Staff Development Day

On August 28th, I had the opportunity to speak to Teachers, Therapists, Paraprofessionals, and Administrators at The Pillar School for Staff Development Day. This was my first time speaking to a room full of staff members who are dedicated to working with students like me.

Speaking to this audience was a very powerful moment for me. By speaking with the staff members, I motivated them to help their students find their voice and emphasized the importance of their roles.

In public school, I encountered paraprofessionals and special education teachers who did not provide me with the best support in class.

When I was in middle school, the paras would do the work for me. This frustrated me because I wanted to do the work for myself. One day, I asked one of my paras why they did the work for me. Their response was, it was faster when they did it. I told them that I am responsible for my own work, and my Individualized Educational Plan allows me more time to complete assignments.

However, in my sophomore year of high school, I was fortunate enough to be connected with a para who supported and cared about my educational success. She helped advocate for me, she helped encourage me, and she always believed that I could do the work assigned to me. This changed my whole high school experience. I was able to continue in Inclusion classes, get on the honor roll, take the PSAT, attend Vocational school, and graduate with my classmates. Without her support, all of this would not have happened. I am forever grateful to her, and she continues to be my biggest supporter and longtime friend.

Special Education teachers have a huge challenge. Trying to properly support students with different individual needs is not an easy job, but it is their job nonetheless. I felt that some, not all, of the teachers did not take the time to fully understand my needs because they assumed I was not capable of doing the work. In high school, I started participating in my IEP meetings and was able to articulate my challenges and needs. My mom orchestrated a team meeting early on in the school year so all the teachers were aware of my needs and supports. Then it was my job to ensure I received the support I needed and speak up when it was not happening. As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. The general ed and special ed teachers started to understand me and things started to shift. They got to know me and became invested in my academic success. This is something I stressed at my presentation and received lots of good feedback from the staff about it.

Speaking to this type of audience has become a real passion for me. I think that my story would be beneficial to either public or private school setting. Having been put in both settings, I can share my experiences from both perspectives.

I hope that this was the first of many speaking engagements like this one. Whether you are a teacher, administrator, student, or parent, I would love to share my story with you.