A school for special children located in BF Homes, Parañaque, Maryridge School has become a second home for pre-adolescent and adolescent students with exceptionalities like autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), mental retardation, cerebral palsy, etc.
With its curriculum geared towards creating independent individuals out of these children, Maryridge School has become a place where its students have found friends, teachers, parents, and even yayas who accept and understand them – disabilities and all.
"There was a time when there were no classes because it was a holiday and my daughter threw a tantrum because she wanted very much to be in school. I asked her teachers to call her and we had to explain to her that school would be back the next day and that except for weekends, there are also holidays when there would be no classes," shares a parent.
"It is a place where my son has found friends. In his old school, he was looked down on because he has a mental disability. People ridiculed him. But here at Maryridge, they are all at level with one another, they share the same likes and dislikes, music, TV shows – that is, despite their disabilities," says another parent.
In special education, acceptance is a very big word. While the world outside, especially here in the Philippines, has not fully learned to look past a person with obvious mental disability without staring or doing a double take, special schools are trying their best to create an environment where students feel a sense of belonging and where they do not feel different from the rest.
"Initially, it was not really our main thrust to create such a warm, accepting environment for the children. It happened naturally, perhaps because they are of the same age group, the age when, just like regular people, they look for belongingness, friends, and fun," explains Maryridge School president Gilbert Y. Leonor, also the father of 18-year-old student Jamie.
For another parent, Maryridge School came as the answer to her prayers.
"My son was already becoming too big for his school because he would be 17 soon and we were looking for a school to send him. We went to church one day and saw the signage for the school because Maryridge is located beside the Presentation of Child Jesus Church in BF Homes. Obviously, it was an answered prayer," says Mrs. Cruz.
Today, her son, who has been diagnosed with autism, belongs to the prevocational class. He interacts well with his classmates mainly because they belong to the same group in terms of age, height, and other physical characteristics.
This school has created a niche of sorts in special education. While there are a lot of special schools for young children, there are a few for older kids. What happens then is that parents are at a loss as to where to bring them next. Some are forced to go into private tutorial, which defeats the purpose because they cannot be integrated with other kids. On the other hand, some are enrolled in regular schools, which are not equipped to deal with special kids.
Catering to older special children thus inspired Maryridge School to shift to a more functional curriculum where children not only learn academics but also adapting well to their environment through learning practical life skills such as food preparation, taking care of themselves, safety skills, handling money (functional accounting skills), and other vocational skills such as crafts making, sewing, baking, and others.
"Our curriculum is functional. Part of the students’ routine is to perform household chores like cleaning, washing, and cooking. They go to the supermarket to buy groceries, prepare/cook snack food, and sell these to their schoolmates and teachers. They are also taught gardening and engage in a variety of arts and crafts activities like pottery, sewing, painting, making picture frames, etc., alongside lessons in music, dance, and drama. But on top of these, we want to work eventually – and that’s what we are trying to emphasize and do at Maryridge School," Leonor adds.
Part of the vision of Maryridge School thus is to equip its students with skills and training for possible employment in the future.
While more and more children are being diagnosed, identified, and even labeled as mentally disabled, the opportunities for them to gain competitive employment to eventually become independent have not increased proportionally. Those employed are mostly confined to shelter workshops, which generally give low pay and harbor minimal interaction among the workers and their abled peers.
However, it has been proven that the mild and moderately mentally disabled can be trained and can be competitively employed. With proper education, training, motivation. and reinforcement, the mentally disabled can adapt to the working environment and be competent workers.
In its program for pre-adolescent special children, Maryridge School incorporates not just shelter workshop but also actual work in disabled-friendly companies. The adolescent special children are also paid salaries for their work.
"I think this is the goal of every parent of a special child, to be assured or even given a glimmer of home that their children can make something out of themselves and will not be a burden to others. This is what I hope for my daughter and I know I share this with other parents. Putting them through a curriculum like Maryridge School’s is a good start. But putting them in a place where they are obviously happy, where they feel they belong is also a great, great plus," Leonor ends.
This summer, Maryridge School extends this tact with a summer program. The program for adolescent special children (from 12 years old and above) will include training in practical life skills, leisure activities, and actual work activities. For assessment and inquiries about the summer and regular program, call 829-1871 or 0917-520-8313 and look for Teacher Elvie or visit Maryridge School at 64 F. Cruz St., BF Parañaque (beside the Presentation of Child Jesus Church along Aguirre Avenue.