Last night was Kennedy Elementary school's opportunity to recognize students at the monthly school board meeting. Below is what I said to recognize the students that work in our "Special Friends" Program.
Dr. Creel and members of the board, it is my honor to stand up here tonight and recognize some of Kennedy Elementary’s stand out students. The students we will be recognizing tonight are a part of a program that I am probably the most proud of at KES. My wife says I am so proud of this program because it was my idea. It was my idea and I did model it after a school that I previously worked at, but the reason why I am so proud of it is because of what the Kennedy Elementary teachers and these students have made out of that idea I had.
At KES, we have a higher population of students with special physical needs. These needs may be with walking, communicating, eating, or seeing, but these students still all CAN succeed in their own way with a little bit and sometimes a lot of patience, assistance and encouragement. That is where the students of the “Special Friends” program come into place. We have 22 typical aged peers that work with these students throughout the day. It may be helping them get from the bus to the classroom, or getting their morning routine of putting up their book bag and making their lunch choices through a communication switch, or reading to them when they need some comfort during the day.
This program was designed and created to give the students with the special physical needs the love and support that they needed to be successful, but this program has become much more for these “Special Friends”.
Everyone thinks that to be a success in life, you must be smart, dedicated, hardworking, and committed to being a success. Those are all important, but if you cannot be a person who appreciates differences in others and gets along with others no matter what, you will never be a true success. Truly successful people appreciate and respect people no matter what. That is what these students are learning as they work each day with our students and teachers. These students are learning to put others first and care about people. That is why I am so proud of them.
At KES, we teach on a daily basis to be Ready, Respectful and Responsible. I cannot think of any other students who exemplify that more than these. They have to be ready every day because someone is counting on them to make sure their daily routine is established. They have to be respectful because they see the struggles that these students face and now stand up for these students like they were their best friend or sibling. They also have to be responsible because while they are working in these classes in the morning or afternoon (and some of them even give up their own recess time to help) they still have to do the morning work that all the others are doing. That is why I am so proud!!!
Dr. Creel and members of the board, it is my honor to stand up here tonight and recognize some of Kennedy Elementary’s stand out students. The students we will be recognizing tonight are a part of a program that I am probably the most proud of at KES. My wife says I am so proud of this program because it was my idea. It was my idea and I did model it after a school that I previously worked at, but the reason why I am so proud of it is because of what the Kennedy Elementary teachers and these students have made out of that idea I had.
At KES, we have a higher population of students with special physical needs. These needs may be with walking, communicating, eating, or seeing, but these students still all CAN succeed in their own way with a little bit and sometimes a lot of patience, assistance and encouragement. That is where the students of the “Special Friends” program come into place. We have 22 typical aged peers that work with these students throughout the day. It may be helping them get from the bus to the classroom, or getting their morning routine of putting up their book bag and making their lunch choices through a communication switch, or reading to them when they need some comfort during the day.
This program was designed and created to give the students with the special physical needs the love and support that they needed to be successful, but this program has become much more for these “Special Friends”.
Everyone thinks that to be a success in life, you must be smart, dedicated, hardworking, and committed to being a success. Those are all important, but if you cannot be a person who appreciates differences in others and gets along with others no matter what, you will never be a true success. Truly successful people appreciate and respect people no matter what. That is what these students are learning as they work each day with our students and teachers. These students are learning to put others first and care about people. That is why I am so proud of them.
At KES, we teach on a daily basis to be Ready, Respectful and Responsible. I cannot think of any other students who exemplify that more than these. They have to be ready every day because someone is counting on them to make sure their daily routine is established. They have to be respectful because they see the struggles that these students face and now stand up for these students like they were their best friend or sibling. They also have to be responsible because while they are working in these classes in the morning or afternoon (and some of them even give up their own recess time to help) they still have to do the morning work that all the others are doing. That is why I am so proud!!!
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