Bryce Blog Post: A day in the Life of a Student at Autism Academy

One of our very own AAED student’s has written a blog about what goes on for a typical day at school. Read about his story in our guest blog post for this week!

This year, I am working in the PAES Lab, learning some new skills like how to do some jobs the right way. When I work at the PAES Lab, I have to clock in on the computer and put on the PAES lab lanyard. I wait for a supervisor to give me instructions and go over the rules of doing each job. The supervisor tells me what job I can do by writing it down in my folder. Before I start doing my job, I have to get a timer, write down my start time, get the right materials, and  get an instruction card so that I will know what to do.  When I’m ready to start my job, I call for a supervisor. Once a supervisor says that I can get started, I start my timer. Then, when I finish the job, I stop my timer, write down my interest and call for the supervisor to check my work. If I didn’t quite do the job correctly, then the supervisor will allow me to do it again to correct any mistakes. Once the supervisor tells me that I did the job correctly, I can move on to the next one and do the same thing.

In training class, I’ve been learning a lot about growth mindset, how my brain works, and how to manage my time better. I also work on the warm up worksheets to accompany growth mindset instruction. I’ve been working on edgenuity about Personal Finance. In Personal Finance, I have learned that people who spend more money than what is in their account is called an overdraft which is not good for paying. In Self-Management, I have learned how my brain can grow with difficult situations and decisions. I also learned that if I make mistakes and try to fix them, it makes it easy for my brain to grow. Most importantly, if I just do some things that are easy for me to do, then my brain will not grow at all.

In Everyday English, I learned about what banking forms are, and what the advantages and disadvantages are of using banking forms. One advantage of the banking form is that it makes online banking easy. One disadvantage of the banking form is that it has a possible fee. I also learned about the deposit slips and checks. The deposit slip is a written order instructing your bank to put funds into your account. You can use a deposit slip to put money into your account. To endorse means to sign any check that had been made payable to you before you deposit it.

I have also been working in the Cozy Café, a coffee shop located in our school. I am very excited for our new Cozy Café location to open in a couple of weeks. It’s going to be calm and relaxing. I have been helping my teacher set up the coffee supplies and materials that we need to run the Cafe. I have also been helping Ms. Caitlin open up the Cozy Café every other day. I also have been helping students with their credit cards and their money to give them correct change and the items they purchase. I make sure they always have the snack or drink they want. I also like to help get pizza order forms from every other class in our school.

Out in the community, I have learned how to look for things at a grocery store. I did a scavenger hunt at  Staples to see what they have there. We looked at some office chairs, binders, crayons, markers, and some pencils. I gave the cashier money to buy items under $5.00. I also went out to Walmart with Ms. Maltese’s class to pick up food and drinks for a Christmas party and Christmas around the world. It turned out to be a very fun experience. Going out into the community so far this school year is so much fun, and it’s nice sometimes to get out of school and get some fresh air whenever it’s hot or cold outside.