My name is Jacob Daly, an eleventh grader at Philadelphia Academy Charter High School (P.A.C.H.S) and a congregant at Old York Road Temple Beth Am. What I enjoy most about working with children with learning differences/special needs is that I really notice the many challenges that they face each and every day, without realizing that its frustrating if it happens to you every once in a blue moon. The boy I’m working with is in fifth grade and has Aspergers, ADHD, and possible Autism. The biggest struggle I see him go through is the fact that he has a hard time completing his work simply because he struggles with the mentality of “I can’t do it, I’m not good enough.”
This kind of upsets me mainly because after half an hour of being a bit of a nuisance, he finally agrees to do some part of his work, and it turns out to be amazing. But to him, some things like passing his prayer goals are goals that are set too high in his mind. It’s still early though, so hopefully I will soon be able to get him to strive to work harder and eventually pass a couple of prayer goals along the way, just to show that the impossible will eventually become possible, and prove that he can do it.