The Angel Without Wings

Submitted by Kim Taylor
October 9, 2014 1:00 p.m.

How many of us will hear the alarm today, get up and shower, and go to our place of employment, counting the hours until the day is over, with thoughts of the plans we’ve already made for the weekend…or what we’re having for dinner…or the number of other inconsequential things that will fill the day until we race out of the job only to find ourselves home again, preparing for the next day, filling days with weeks that turn into years until we earn a retirement that was the purpose all along?

I had the privilege yesterday of interviewing one of the most inspirational people that I will ever meet. I arrived, assuming that this was just another “day in the life of” piece, where I could ramble on about the fine job that the teacher did and the contributions that she made to our society and pop in a good word or two about the contributions that she made that we don’t recognize and should.

Instead, I was humbled to have the privilege of spending an hour with Mrs. Dianne Febles, the Lead Teacher in the Profoundly Mentally Handicapped Classroom at Fernandina Beach High School. I caught her on a day when they do what is called a “Language Lab”- a time when several of the school-board therapists and nurses collaborate and combine their therapies to create a learning experience that enlightens the children and the teachers, all learning from each other. Mrs. Febles was very clear, speaking over everyone so I was sure to hear, that she learned as much from her students as they did from her and believe me, they do learn. I watched them.

Walking into the classroom, I visually saw students in specially made chairs, two with personal nurses, a lead nurse, the physical therapist, the occupational therapist, a young bright joyful lady who volunteers with them because they “make her life a better place” as she put it. I completely expected to visit for forty-five minutes, pay homage to a life dedicated to those less fortunate, thank them all for their contributions, and then leave. Instead, there was so much joy in that room that I couldn’t actually take it all in.

I was barely noticed entering the room…Mrs. Febles was too busy talking loudly to her class, “OK – what goes in next? Oh, the cinnamon…here, smell cinnamon…” as she held the cinnamon container to one of the students so he could smell it. I waved at her, she lit up and said, “Hey, Kim, come on in! We’re making cookies – you’re just in time!” and then her attention went right back to her classroom. There was not a face in the room without a smile, and they weren’t looking at me. They were absolutely joyful – teachers, students – even the air in the room was filled with unabated joy.

As I tried to take notes, I found myself involved with talking to the students and laughing with them – the happiness in the room was so profound that you couldn’t help but to get caught up in it. Mrs. Febles looked over as she continued preparing her cookie dough to tell me, “We just read “Johnny Appleseed”, and she continued with her beater, making apple cookies. The “recipe lady” – one of the nurses – was helping a student to crack the egg for fear of doing it incorrectly herself (the nurse- not the student!) – and then, as I began to ask questions, Mrs. Febles went on to share that their classroom participates in thematic units each month – so far, they had read Tom Sawyer and then watched the movie, along with several others including “Because of Winn Dixie”, a personal favorite. After a verbal introduction to the story (reading it), they would watch the movie (a visual-auditory exposure to the story) and then they would all participate in a hand-over-hand activity – a paper/crayon/scissors/glue activity – with the children so there was an assignment to take home, just like other students.

Don’t misunderstand – the class is full of children with extremely special needs. One young lady was a perfectly normally physically functioning three year old earlier in life who had suffered a drowning accident and lost much of her brain functioning because of the oxygen deprivation – but that didn’t stop her from living. I don’t mean breathing and functioning – I mean LIVING. Another five year old child, who is paralyzed from the waist down and is considered nonverbal because he doesn’t speak like you or I, was quite verbal, made himself clear when it was independent time that he wanted to continue his iPad lesson – he got his iPad and began to independently work on it. He wasn’t playing games – he proceeded to LEARN on it. He didn’t just punch bright colors – he correctly chose answers to the questions that were being asked on the screen and continued, working with an age-appropriate teaching activity.

Mrs. Febles, aware of each student’s activity, made her way around the room and said to me as I watched in fascination, “The children in this class are no different than any other student on this campus – they just have their own way of learning.” And she knew what each student needed to engage and made sure that they had it.

As we all know, individuality is a gift – it is an expectation. Every square peg should NOT fit into every round hole. The children in that class taught me more than I would have learned sitting in a general education class, learning how to text a message on my iPhone without being noticed or pretend intently to listen to the lesson – these children were no different. They would have much rather been outside or playing on their electronics, just like my third grader at Emma Love Hardee. Mrs. Febles pointed her wooden spoon at one student and said, “Alright, you better pay attention,” and then laughed and said, “and they don’t like to pay attention either – I told you – they are just like any other class.”

Cebrebral palsy or “abnormal neural functioning” are no different than asthma or diabetes or any other health issue that might cause a child to require different attention – some just require more attention than others. The severity of the health condition mandates the “label” that they may receive, but they are still children – and all that the word “children” implies. That doesn’t make them different or less or less capable. The one thing I did notice that was different in that classroom than I’ve noticed in most other classes that I have visited or taught were the SMILES on every face. They were enjoying themselves, there was lively action from every adult, every child, and attention from all that made me want to participate. I found myself putting the camera down and getting on the floor to interact with two of the children without hesitation.

While she was making her cinnamon cookies, Mrs. Febles made sure that every child got to smell the cinnamon, have a turn in helping with the cookies and participate in the activity. It wasn’t quite time for the annual apple peeling contest (according to Mrs. Febles) but that was next on the agenda. Even the mannequin that greeted me at the door was smiling and wearing a pretty funky outfit – I started to see if I could switch with her…the other adults in the class included the Lead Nurse, Mary Kaywork as well as the other two individual nurses, Melissa Garbitt and Heidi Blair; the therapists included Amy Saegert and Jana Kimball. One paraprofessional that I spoke with was Laura Smith and the volunteer, Shanice Sanderson, said that her two years with this class had “been great”, as she was beaming from ear to ear.

The class is taught with a curriculum called the U.N.I.Q.U.E. Learning Curriculum, a curriculum that has age bands that are all based on the same topic each month at age appropriate levels – this month, they all learn about the Presidents. They are also daily learning with a variety of technology, including iPads, touch screens, White Boards, and the overhead screen – the ELMO – which allows the teacher to expose them to the same learning environment granted in the rest of the classrooms. The CNA students “sneak” into the classroom once a week and spend the day, gaining exposure to the students and learning that those who are different are the same as well.

While it would be unfair for me to imply that they are all completely able to understand all of the concepts, they are exposed in a variety of ways. The children are expected to take an Alternate Assessment rather than the FCAT and for some students, an assessment of this kind is completely inappropriate. Mrs. Febles has spoken – pleaded – with the superintendent, Dr. John Ruis, on multiple occasions, who himself has advocated for the children with the Department of Education at the State Level, but to no avail. I attempted to contact the Nassau County Director of Exceptional Student Education, Mrs. Pauline Gregory, but received no response.

One example of a completely inappropriate testing situation would be a question asked of the student who has traumatic brain injury due to the swimming tragedy – a science question that was asked of her with the expectation of an appropriate answer. The question was “What trimester do babies begin to form lungs?” The student is graded and Mrs. Febles’s teaching ability is graded, thus her pay is affected, by the questions that are answered similar to this. Do you know the answer to that question?

Three of the children in this classroom have earned their special high school diplomas and are in a “transition period” until they are twenty-two years of age. I would impose the question seriously – which would be of more value to this student in her life: the day that she has to independently tie her shoes or the day she has to know which trimester babies begin to form lungs?

The absolute ludicrous nature of standardized testing with a group of students in a situation such as this only demonstrate the inability of public education to provide an appropriate education for every child. If the goal is to leave “no child behind”, I would personally invite the Director of Special Education for the state of Florida to come and spend one week with a classroom such as this and then, with the best interests of the students at heart, defend why they would need to demonstrate mastery of a concept such as the trimesters when organs develop in the womb.

All of the students in the classroom have been with Mrs. Febles upon entrance to the public school system, except for two who transferred from Duval County. One of the students who has graduated, and who attended Mrs. Febles’s class one hour per day for her entire academic career, texted Mrs. Febles to let her know that, because of her and because of the value that she gained in her life, she is now entering nursing school. Mrs. Febles sees the value in each student and maximizes it. She sees through the disabilities and focuses on the possibilities.

For those who spend their days working to pay the bills or to keep food on the table, I say bravo to you. But to live a life that is joyless is unnecessary. Each of us has a calling and it was absolutely clear to me that Mrs. Febles, along with her fortunate team, have all found theirs. I left the room envious and proud to have been part of such a magnificent experience. I wanted to invite the world into an environment where people are living life the way it should be. Thank you, Mrs. Febles, and thank you to your students, for teaching ME.

Editor’s Note: Kim Taylor was born in Texas, but after fourteen years she calls Fernandina her home. Kim has a bachelor’s degree with a double major in English and psychology, a Master’s in Education and an Ed.S. in Education Leadership. She is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Previously, she worked for fourteen years at the Nassau County School Board in a variety of roles. Kim is the mother of five children and five stepchildren. Two are attending FSU, three are still at home.

Kim is taking time to pursue her love of writing and to complete a book. We thank Kim for her contribution to the Fernandina Observer.