Enlisting and ProSupport

I don’t know where to start. I am not by nature a nervous person. In this class, however, I am a wreck. I don’t know where to start with putting it all together. I have all the pieces. I spoke to my director about the presentation. She said she would help me come up with some more people to invite. So far I am inviting my director, assistant director, operations manager. I will invite one teacher and one aide. I am attempting to contact someone from the IU4 as they will be the best resource to get the word out.

            What do I do if people don’t show up?

            Where can I go for more resources?

            Where can I get help with my PowerPoint?

            Would anyone in the class like to look at it for me?

            I did find a couple of great resources. Education.com has a great article called Take Charge! Self-Advocacy in the Classroom. The link to this article is http://www.education.com/magazine/article/charge-advocacy-classroom/. It is an article about teaching children to be their own advocate.

Another great website is KidsHealth.org. It contains some great factsheets. The link to this website is http://kidshealth.org/parent/classroom/.

The Difference

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

— JIMMY JOHNSON

My director has a section on our meeting agenda called Quotes to Ponder. This quote appeared on the agenda for the June meeting.  This is what I want to give – just a little extra.

What inspires me is the children. I am raising a child with special needs and it has been one battle after another with the school.  Even though he has been going to this school since he was four, it seems that each year and each teacher is like starting from the beginning. I truly believe that if the teachers were educated in special education that parents would not have to fight this battle. I am also in the classroom. I know what a blessing it would be to have someone that could give the special child the one-on-one attention that they crave. I just don’t feel like I am being fair to the class as a whole when I can’t give them 100%.

Fortunately I have not faced any challenges. Everyone loves the idea of a third set of hands in the classroom, especially since they won’t have to pay for it. I am anxious about starting to seek volunteers. It won’t work if I don’t have any.

I think that the most effective help will come from my director and the employees where I work. I continue to have conversations with them. I try to keep them updated on my progress and value their feedback. It also helps that they are all on board.

I can encourage others in their advocacy efforts by sharing my experience. If this is a successful endeavor then I will share that also. Others have been encouraging by asking questions and showing interest in my plan.

My name is Paulette Testani. I have created this blog for my Internship II class. I am advocating for a third set of hands for preschool classrooms.

The Third Set

I have an idea that will help preschool teachers in the Shenango Valley. I am trying to organize a group of retired educators that would like to volunteer in preschool classroom. I am calling the organization The Third Set. We would provide member centers with a volunteer that would act as a third set of hands in a classroom that has a child that needs one-on-one attention.