Introduction:

My name is Kelsey Lawrence and the name of the internship site is called Jacob’s Ladder.

Jacob’s Ladder is an SAIS-SACS accredited, SB-10 approved private school, serving students

Pre-K through twelfth grade with any kind of neurological disorder- from down syndrome,

cerebral palsy and brain injury to a range of learning disabilities and genetic disorders- although

60% of our students have been diagnosed with Autism. Grounded in science, guided by love, and

delivered with an unwavering commitment to see beyond diagnosis, our intensive,

individualized, research-based approach works. Jacob’s Ladder currently serves students at two

campuses in the metro-Atlanta area. The main campus for Jacob’s Ladder is located in Roswell,

GA, and in the fall of 2015, a satellite campus was opened in the Buckhead area. Founding

Director Amy O’Dell purchased the 4-acre wooded property in 2009 and renovated the old

farmhouse into the main campus of Jacob’s Ladder. During the years following, Jacob’s Ladder

has grown from a single house, to a full-fledge campus consisting of three separate buildings and

a variety of points of interest. Jacob’s Ladder believes that great potential lies within each child,

regardless of diagnosis. We have built a school that serves and educates children utilizing an

intensive array of interventions, helping each child maximize that potential.

Jacob’s Ladder mission is “Our mission is clear, and our promise is steadfast-We believe that

every brain is capable of new growth and change. No matter what the condition or diagnosis

given we know that the brain can change based on the input and stimulation it receives. Our job

is to provide that intense interaction and stimulation- consistently and daily. Our mission is to

believe in the potential of each child who enters our doors, while readily and lovingly

expressing that belief. That is who we are.” The core values are hope, truth, and love. Hope is a

cherished trust in transformation and a life lived through possibilities. Truth is integrity in action,

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character and speech based on what is accurate and honest. Love always hopes and perseveres,

regardless of circumstances and is a choice we make to value and honor another with our actions.

Description of Experiences:

My role as an intern varied a lot. But mainly, my role was to observe. I observed many different

teachers with their students whether that was one on one or one to two or more students. The best

part of my experience was sharing it with Allie and Hope and also meeting lots of new people. I

am very shy at first, but during my internship I felt so welcomed from the minute I started. The

most fun I had was having those cherishing moments with students and teachers and laughing

together. Every day is a new day full of surprises whether those are good are bad, you just have

to learn from them. To me, the most motivating part was to keep seeing progress in the students

and always come with a smile on your face. I also loved doing taste of love, which is the bakery

class for some of the students. It was really fun watching the students learn how to bake and

eating delicious baked goods every day. The most rewarding part about this internship would be

that your not alone and that knowing other teachers are always there to support is very

comforting. Another rewarding part about this internship is that I am impacting the student’s

lives by helping them or talking to them every day or even teaching them. The most challenging

part of the internship is handling students if they have a behavior and that could be at any given

moment. It is overwhelming, stressful, and I feel lost at times, but I know that is all part of it.

Another challenging aspect is driving an hour to work everyday and back home. Living so far

away can be challenging and can be draining especially working all day with special needs. I try

to be really positive and know that everyday I drive to Jacob’s Ladder I am changing a student’s

life. Now that I am about to start soon, I need to be able to have that experience of being with my

student one on one and doing program work. I wish more towards the middle of my internship

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that I was with a student one on one more instead of just observing all the time. I can’t think of

anything I would do less of at my internship.

Perception and Evaluation of the Internship:

I honestly did not know what to expect when I picked this place for my internship. I don’t think

this internship met my personal expectations at all. I have never worked with the special needs

population so I really wanted to work in the nursery where I have lots of experience in. I am glad

I have observed many different learning environments on campus, so that way I am prepared

when I start as a teacher here in the fall. Yes, Jacob’s Ladder was very open to my ideas and

contributions. They were very flexible with anything and so helpful, especially my supervisor.

Aubry, our supervisor, was so awesome! She was always on top of things, always busy and

could always make time for me if I ever needed to talk to her. At times I needed to talk to her

and I would text her if we could meet up and she would meet me that second. Aubry always

checked in with us and made sure that we were comfortable at where we were being placed for

that day or week. I feel like nothing about my experience could have been improved. This

internship was really worth it and I had so much fun being apart of the Jacob’s Ladder family.

Yes, I would in a heartbeat recommend this setting to future interns! So many Georgia College

students have interned at Jacob’s Ladder in the past and are now current teachers. For me,

Jacob’s Ladder knew I had no experience with special needs, yet they still accepted me and

trained me on how to work with special needs. I have learned so much about this population and

how the brain is such a big part of the human body and how awesome that the brain can change

with consist input. I also have learned so much about myself during this internship. So yes, I

would encourage interns to try out Jacob’s Ladder because everyone is so welcoming and

everyday I am surrounded by the most incredible people I have ever been around. The job is

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demanding, but also so worth it with all the people who work at Jacob’s Ladder. Yes, I would

consider a career in a setting just like this. I a so grateful to be able to impact the student’s lives

and I love working with children. I have always wanted to work with children I just didn’t know

what career path my degree would led me in. I never thought years ago that I would be working

with special needs and I am glad this door opened for me and I stepped out of my comfort zone

because I love it.

Internship Preparedness:

Academically, I feel like I was not prepared for this placement at all. I knew nothing about

special needs and my degree didn’t teach me anything about that population. If my major was

early childhood or special education, then I feel like I would have been more prepared. I felt the

most prepared in communicating with others; I am not shy if other people initiate the

conversation first. I felt prepared about hand washing and sanitation because that was a big deal

in my Public Health degree and it is also a big deal at Jacob’s Ladder. I felt least prepared when

not knowing what to do if a student has a behavior or how to redirect a student in certain

situations. The courses I used the most were anatomy, introduction to public health and

community health. For anatomy they use and talk a lot about the brain and also certain functions

of the body. For introduction to public health, it was helpful to already know things on hand

washing and important sanitation. For community health, it was helpful to understand a certain

population and to continue to grow and learn from them. In these courses the skills that were

relevant to my internship placement was communication, involvement, group work, and working

well with others. I feel like GCSU/ School of Health and Human Performance can teach courses

on all different populations so that way Public Health students can have experience in any type

of population they may encounter. A Public Health student may not know what population they

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want to work with so working with that population beforehand can be good exposure for real

life.

Internship Performance:

The new skills and knowledge that I have gained from this internship include being able to work

with students who are special needs. Also learning that even though a student may be nonverbal,

they can still hear you. I have learned so much about doing program work with a student one on

one. I have learned that if a student is rocking they are seeking vestibular input, meaning they

need to go jump on the trampoline or swing. I have learned how to do deep pressure, oral motor

skills, and fine motor skills to awaken those muscles and bring awareness to them. I feel like I

have learned so much in these short few months for this internship. Yes, I was satisfied with my

performance on assignments, and the rest of my coursework. I did procrastinate a lot for this

course, but I get things done by doing it that way. I met every deadline that was due and thought

I had pretty efficient time management. I would rate the overall quality of my work a 9 out of a

10. I do my best on everything I turn in and know that I do make mistakes and am not perfect at

times. But other than that, I think I have always been a great student with always submitting

things on time and following directions. Some skills I could sharpen on are communication and

how to communicate to students in an understanding tone for them. Sometimes, I say stuff that

might sound confusing to them so I have to take a step back and correct myself. I could also be a

leader at times more and take initiative instead of others doing it for me. In order to be successful

as possible with this new job at Jacob’s Ladder I have to continuously work hard each and

everyday and show up with a positive attitude. The students can tell if you are not in a good

mood and can read our body language really well. The student’s also need to do their best work

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and in order for them to do that, as a teacher, they need a role model leader who can push them

with positive encouragement even when times can be difficult.

Personal/ Professional Insights/ Benefits:

This internship has really brought out confidence in myself. It also has made me appreciate

the small things in life and I am really grateful to be healthy. This internship really has changed

my whole perspective of everything. I am so blessed to be apart of such an amazing staff and

surrounding by uplifting and loving people and students on a daily basis. Doing hands on

program work with a student one on one can be very difficult at first and nerve wracking, but the

only way I will learn is by making mistakes and getting out of my comfort zone. I have grown

tremendously just this week alone by having my own student and working with him. I have

grown in my confidence as well, because before I used to get nervous and scared that I might

direct a student wrong or say something the wrong way. This internship has been demanding, but

I am so proud of how much I have learned and grown from this amazing experience. I have

gained appreciation for all the teachers at Jacob’s Ladder and continuously to work hard each

and every day. I again have gained so much knowledge from all the teachers that I have observed

and how helpful they have been to me throughout this internship. I also again feel so blessed to

be able to work with the special needs population and I feel like it takes a special person to be a

teacher at Jacob’s Ladder, because not everyone has the patience to work with these types of

students. I never thought that I could have the skills or confidence to be able to do what the

teachers do at Jacob’s Ladder. I just never really believed in myself and that makes me sad that I

thought that about myself. Over these past months I can’t believe I ever doubted myself because

I know I can do anything that I put my mind too. Feeling all different types of emotions when

starting this job is completely normal and scary at the same time. I wouldn’t have been able to

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achieve where I am at now without all those amazing teachers who helped me and pushed me

along the way and for this incredible internship opportunity.