Reflective Essay: The Buddy Program

Throughout lower and middle school at lab, the buddy program was always my favorite. I loved the connections and friendships it made, and I was always excited about the challenge of being a big buddy. Because I was always one of the quieter, gentler people in my class, I was often paired with the shyest child in the class we had been partnered with. I felt as if I had the potential to begin to understand them, maybe even a bit more than some of classmates, because I had been very similar to them. I had started out at Lab afraid of teachers and nervous around my peers, something I was constantly drawing on as I tried to make my buddy open up. I was paired with a preschooler who had a fear of older buddies, as his past experience with them had
been mostly negative. He was on the autism spectrum, something that, as I fifth grader, I had never really dealt with before. I did not know his different boundaries, his different schedules, and his various ways of communicating, some of which were nonverbal. My teacher, Ms. Lesher, told me all that she could remember of him; that he was fond of elephants. Determined to make a good first impression, I drew him an elephant before we would first meet, which is what made our entire friendship work. I know that working with children is more than drawing them pictures, more than keeping them entertained; it is one of the hardest jobs in the world, with something different everyday. Even so, I have always loved spending time with younger kids, such as buddies, or watching the children of family member’s, and I am excited to have an opportunity to fully take on the challenge.