By Jenny Johnston
A sea of shapes and colors
surrounds the room. Dimly lit candles replace the harsh fluorescent light to
give the room an intimate aroma. On one side is a long shelf filled with
hundreds of exciting toys, waiting patiently to be played with. Pinto beans,
building blocks, sidewalk chalk and paints. Picture books, coloring books,
bubbles and games. It’s a Playskool and Fisher Price heaven.
Piano music
is softly playing in the background. Wooden crosses and pictures and paintings
of Jesus decorate the walls.
A young
girl slowly walks in the room. Her name is Paige. She has a toothy grin and
gives an adult a big squeeze hug. She makes her way towards to the shelves and
gets out a container with a million crayons inside and a coloring book. When
she opens the bin, the smell of wax penetrates the air as she digs among the
thousands of colors to find her favorite one. The kids start to arrive.
Finally the last man comes in. The teacher. He
has been setting up a fun game of bubbles outside for the kids. He looks around
at his students and is pleased he had a big turnout.
This man is
Jim Cleary. The students all have special needs. Cleary is the instructor of
the SPRED classes, Special Religious Education for the Developmentally
Disabled, at St. Charles Borromeo Parish.
A SPRED class
The SPRED
class is designed to provide a personal, religious experience to people with
developmental disabilities. At St. Charles, the SPRED class serves kids ages
six and up and is the only diocese in the whole metropolitan area to serve a
large group of mixed ages.
Cleary spends a significant amount
of preparation for his SPRED class. He and the aids meet the night before class
to set up and go over lesson plans. He is also the photographer for St. Charles and
photographs SPRED and other church functions. The SPRED class meets every other
Thursday night during the school year.
All of the kids have arrived. Some
older, some really young. Some of them can’t talk. Some of them can’t walk.
Some are shy and some are aggressive. Between their differences, they all
acknowledge each other in a friendly manner.
Cleary
welcomes his students and surprises the kids with the containers of bubbles
outside. The kids are ecstatic as they rush out.
Eight kids
have attended class this evening. Paige, 20, Kristin, 17, Henry M., 15,
Vincent, 18, Henry, 13, Nick, 27, Caleb, 10 and Ann, middle-aged adult. Four
additional teacher aids also help Cleary with the kids.
The kids
are enjoying the bubbles as if Christmas came nine months early.
“I POP IT!”
“Oh dats a
nice one Jhem!”
“AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
“Look at
mine look at mine! It’s, it’s it’s *gasp* SOO BIG!”
“I got
money in my wallet from my birthday. You wanna blow bubbles with me?”
“Hey hey who’s
blowing bubbles?” says Cleary.
When Cleary
is around the kids in his SPRED class, his inner child is revealed.
“I can be
five up there,” says Cleary. “I’ll sometimes come home covered in play-dough or
they will stick pieces of paper in my glasses. I can be a kid again.”
Cleary and the kids continue to
blow bubbles on each other, chase them and see who can make the biggest one.
Cleary multi-tasks as he blows bubbles and takes pictures of the kids in
action. The kids are vigorously waving and smiling. They are so happy they can
barely speak, only laugh and giggle.
The kids of SPRED
The kids in Cleary’s SPRED class
all have a special place in his heart despite their physical and mental
disabilities.
“My kids
have all sorts of things,” says Cleary. “Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome,
Autism, Cerebral palsy, some have speech and others have to sign.”
Cleary is
understanding of each kid’s disability and therefore molds his lessons and
activities around their wants and needs.
“They are
so creative,” says Cleary. “I use a lot of sensory objects, something
touchy-feely for them like play-dough. It’s good for them and they have so much
fun. It usually gets loud in there. I don’t care. The rules say we have to be
quiet…psh.”
Cleary decides it is time to take
the kids inside and calm them down before they start their lesson. Calm down
time for the kids involve each kid sitting at the table with an individual
activity.
Henry gets
out the Super Bucket of play-dough and makes shapes out of stencils and cookie
cutters. Kristin is building the tallest tower ever with brightly colored
building blocks. Paige is making designs in sand art. Caleb took matchbox sized
cars and trucks, buried them in a bin of pinto beans and is digging them up.
Nick is playing with Legos, Henry M. is playing with magnets, Ann is looking at
SPRED pictures, and Vincent is trying to sign that his Spring Break starts on
Friday.
“TOMMIYOW”
he finally shouts.
Once the
kids are calmed down, Cleary begins his lesson. He blows out the candles around
the room and dims the lights. He then lights 13 individual candles and hands
each one to the kids and the aids. He opens his laptop with a Royals cover on
the back and plays ‘Carry your candle’ while the kids are suppose to be quiet
in prayer.
The silence
is short lived. Giggling, laughing and smiling eventually claim the kids.
“I so
happy,” says Kristin.
What Cleary teaches the kids
Cleary tells the kids to get up
with their candles and carry them over to the Holy Room. The kids obediently
follow directions, carry their candles and place them on flat mirrors so they
will all reflect. The Holy Room is right behind the table. It is a small circle
with couches and chairs. Each is lined with poufy pillows. In the center is a
small table with a bible, an Easter candle and two branches. One branch is a
plain stick. The other has buds and is almost ready to bloom.
Cleary
explains to the kids how spring is approaching by showing them the two
branches. He takes the dull stick and connects it with Lent.
“Right now in
church, all the colors are dull, and there is no holy water, only dead sticks
like this,” says Cleary. “Soon we will have Easter! At Easter time, on the
beginning of Holy Saturday service, we will light the Easter candle.”
He takes
the Easter candle from the table and lights it.
“Then
Father Ken is going to take this candle and lift it high above his head and
walk in just like we did earlier with our candles,” says Cleary. “The music is
happier and we will sing the hallelujahs.”
All eyes
are fixated on Cleary with admiration and curiosity. He plays part of the
hallelujah for the kids to hear.
“That’s
what we hear in church,” says Cleary. “Now let us all hold hands and pray.”
Cleary says
a prayer and then goes around to everyone in the circle, holds both of their
hands and says:
“Jesus says
to you tonight: You are my light.”
Cleary has
gone the extra step to be accommodating towards each kid. He shows them the
importance of God and how they can become involved with the church. He has had
special needs kids help serve mass and become Eucharistic Ministers and Altar
Boys. Cleary also helps kids through the process of receiving their sacraments
such as First Communion, Confirmation and Baptism.
“They are
all God’s children,” says Cleary. “Whether they are disabled or not.”
The kids start to grow antsy from
sitting too long, so Cleary plays more church music and the kids get up and
start dancing. They all clap when the song ends.
Seeing how passionate and
understanding the kids are about God and Jesus is inspiring to Cleary.
“Seeing
them pray has increased my prayer life,” says Cleary.
“I get an overall satisfaction
knowing that they understand there is a god who loves them just as much as
anybody else and they are just as important,” says Cleary. “They are normal to
me. I don’t see any difference. Sometimes you don’t know what they are going to
say and some of the time they just don’t know any better.”
He makes it his own goal for the
kids to understand religion and realize how special they really are. His SPRED
class is organized and laid back. He creates an environment so the kids are
learning and having fun at the same time.
It is
almost time to go, but Cleary has one more surprise for the kids. He has
ordered pizza. For the remaining time, the kids chomp on their pizza and play
more games until their parents or relatives show up and they have to leave.
“It’s their own special place,”
says Cleary. “No brothers and sisters are allowed. We rarely get out on time…I
don’t care. I lead a simple life with them and like to keep things simple.”
Cleary is once again busy serving
pizza, cleaning up, getting Kleenexes for runny noses, greeting the parents and
telling the kids good-bye. His dedication and hard work made for a fun and
successful SPRED class.
How Cleary got involved with SPRED
Cleary’s
hard work has been much appreciated with the program. He has been at SPRED for
15 years and 10 of those years he was in charge.
“I get more
out of it than what I put in,” says Cleary.
He has been
with St. Charles
for 22 years. Back in the day, St.
Charles was a test site for the SPRED program. The
Knights of Colombus is the only religious charity which funds the program.
Cleary is pleased how supportive the parish and the school is towards the
program.
“People are
afraid to work with children with disabilities,” says Cleary. “Our pastor,
Father Ken is very supportive. He is a great pastor and is just wonderful with
the kids.”
SPRED
believes developmentally disabled people have the God-given right to nourish their
spiritual life, as well as the opportunity to share their gifts and give glory
to God. The program also provides for sacramental preparation.
Cleary’s own disabilities
What makes Cleary even more qualified for being in charge of
SPRED is because he has disabilities of his own which have challenged him
throughout part of his adult life.
Cleary has
had to go through numerous surgeries for multiple problems. He had to have back
surgery because his back is full of arthritis. He also had no spinal fluid.
“I couldn’t
bend or do anything,” says Cleary. “Now, overall is good. I am able to move,
bend and actually do things.”
Additionally,
about 10 years ago Cleary was diagnosed with Menieres Disease. According to
Webmd.com Menieres Disease is a “disorder of the inner ear that affects hearing
and balance. It causes sudden attacks of vertigo, (a spinning sensation),
tinnitus (a loud ringing in the ears), and a loss of hearing which may become
permanent.”
“I got it
at work one day,” says Cleary. “All of a sudden I was experiencing vertigo. The
floor was up and the ceiling was down.”
Cleary had
a bad left ear. He continued to have attacks at work, the mall even more
frightening, several times when he was driving. Not knowing what it was, he
went to see a doctor and got a shunt put in his ear, hoping the attacks would
stop.
During an
ice storm the attacks started happening again, so Cleary gave the go ahead to
the surgeon to cut off the 8th nerve. It’s the balance nerve outside
the brain which would ultimately cause him to lose all hearing in his left ear.
Cleary also has no balance on his left side and walks sideways.
Currently
Cleary wears two hearing aids, but does not let his disability negatively
affect him.
“It hasn’t
stopped me from doing something,” says Cleary. It doesn’t bother me at all.
It’s all a part of me being me.”
What the kids learn from Cleary
Just like Cleary doesn’t let his disabilities stop him from
doing anything, his special needs kids don’t let their disabilities stop them
from doing what they want.
“They are
capable of anything, just like we are,” says Cleary. “They love to play and
have fun, sit around and tease each other and laugh just like anybody else.”
The kids
look up to Cleary and admire the attention he gives them. They actually do
learn and retain information in SPRED class. The kids equally have as much fun
as Cleary and appreciate everything he does for them. Cleary has made a strong
impact on these kids’ lives in religion and by just being a best friend to
them.
“I love him,” says Paige. “He’s my
buddy. My Uncle John died. Jim said he was in heaven. He told me about Jesus
and God and I pray for them every day. And my Uncle John. I love him too.”
“Oooh I
luhb him,” says Kristin. “Hes my best priend…because he likes me! Aaand we do
prayers, aaand bubbles, aand bwocks, aaand have pudding. I think Jhem is hiiigh
maintenance! And full of hops”
Kid’s impact on Cleary
The kids
have made a strong impact on Cleary’s life as well. He feels rewarded by
spending time with them.
“There is a
different amazement with them each week,” says Cleary. “They have taught me
patience, how to have fun, laugh…simple things. They are always smiling. I can
have the most horrible day at work, walk in and not have a worry in the world.
“
He elaborates
on how much society can learn from such special kids. They teach important life
lessons, give people hope and inspiration, and show how nothing is impossible.
“Just wait
for them,” says Cleary. They don’t want to give up on what they’re doing. They operate
on their time.”
Kids with special needs aren’t so different
Just like
non-disabled people, special needs kids carry on regular routines and do the
same chores and activities.
“Paige and
Ann both work at a rehab shelter in Liberty,”
says Cleary. “Since Paige is still in high school she only works four hours a
week, but adults like Ann work a regular 40 work week just like most people.
They build pens, help out with mailing and mostly are assigned to put things
together and work with their hands.”
Cleary
explains how if you don’t make the time to get to know special needs kids,
people are really missing out.
“People who
don’t associate themselves with disabled kids don’t understand them and
therefore will not understand SPRED,” says Cleary.
Cleary is a
man who has traveled down the road less traveled. He interacts with his kids in
a special way and takes on challenges most people could not handle.
Life outside of SPRED
When Cleary isn’t focused on SPRED,
he travels down the road most taken by society.
He has a regular job as the
Accounting and Network Manager for BMD Siding Distribution and Window
Manufacturing.
Cleary also runs the NRSA,
Northland Rotational Softball Association where he is heavily involved. He
serves as a board member, registrar, treasurer, league administrator, manager,
coach and umpire.
“I work with preschool, elementary
age, youth, middle school and high school ages,” says Cleary. “I have a lot of
fun doing it.”
It’s no surprise to find out Cleary
is a huge baseball fan.
“I’m a big Royals fan,” says
Cleary. “I was actually born and raised in Chicago,
so I was brought up as a White Sox fan, and then I moved to Kansas City and decided I liked the Royals
better. I guess I still have a small place in my heart for the White Sox, but I
would never tell my dad that. He gave me such a hard time when I favored the
Royals over the Sox.”
Cleary thinks of his SPRED students
as his kids, but he does have a wife and kids of his own.
“I met my wife Fran in college,”
says Cleary. “We dated for a few years and have been married since September
1978.”
Cleary also has two kids. His
daughter Meghan volunteered for SPRED for three years. She was a Special
Education major and is now a teacher down in the Springfield area. She is also married. His son
Kevin is a first year grad student at the University
of Arizona in Tucson.
In his spare time, Cleary loves to
spend time with his family, attend baseball games and go bicycling and walking.
He is a college basketball, football, baseball and soccer fan.
Walking out of the classroom, there
was something deeper beneath the surface. This wasn’t the usual religion class
in an ordinary classroom. The teacher, Cleary, was an involved and passionate
teacher.
Most of all, the kids were a real
treat.
“The kids are my heroes,” says
Cleary. “I would do anything for any of them.”
