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Your average elementary aged student may not need additional instruction or practice demonstrating pro social behavior, making or keeping friends, sitting still in class, participating in groups, or actively listening, while many of the students I work with do. Why can鈥檛 they just follow the rules like the rest of my class?鈥 鈥淪chool just isn鈥檛 for them.鈥 鈥淭hey just won鈥檛 stop moving!鈥 鈥淗ow do I get them to focus and stay on track?鈥 鈥淏ut they know how, why can鈥檛 they just do it?鈥 Maybe you鈥檝e heard these things or maybe you鈥檝e found yourself saying these things. Truth is we all know behavior is a way of communicating. Students exhibiting behavioral or social emotional challenges at school are often trying to tell us they need our help or support. For so many students, I am that source of support. While I would love to be a supportive adult in the room for each of my students all of the time, I鈥檓 only one person. Truth is, I believe they can be independently successful without me, with some explicit teaching, practice, and tools. My students need social stories to introduce new topics and to help normalize their feelings. They need tools and sensory items to help address their needs within an inclusive classroom setting. With these stories and tools they will learn socially appropriate ways of participating among their peers. They will feel included in the classroom and school community. My students will benefit from increased self-efficacy with each experience and each positive choice they learn to make. The stories and tools provided by your donations will help them to achieve the self-esteem of their peers and the confidence to stand up and explain why fair doesn鈥檛 have to be everyone getting the same thing, but rather everyone getting what they need.
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