Diana Schoblocher Educator, Chippewa Middle School
I work for CCSD62 at Chippewa Middle School as a classroom teacher. Have Dreams was brought in to support our Educational Life Skills and STEP classrooms to maximize our abilities to provide support to students at their level, increase their independence and continue to promote and adopt best practices universally across the district. The consultant, Caroline McCarthy, provided support through classroom observations, debriefing and talking through what was working and what could work better. This continued several times during the school year to help identify areas of success and areas for continued growth. Caroline provided brainstorming opportunities, best practice checklists, environmental supports and support in structuring activities to maximize independence in skills.
As educators, we can often get stuck in a rut or overwhelmed with the workload that comes with working in a special education classroom setting. Having the support of Have Dreams allowed me to rethink and reimagine structures and routines of the classroom and provide students with clear, consistent and structured activities that foster their independence. Students clearly benefited from the restructuring of
some classroom routines as well as using to-do lists. Students demonstrated more independence in skills and observationally increased their willingness to participate in non-preferred tasks. The benefits have carried over as I work within an instructional and general education setting. I was able to put in supports, structure environments and break down potential barriers for students.
The experience I had working with Have Dreams has been such an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge, enhance my teaching practices and show the outside world what my students are capable of achieving independently. I wish I had this opportunity earlier in my career!
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Have Dreams
www.havedreams.org
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