It’s still the beginning of the year; some of the last schools have just started this week. It doesn’t matter though; we’ve seen a lot of things already that excite us on different campuses.
- The student who everyone wants to work with. You see classmates run to join this student when it is time for group work.
- You find the student who was a quiet, non-verbal student, reaching out and making connections with staff and peers.
- You find students reaching out and making tentative friendships.
- You see the general education teacher excited about helping that student learn to do the skill that they’ve never mastered but their entire class has.
- The campus security is taking time out to help get to know the students and is genuinely concerned for their welfare, helping them get into their locker when the maze of students has died down.
These are just a sampling of little moments in the beginning of the school year. These moments will sustain you when the things aren’t nearly filled as much with those fun memories.
In a side tangent: it is National Suicide Prevention Week. In light of last week, we’d like to remind everyone that the hotline to talk any time of the day is: 1-800-263-TALK (8255).
Do you have any questions about this week’s blog? Do you want to offer a guest blog? Find ParaEducate online here, here, here, here, and on our website. Paraeducate is a company interested in providing materials, information, and strategies for people working in special education inclusion settings for grades K-12. ParaEducate, the blog, is published weekly during the academic school year on Thursdays, unless a holiday. ParaEducate shares their findings at conferences, through their books, and their academic adaptations.