The frustrating part about this assignment was not talking through the whole day. It is really hard for me not to talk during the day ,I cannot stay silent. Its impossible for me to not to talk during the day. The connections I made with Melody were that it was really hard for her and she had to struggle not to talk and we had to be in her place and feel what she was going through. Melody is bright and can deal with it but I can't. She has to go through this everyday. But I have to talk at least once through the day , its impossible for me not to talk. If I was in Melody's spot I would not be able to pull this off . The communication board is hard to hold throughout the day and can be really irritating .
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monica
11/12/2013 07:18:41 am
When I was using the communication board it was hard for me to talk. I either had to gesture it out point at it or spell it on my back of my communication board. It was sort of frustrating trying to tell people what I was saying and put things into sentences to tell people. When I was trying to tell people I was thinking that I’m probably going to take a while to explain what I’m trying to say because it was really hard to not talk when I usually talk a lot. The connections between me and melody were that when she tried to say something she would get frustrated and it seemed like the whole class was doing that including me because most people are used to talking and having conversations with their friends. Like melody everyone couldn’t talk and had to use the communication board.
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Vickram Dhillon
11/12/2013 07:20:02 am
Before using the board, I thought it was going to be a walk in the park but as the day went by, it got harder and harder. I kept my eyes on the clock waiting for it to be lunch or recess. It was so tempting to talk but was not going to go crazy like a wild beast. The most frustrating thing was when I tried to spell a word but nobody knew what it even was. If I got to redo my board and choose new words. I would. All of my words would be chosen more wisely and I would write them numbers.I could not stand not talking during class. I was very grateful when the recess or lunch bell rang because I was able talk. Now I know Melody felt before the metitalker. I wish my classmates and I could use the metitalker so I could speaking more clear. This was very challenging but it was one of those rare projects that are fun.
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Brandon
11/12/2013 07:28:58 am
Using the communication board was very troubling. It was frustrating sometimes when your trying to communicate with ms.camps or Mr.Kelly and they didn't know what you were trying to say. What i was thinking when i was trying to explain myself is why cant you understand me? It's so simple what I'm trying to tell u. Connections that i can make with melody were that sometimes if you didn't have that word on your board its hard to ask for something. For example when i was in math class when Mrs.Sorge was asking if it was correct i wanted to mash my button saying that it was 42 times 5 not 6. Another connection that i made is that I know why sometimes melody doesn't want to like answer questions because it would either be hard or it would take a lot of time. The last connection i can make is that sometimes when your trying to say something when your friend is trying to concentrate on the other person's board it takes a long time until they can see what your saying. It was like a part in the book where melody is eating lunch with her friends but whenever she wanted to talk they would cut her off in "mid-type" and change the subject.
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Chris
11/12/2013 08:00:55 am
My feelings with the communication board was very frustrating because you would always have to use the board all the time. When some words that you wanted to say but wasn't there, you would have to spell it out and would get frustrated when you had to find your letters or when you were trying to talk to somebody and they don't understand because maybe you spelled it wrong or they couldn't catch up with what your saying. It was kind of weird when you had to explain yourself because you took too long or it would be hard if you didn't know what the word you want to say but don't know how to spell. Connections I made with Melody was that it was frustrating to use it by hand if you couldn't talk and had to freak out because you tried to say something but you couldn't.
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karan
11/12/2013 08:11:07 am
When we used the communication board it was really frustrating because sometimes you do not know what you want to say and it was hard to write the words and find it. I was thinking how Melody did this. Sometimes you would point write it wrong or would point to the wrong word. The connections I made when I was using the communication board we I was really mad when people didn't what I was saying. Another connection is when I point to a word it mint be the wrong word. Plus when you were communicate the people would not get what you were saying. I wished Melody could at lest talk to people. :(
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Sufyan
11/12/2013 08:43:25 am
It was pretty hard since we could only use 50 words and it was pretty frustrating because I had to repeat some sentences because it was hard for people to understand what I was trying to tell them. I know how Melody felt when she couldn't explain herself now. It was frustrating because I couldn't talk.The connection I made to Melody was when I was trying to tell someone something without using words it took a long time because I had to point to the words and spell out the ones I didn't have and that took a very long time especially because they didn't understand what I was spelling out and I had to do it over and over again which was frustrating, But overall it was a quiet and fun experience that I never had before. I think it was good because now we all know how Melody felt when she only had her communication board.
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Harman
11/12/2013 08:49:01 am
Today was normal but some things I just couldn't say so it did get me mad a little. I didn’t have some words on it that I really needed but I tried my best. It was hard for me to say a sentence because some of the words I needed were not on my board which made me mad. I could spell the whole sentence because that would take forever. So I tried to just talk with the words on my board. When I was trying to explain to my teacher she had understood what i was trying to say fast. So that helped a lot. It took a little time for me to explain something to my friends. I made a connection to how Melody talks every day with just a board or her computer. The connection I made was that I got mad like her, when I couldn’t say something that I wanted too and melody had done that too. It was easy and hard at the same time.
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GURVIR CHANA
11/12/2013 09:03:17 am
The experience using the communication board was not fun because it was really hard to explain to people what you want to tell them.It was also frustrating because you could only right 50 words on the communication board and you didn't have some of the words you needed to explain what you where telling the person. Also it was hard using the communication board because sometimes you blurded out a word when you weren't aloud to talk. While I was trying to explain myself I was thinking how Melody was felling everyday and how she always wanted to talk. Some connections I made to Melody was how lucky we are to talk. Also how frustrating it is to not to talk. Also now I know how hard it is to use a communication board and how to explain to the person without talking. But Melody has a communication board that talks for her so it's easier for people to understand her.
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Aaron W
11/12/2013 09:17:37 am
My experience with the communication board was sill fine, except the part where it’s hard to explain a important stuff if it was a emergency. Like when that I tried to tell the homework checker to wait for me to do find my homework it’s frustrating that I can’t tell them faster than finding the homework and handing in it. But the good part was that you have to point the words out which won’t get so loud, also people won’t be able to swear. What connection I make to Melody throughout the day is that it’s really hard for people to understand us, even with with the communication board and people kept misunderstand what I meant to say and not be able to explain better about stuff that is really important and the last connection is that we both have a communication board and that it don’t have a lot of words.
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Anthony
11/12/2013 09:26:17 am
I feel like I know how Melody felt before she could talk through her special machine. Most frustrating part for me was trying to get somebody’s attention or asking a question because I would have to find the words and letters and point at them and I had to do other things like poke them if I wanted somebody to notice me. What didn’t frustrate me as much was using it to talk because I didn’t talk much that day except in lunch, recess, and the end of the day. One thing that I actually enjoyed about using the sound board is that if I needed to tell somebody something important that I don’t want to say out loud I could point at my words and letters and they would be able to understand. What would of frustrated me is that it took a lot more time to use the soundboard than if I were to talk and if I were to have a question about work I would have to point out what I wanted to say and that would make me lose a lot of time. It takes a long time to talk and explain things and if I couldn’t find my sound board I wouldn’t be able to say anything. Like Melody we were limited to a small amount of words and if I didn’t have a word on my sound board I would have to point out the letters or try to use the words I had and try to make somebody understand what I was trying to say. If didn’t have my sound board with me I couldn’t say anything and that’s similar to Melody because if she didn’t have her soundboard with her she wouldn’t be able to say anything either because she couldn’t talk.
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Livia
11/12/2013 09:51:35 am
Today when we had to use our communicating board to include for our couple of following assignments for the book “Out of My Mind” about an extraordinary girl who is disabled to walk, so is pushed on a wheelchair. Not being able to talk unless she has her communicating board which was very challenging and frustrating to use. The part that frustrated me the most was when I didn’t have a particular word and then I had to spell it out, then someone would get lost in the middle of when I am pointing out letters to spell a word. It was super hard to explain myself to people I just wanted to give up and just speak, people didn’t understand what I was saying and started to get confused. When I wanted to talk to my friends normally was difficult because it is slower to explain what you’re saying by just pointing into some words and letters. Connections that I make to Melody throughout the day was that I experienced how hard it was not to speak and to use a communicating board, I felt like I wanted to speak. Which is what Melody feels because it’s very hard not to speak because to speak words is very important in life, it’s difficult to explain what you’re saying, to ask questions, and most of all expressing what you feel. I was very to share this experience as Melody did. It was frustrating, stressful, and hard but I made it through the day.
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Navraj
11/12/2013 09:57:51 am
Three words. I HATED IT. Whenever I wanted to talk to my friends, they wouldn't understand what I was trying to say to them! If I tried to spell the words, they'd forget the letters! And in volleyball, we couldn't call the ball! I ran into Vickram while chasing the ball! I also found it hard to ask questions. It took too long to ask the questions. I kept thinking that if I try not to communicate, the day will pass by quicker. But instead, every time someone says something to me, I had to respond. So the entire day, the only thought going through my head was, I can't wait until the final bell rings. Every time I tried to explain something, I felt like yelling, why don't you understand!?!? Before I thought it was hard for Melody, but now I know exactly how she felt. She probably keeps on hoping that she would some how get her voice back, because after today, I am now very thankful for having a voice. I wouldn't ever want to lose my voice, because I lost it after one day. I can't possibly imagine how it would be to have never said a single word.
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Jovan
11/12/2013 09:58:43 am
The most frustrating thing for me was the inability to form complex sentences and explain what I was thinking. The thing that was going through my mind every time I tried to ask something was confusion. I just couldn't figure out how to 'word' my sentence. Every time I tried to talk through my board, I was frustrated because it was hard to communicate through even the most rudimentary forms of communication. I made connections with Melody today. The first was the frustration with not being able to communicate, to have a vast knowledge of words, but not being able to use them. The second was not being able to talk to my friends. Not being able to just chat with them was extremely frustrating. Whenever I tried to talk to them, they didn't understand what I was getting at. I'm just standing there, getting mad because I can't talk to them. Today was an interesting and unique day, and it was very frustrating. I hope I never have to deal with that again.
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JOHN BANGA-BANGA
11/12/2013 11:22:44 am
For me honestly I did not find it frustrating because outside and lunch we were allowed to talk but Melody could not talk at all, well it was frustrating because we had only 50 words and people wanted to spell things from the alphabet and that was so confusing. I only liked the quietness in the class. I wanted to talk so much but I realized how Melody was feeling so I tried my hardest not to talk it was really hard in Math, when it was the science test I did not ask to much questions but it was hard to ask questions I bet because you need important words like Producers, consumers, etc. When you had to spell the word using the alphabet you wanted to go fast but then you will be looking for one letter and literally it will take about a minute to look up a letter. The connections were that we had feelings we wanted to share with friends but then you could not so that is the only connection I have with Melody.
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Divya
11/12/2013 12:19:32 pm
The part that was most frustrating was when people didn't understand what you were saying or if what you said didn't make sense. What I was thinking when I was explaining was that they probably won't understand or they would just get mad and they would walk away. The connections that I made with Melody throughout the day was that she was probably really frustrated, some other people probably didn't know what to say or do. Everybody also thought that she was being weird and I know that I felt really weird. I guess that's because I'm not used to it and everybody else is also not used to it as well.
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maggie
11/12/2013 12:42:13 pm
My experience was actually fun it was hard but a got frustrated and when I had frustrated I felt like freaking out and doing a tornado like melody does and she can't control it. It was so hard not to say anything and not to say names and the way I try not to talk is thinking about melody.I was thinking about my life and about how I been doing in school and sleeping.I have connections that when I wasn't talking and I can't think about a lot because you have to think about how to spell things and it is hard to make sentences.And thought out the day I thought about having a life with out talking that is very scary.
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Riya
11/12/2013 12:54:45 pm
I'd have to admit- not talking for that amount of time was a bit of a challenge for me. It was very different for me because I talk every single day. I had so many things I wanted to say, so many thoughts. It was pretty frustrating for me. When I had tried explaining something to someone, I had to use my board. They usually got what I was saying, but when they didn't , I got pretty frustrated. Not being able to talk, express feelings, explain, etc. all can make someone frustrated, it did for me. When I tried to explain something, I was thinking how I was going to explain it. What words could I use on my word board, concentrating on how to spell words, what gestures I could make, hand posting and pointing. I had to think and concentrate on all of that at once, just to ask or explain something. I made very similar connections to melody. One connection is that we both couldn't talk. Another connection was that we both had some source of communicating. We both got frustrated at one point or another. Both of us had lots to say but had a hard time expressing it. I learned how melody felt, not being able to talk and having a hard time expressing thoughts. Words, sentences, ideas, thoughts, all floating around in my mind. I actually thought It was kind of fun at the beginning, but later it started getting harder. I learned a lot from doing that activity. I learned that not talking is harder than it seems, communicating with a board is difficult, and much more. Mostly I learned how melody felt and everyone else who can't talk.
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Sanam
11/12/2013 02:11:03 pm
Not talking for a whole day was pretty complicated for me since I talk every single day, changes are hard to adjust to. Some words that I expected to be on my communication board weren't even on there, so I had to spell it on the back of my board. The person I would communicate to would also get confused because pointing at words and making a sentence takes a lot of time. I honestly admire the kids that can't talk verbally with anyone and that to permanently. It was irritating that most people around the school could talk accept for us. The connection I made with Melody is that I experienced how Melody and other kids felt, also we both used the communication board. The tough part was that if someone didn't understand what you were saying you would have to point at the same words all over again. This was a good lesson to learn so that kids experience what kids like Melody go through.
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Karmin
11/12/2013 02:47:22 pm
Using the communication board really changed the way I will now see anybody, whether they are disabled or able-bodied. I will not judge a book by its cover again. I never put myself in their shoes and saw myself from their perspective. I have never been able to understand the obstacles a disability can throw at you especially from an intellectual level. This experience I will treasure. I have to admit I sometimes did talk throughout the day due to frustration. I wanted to say something and the words on my communication board just won’t cope. I felt helpless nobody knew what I wanted to say. Thoughts need words. Words need a voice. All that ran through my mind was how hard it would be for someone like Melody who is disabled. For the record, I don’t think that we really got to experience how difficult it was to a complete extent because almost all of us would point to something and mouth the rest of the words we wanted to saw. Melody had said that she felt trapped inside a fish bowl and today I did. Everybody uses words to express themselves. But I was unable to do so today. Not being able to talk showed me the power of a single word. I bet most people don’t realize the real power of words. Imagine if Melody was able to say a single word, the significance it would be. Using the board took me to a whole new dimension where I thought about the words she had said and the emotions she must have to deal with. I love the smell of my mother’s hair after she washes it. I love the feel of the scratchy stubble on my father’s face before he shaves. But I've never been able to tell them she says. The thought of it takes me to a dark place. Love, affection, care how would she have shown her true feelings? There were words swirling around my head and I had no voice to express them. I felt extreme frustration not being able to communicate with my teacher and tell her that I liked her to explain our assignment again because I didn't catch on to what she had said or talk to my friends. I hear others talking and whispering and it was uncomfortable. I felt like I was the odd one out. Other than generally having the connection with Melody because she had a communication board and so did I, there were other connections I felt and that was through feeling and both of us wanted to say something but were unable to so we had to fight for what we wanted. Sometimes our fight ended with something that was not at all attended or sometimes there was someone who actually understood you. For Melody it was her special education teacher, her aide Catherine, her loving parents and the uncompromising Mrs. V. For me I really think it was my friend because when I would try to tell her something she won’t understand at first, but she didn't lose hope on me and just move on, she took the time to understand what I wanted to say. Today has been an experience to remember and it taught me to never take anything for granted. We all scream and shout at our parents and beg them to get this toy and that toy. Melody is unable to share her love with her family. It is not always going to be a smooth track through life without any curve-balls. Melody was born with cerebral palsy and she has to face it but she looks at the positive side and makes the most of it. You and I for instance are lucky we don’t have to face such an obstacle, but have been given so the luck we don’t understand the true colours of what we are blessed with.
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Ria
11/12/2013 03:15:59 pm
The experience today at school when we had to not talk and just use the communication board was both fun but frustrating at the same time. Because there was a lot of words that I needed to say but they weren't on my communication board. (Ex: When I needed to say the word "pencil" it wasn't in my communication board. The words I had on my communication board was words you actually say all the time like: "The, Yes, No, Is, etc." Also another frustrating part about this experience was when you didn't have the word on your communication and you had to spell the word instead was very frustrating because this morning I was talking to Monica and I needed to ask her a question but one of the words from the question wasn't in my communication board. So I had to spell it instead but the word was too long so she didn't know what the word I was spelling out for her. So I had to write the whole question on a blank piece of line paper. But the fun part of the experience was kind of fun because all of us got to experience something new we hadn't tried like this. Also we experienced what Melody had to experience. My connections I have with Melody was it must've been very frustrating for her when she needed a word to say but it wasn't on her board instead she had to spell it and the person doesn't know what the word was is very frustrating. That was my experience of not talking the whole day.
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Gurkaran
11/12/2013 03:35:56 pm
I found not being able to talk a very difficult. All day the only words words I could use were the ones on my communication board. If I wanted to say something else no one was able to understand because it was so difficult to explain. I wish I was allowed to have more words on my board. After doing this I realized how Melody must feel about not being able to speak. I found it horrible not being able to say exactly what I was thinking after only one day, I can only imagine how Melody feels about not be able to speak ever. Now I know why Melody got so frustrated when she was trying to explain something and people didnt understand. Before I use to think its not their fault they didnt understand but now even though I know its not their fault I still felt really stressed out. I hope I never have to go through this again.
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Priya
11/12/2013 09:28:01 pm
Using the communication board was really fun and hard because you get to challenge yourself if you can do it or not. It was hard because I wanted to say something soo badly, but spelling it out would take forever. In gym it was hard because you need to ask a friend to pass your volleyball if it went towards them and I almost blurted out my friends name. If your teacher asks you a question and you know the answer, but you just can't spell it out because its like sentences long, now that was really frustrating to me. It was really hard to explain myself to my my friends and my teacher because I had to point to the letters which was hard for me because I kept forgetting where each letter was. I now understand how difficult it was for Melody to communicate with others. I have a connection with Melody. I got mad because I couldn't say what was in my mind because I couldn't spell it out. That day was pretty hard for me.
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arman
11/13/2013 02:15:51 am
ahh I thought to myself will I ever be able to point to the boared fast enough for my teacher and friends to understand. I finally saw three words on the boared that I wanted to say "I know write". The bell had wrang for recess I rushed out if the door in exitement of talking to my friends outside. I said"let's go play a game by the playground' to my friends that were waiting for me. After the bell had wrang again for math I said my last words. The rest of my day went well. I talked juring lunch and band. After school I finally could talk and talk. I felt very bad for Melody she could not talk or move around much. Melody never gaveup. I tried to point and talk with the board and that was hard so now I know how Melody really felt.
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