Not sure if I feel like a "ninja warrior" per se, but I think I know how those contestant-victims feel looking down that course at a variety of obstacles and challenges. Virt Camp so far feels a bit like standing on the podium before the starting bell rings. We're here, we can now see what skills we'll have to flex and expand on to get through, and we know we have a year to hit that buzzer at the end. It doesn't feel insurmountable yet, but I have a feeling that it might shortly.
Virt Camp seems to suggest so far that we're going to be creating a microcosm with our learning here in order to eventually reflect that structure on the world. We're changing ourselves over the next year in order to learn how to affect that same change in the world when we leave. We're learning ways and gaining the means to apply the tools around us in our learning so that we can turn around and teach others to do the same. I suppose this is supported by the fact that some OMET alumni tend to come back and teach the program.
I'll admit to questioning my value and purpose here, mostly due to the prevalence of teachers within this group. As a behavioral therapist in a K-2 primary autism class, I do my own share of teaching, but it seems a bit removed from the experiences that so many others have been sharing. I think I want to teach after this program, and conversations with teachers here today have reinforced that idea to a degree, but I know I'll have a lot more to think about by the end of Virt Camp alone. At least for now, I can try to bring my unique work and background to enrich the experiences of others.
