participants after nearly a year in the program. The group however, the group forgave me and we had a good session.

I remember most names, René does pretty good job reading on her electronic device, Theodore who does a great job reading and leading, Theodore could do the job probably better than I and probably knows all the names. Tina Louise – – I love her name – – reads really well and are surprises me but she picks up the slack after a particularly challenging reader. Jonathan, the blind guy, astounds me as well as he reads with his blind reading device. He might be a little slow and reading but Jonathan is in fact on reading the hardest words. His work totally impresses me to be just the blind thing and I don't give blind folks the credit they deserve from being able to read from their electronic devices but still. I am impressed. They are the folks from the care center two in particularyou really cannot read a bit but the coordinator for the substitute since by that person and reads their page one word a ta time with the individual verbalizing, as best they can, what I just read. We read a chapter and a half or maybe two chapters of the half. One chapter was only two pages. I actually try to fill in some of the paperwork the end of the hour when the class seemed to evaporate as soon as the power ended.

As the group filed out and I tried to write down my feelings about the days reading René, a pleasant little individual down syndrome, who really does a great job reading, said to me “make sure Deborah comes next week”. This was her six word critique of today's session which is okay by me.

I did what I was there to do today. I covered Deborah was sick. This was the first session I had to lead by myself . I think I did pretty good even if I say so myself.