Hello! It's nice to meet you!
Hello! It's nice to meet you!
Hello! It's nice to meet you!
I’m Lara. I am a mother of 3 teenage daughters. I worked in a preschool/ daycare for almost 20 years. I have worked in public schools as a paraprofessional and as a substitute teacher. I was a 1:1 instructional aide for a student with autism for several years as well.
My "Why"
Hello! It's nice to meet you!
Hello! It's nice to meet you!
The time I spent working with students with autism was amazing! I was an all day 1:1 instructional aide in an autism specific classroom.
We worked on specific IEP goals, OTs, PTs and speech therapists came and went. We were able to adjust our day freely to have a positive experience and learn naturally. We were always welcome in the main
The time I spent working with students with autism was amazing! I was an all day 1:1 instructional aide in an autism specific classroom.
We worked on specific IEP goals, OTs, PTs and speech therapists came and went. We were able to adjust our day freely to have a positive experience and learn naturally. We were always welcome in the mainstream classrooms and participated regularly.
He was thriving!
Then there was a change in his school placement. Our new school did not have an Autism program, so we were placed in an LLD room. Coping with significantly larger class sizes and a more rigid district that did not allow for the same flexibility, made this transition tremendously difficult. Our flexible and communicative nature was under much scrutiny and an unpopular approach. I was lucky enough to be welcomed at the IEP table, to help create a new plan for a successful education.
All of the years that I was this student’s 1:1 truly changed my life! He taught me a level of patience I never knew existed. He taught me how to avoid looking at a task and feeling overwhelmed, just to break it down and complete it piece by piece and to celebrate each of those small wins! To really slow down and smell the roses. He made me a better person but more importantly a better parent!
I want to assist parents and school districts in providing students with the education they need to prepare them for their future.
I want families to know I am on their team!