For the last 25 years I have been an active part of the Student Senate as a class advisor. Through this I have had the opportunity to work on some significant school and community projects and help teach kids project management, leadership and communication along the way. I have also worked on various projects through and with the OAISD. I have worked with several nonprofits and businesses using a Project Based Learning approach to help teach kids how to solve big problems.

As a result of this experience and my network in the community I felt uniquely positioned and called to do something more, so I created a class called Pay it Forward. Pay it Forward is an application-based class for high school seniors. The goals are multi-faceted, as we deal with leadership, communication, empathy, the world of nonprofits and community organization and people. The first 7ish weeks of class are used to teach empathy and to learn about the community. I introduce a variety of people from our community to the students. These are people who struggle with mental health, have been sexually assaulted, are refugees, have had drug related issues, are combat veterans, have experienced significant health related issues, have experienced significant poverty, etc. I also introduce them to the various non-profits around the community who try to help these people or others who may need some assistance. This part of class is VERY impactful. Lots of tears are shed and I am privileged to have very deep conversations about a number of things with my “crew”.

The remainder of the class is a bit more open ended. We do a bit of leadership work and then the students are divided up into groups – sometimes groups of 1 or 2 or sometimes groups of 6 or 7 depending on a variety of factors. They are left with a fairly open-ended question. The goal for them is to try and give back, create something and make a difference in their community. This could include fundraising, awareness projects, creating a legacy project, etc. I encourage them all to dream big. The results have been incredible. I should have kept the receipts for all of the money we raised, significant projects we have accomplished and lives we have impacted.

I have worked in a variety of teaching settings from high risk infant and toddler and preschool programs and special education for about 20 years. For 9 of those years I worked in an early childhood special education program. During those years, I was the teacher who requested students with higher needs, students with complex communication needs, students with complex medical histories, and students with autism. After working with students with autism, I became focused on meeting their needs and wanting to learn more. I took all of the professional development I could dealing with autism. I read books about autism and teaching and worked closely with parents to support students.

During this time, I saw an increasing need for a classroom in every school building to support autistic students. As I was transitioning students on to kindergarten, it seemed there were some students who needed more support than being in kindergarten with a paraprofessional, but who weren’t appropriate for a center-based program. Our early childhood team began talking to our special education director and supervisor about the need for a classroom specifically devoted to supporting autistic students. I volunteered to teach it. Every year for many years a request was made and I said I would teach this class. After many years of this request, it finally happened. My supervisor called and asked if I was still interested. I answered with a resounding yes! And, after all the time spent in an early childhood program, I made the switch to a kindergarten through 4th grade autism program.

Last year was the first year and it was challenging. The growth in social skills, independence, academics, and the trust my students had in me to guide them was truly amazing. Autistic people are smart, curious, loving, and want to be a part of the same things that all people are a part of. It is my passion to make that happen. My students are in a general education classroom with their neurotypical peers as much as they will allow. We work hard to make it an environment that they want to be in. For students who are still overwhelmed by the busier classrooms, we have some of their peers come into our classroom. I truly think those students are better for it. I think everyone is better for it. With the coming school year I will continue to push for inclusion, independence and growth in all areas of development. My students inspire me every day. I have immense respect and love for them as well as their families. Now, I am also working on my master’s in autism and I could not be more excited to learn more about how to support my amazing students and families.

Mr. Williams

Projects can sometimes take a bit of time to lift off as students might need seed money to get their projects off the ground. Mr. Williams is a FIRM believer that students take their projects from thoughts on paper to full projects but having access to some start-up funds would be helpful. If you would like to donate to Mr. Williams Pay it Forward classroom, he would love the following:

Gift Cards to Meijer, Walmart or Amazon

Check or Cash Donations

(Checks can be made out to HealthZone Chiropractic)

Ms. Jessica

Basic Needs:

Clear, double sided tape

Kinetic Sand

Small Legos

Small sandwich bags

Facial Tissues

Sanitizing Wipes

Specific Needs:

Click here to view Ms. Jessica’s Amazon Wish List