Blog #228: Creating A Presentation on School Assemblies and Why

Something that I have been wanting to do for some time now is to create a presentation on school assemblies. As some of you know, one of the first blogs I created for this website was on school assemblies and how they were bothersome to me. As a former special education student, I can tell you that school assemblies were the most torturous part of my education, even though I never said anything out loud about them.

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Now some schools may view this as a way of me bellyaching about school assemblies but let me tell you that when it comes to school assemblies, I believe that there are ways to get the student involved in the assembly without them actually being there physically.

For one thing, the use of remote programs like Zoom has given those who are uncomfortable with being in front of a live audience or part of a live audience a lifeline that was not available to them before. Remote platforms like Zoom have already proven themselves to be valuable and by using it, the student can remain in the classroom and gain the feeling of attend a sensory friendly performance at your neighborhood theater.

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Secondly, school assemblies are something that should be viewed as an optional choice for sensory friendly and special education students. I get the feeling that school administrators and teachers want the feel of community by getting the student involved with his or her peers in a cafeteria, gymnasium, auditorium, etc.

But you cannot force the fit even in a school assembly because not all students enjoy the aspect of being in a large setting. There is already enough going through the mind of the student and the last thing you want them to have happen to them is getting more psychological damage especially if they are having a hard day the day of the assembly.

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Finally, there is also the matter of the type of assembly in question and whether or not it will be interesting to the student. Believe me, I went to plenty of assemblies that I found to be uninteresting, but I didn’t say anything about it because that was my job as a student.

Perhaps a good idea is to talk to the student about which types of assemblies he or she would be interested in going to physically or watching remotely. Going back to the “forcing the fit” technique, you want to find activity for the student that fits their interests and I feel that a lot of schools are guilty of forcing the student into something that doesn’t fit their needs or desires.

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Now this is only a few ideas I have planned, but at some point, I will be making a scarecrow presentation that I hope to add to my arsenal of presentations down the line. Stay tuned!!

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Catch you all later!!

#Diversity #Disability #SchoolAssemblies #Neurodiversity #LargeCrowds #Equality #SpecialEducation #Autism #SchoolAssembly #Education #Inclusion