Something About the Meaning of the Word "Occupy"

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            Occupy (v.) - "to take possession of," also "to take up space or time, employ (someone)," irregularly borrowed from O.Fr. occuper "occupy (a person or place), hold, seize" (13c.) or directly from L. occupare "take over, seize, take into possession, possess, occupy," from ob "over" (see ob-) + intensive form of capere "to grasp, seize" (see capable).

            This semester, I will be working with my students on the skills that they need in order to transition into independent living as autonomous adults.  These students are no longer following the general curriculum that most high schoolers are on; no algebra or trigonometry, no physics, no AP French.  And, honestly, if they were in these classes, it would most likely be a waste of their time.  Rather, we work with them on the skills that they need, and we focus on three main domains: domestic, community/vocational, and recreation/leisure.

            I’m currently writing assessments for two of my students who will be working on several goals related to their vocational and leisure domains.  These are young men – 16 and 18, respectfully, both with cognitive disabilities who are on an alternative curriculum – who have very definitive concepts of what they want to do after they graduate.  And so much of it revolves around how they want to spend their time.  “I want to have a job.”  “I want to start a blog.” “I want to hang out with my girlfriend.”  “I want to play the drums in my basement.”  These sentiments have an effect on how we plan our curriculum; if a student wants to start a hobby of playing the drums, then he’s going to need how to get to the music store, how to ask the clerk about the differences between the products*, and how to budget for buying what he wants and needs. 

            The key concept that I want to take away from this is that a major part of focusing on a student’s right to self-determination – the belief that the locus of power in a student’s life ought to exist with that student– is dependent upon how that student chooses to occupy his or her time.  From where they work to who they hang out with to what their hobbies are, students with disabilities need to have the know-how to make use of their time in a way that the see fit.   

NB: I wrote this for class, hence the slightly different voice. 

* I don’t really know anything about drums.