Located in the basement of the school, Grady's disabilities division
of the Program for Exceptional Children was, until recently, a forgotten
program. Its students spent long days sitting in a small classroom, rarely
being exposed to the surrounding environment.
This situation changed, however, with the arrival last year of Mr. Paul
Cupp, who brought with him a new sense of direction for the program. "Among
other things, we're now trying to get the kids out into the regular school
and the community," he said. "We're trying to teach them some
basic life skills so that they can lead more normal lives."
Mr. Cupp has long been sure he was destined to work in this field. Before
coming to Grady, he worked for the Department of Human Resources teaching
disabled adults, until he decided that the government wasn't quite where
he wanted to be.
With disarming modesty he sat at his desk and explained his work, speaking
about a job that many might consider to require superhuman abilities. Cupp
teaches a class of children with "emotional and behavioral disorders,"
a heading that includes but is not limited to autism. Autism, a disorder
made famous by Dustin Hoffman in "Rainman," actually encompasses
much more than the most wellknown withdrawal and savant abilities. Each
child has his or her own special traits, making teaching by the normal curriculum
impossible.
Fortunately, Mr. Cupp is given almost complete autonomy in his teaching.
His only requirement is that he design for each student an Individual Education
Program which caters specifically to that student's needs. Thus, free from
constraints of the system, students are able to progress at their own individual
pace.
There are, however, some things which the students can learn as a group,
and this is where Mr. Cupp has been instrumental. Under his supervision,
the students are now being introduced to the outside world, with the integration
designed to teach them valuable life skills. For instance, the students
have worked some at a neighborhood grocery store and have also been taught
some janitorial skills.
Watching this has been both a humbling and learning experience for Mr. Cupp.
"It really teaches you how much we take for granted," he says.
"Watching these kids do something like mop, you see how many steps
there really are that we just don't think about. It makes you realize how
amazing the human mind really is."
The experience, however, is not always as pleasant as this, something which
Mr. Cupp admits. "My good days are great. My bad days even though they're
few and far between--can be really bad." He manages to keep going,
however, because of his philosophy "I don't look for really big rewards.
Money, that kind of stuff-it doesn't really matter. What makes my day are
little things; when kids remember to push in their chairs or say thank you.
That's what really counts."