Kidzania with Deloitte

went to Kidzania today with the kids. with sponsorship from Deloitte. and forty sth of their staff came to spend a day with the kids.

boy was it tiring.

and boy was it frustrating. with Kidzania, not the volunteers.

you know we're coming, you know what requests we made. but when we stepped into your "wonderland", we were bombarded by sirens, loud music, shouting kids, drums. really? if you couldn't cater to our request, at least warn us beforehand. hello? courtesy???

and to have children with special needs wait that long just to get into your station? more than 30 minutes??? couldn't you make some concessions for them?

all right, they have to learn to do that. i agree. and we're actually working hard to instill that in them. but right now, some of our children doesn't have that kind of capacity to do that. and it comes down to our responsibility to redirect, distract, and manage the kids' behaviour.

if it's just one child, we can manage. but having the whole bunch of them, with each and everyone having different perks and needs, and only 6 teachers with a big playground, tell me that is still manageable?? oh don't you tell me we have volunteers, coz although they are kind and loving and patient enough with the kids, they do not know the children like we do.

and you tell me that you and your colleague can handle a child with down syndrome who is hyper and impatient, without a teacher/volunteer with him, together with 5 other typically developed children? even after i explained to you nicely? well, i'm sorry for being so difficult, but i know what i'm doing and i stand by my words and actions. or wait, i should've just left him there and let it be.

oh well, it wasn't that bad. coz in the end the kids still had fun. it's just that these are some of the things that i feel the society in general don't understand. and that's what frustrates me the most. lack of understanding and knowledge.

i'm not saying they have to accomodate the special needs community for every single thing. coz i know they can navigate the world as every other healthy typically developed individual would given the opportunity to learn. i'm just asking for more time, patience and an open mind. observe first before you react. understand first before you react. like some of the wonderful parent and children i've had the chance to meet with today. and i am really thankful for the courtesy and understanding extended by them today. there is still hope! =)

but all in all, i'm super exhausted right now. and i have an early day tomorrow with my ielts exam.

so bye, goodnight.