Teacher Tuesday: Giving Thanks for our Students

The students of Shepherds College are all very diverse people with different likes, dislikes, histories, personalities, abilities, beliefs, values and life experiences. However, outside of being students with intellectual disabilities, they all share at least three things in common: they each play an important role in the character development of the faculty and staff who work with them, they each will impact our lives in meaningful ways, and we’re thankful for every one of them!

“I am thankful for the students at Shepherds College because I enjoy seeing them learn and grow. I work with the third year college students and drive them to their internships. I have seen them eager to learn at their job sites, and learning the importance of hard work. We also get great opportunities to learn life lessons. They are always helping me to be patient and not sweat the small stuff. I have learned to take things one day at a time, and to celebrate the small successes I have with my students.”  ~ Miss Spence

“I am thankful that the students make me laugh. It is easy to get caught up in work, but then they will often just say something that is hysterical, and it reminds me of the joy I have working here.”  ~ Mrs. Luchterhand

“I am thankful for the students in so many ways. In the last two years that I have worked here, I have been blessed to have a relationship with each of the ladies who have spent time in Home A. As I think back to each one of them and their gifts that God has given them, they are each so different and yet all so very special to me. I am being used by God to help them develop the most independent lifestyle they each are capable of - from learning how to complete daily living skills to working out conflict and growing in better relationships with one another. Each day is another opportunity to see how God is working out His plan for them. I am blessed to be a part of it in some small way!”  ~ Mrs. Walley

“I’m thankful for our students in that they have been given this extraordinary opportunity. Compared to how people with disabilities have been treated in the past, this school is a miracle! Shepherds College represents a tangible account of the influence of the love of God in people’s lives. The housing facilities are lovely, medical care is available around the clock, and the faculty and staff work here because they love helping students with intellectual disabilities achieve their highest potential.

The students are being used by God in my life by being yet another area for me that highlights one of the quotes I try to live by – ‘Be sweet and nice and kind to everyone; everyone is having a hard time.’ Everyone struggles with something, whether it is an outward disability or an inward one.

Working with the students has given me greater insight to the needs of people with disabilities, greater compassion for them and their parents, and more patience for people in general.”  ~ Mrs. Harvey

“I am thankful for the students because each one is unique and each one has contributed to my personal growth in their own way. They have challenged me and stretched me in many ways. I have learned to be patient (even though I thought I was before!) They have taught me to be a good listener and more compassionate. I have laughed with them and cried with them. They have brought much joy to my life, and my life has been enriched because God has given me the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful ministry.”  ~ Mrs. Anderson

“The students at Shepherds College have taught me that it’s okay to burst out in song in the middle of a lesson, to not be afraid to get creative, and that God is alive and represented by each and every one of them! There is much joy here at Shepherds, and the students are definitely spreading it around!”  ~ Mrs. Kolkman

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all.”  Psalm 100

Happy Thanksgiving!

 



Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Camera Ready

 Day 7 of the 31 for 21Challenge

When Zoe arrived on campus in 2010, I thought, “Oh, oh. This young man is going to be a challenge for me.”

He didn’t look me in the eye, he was uncomfortable talking to me, and whenever I pulled out the camera, he had a way of turning and tucking his body so he almost disappeared into the person standing next to him.

Getting a good photo of him became my personal challenge. His mom and dad were following Shepherds College on Facebook, they missed their son, and they wanted to see pictures!

The first few weeks were difficult. I had a lot of photos of the side of his head and left shoulder, or of the palm of his hand, but nothing to show his parents that he was actually doing very well while he was away at school.

Then things started to change.

I first noticed it when we had a professional photographer on campus. Zoe chatted with the assistant. In group shots, Zoe still turned his body, but he smiled like he was having fun.  

After a while, when a camera came out, Zoe stopped trying to make himself invisible - he lingered.  He was becoming a noticeable presence on campus.

Zoe was growing in confidence and, with that growth, came signs of initiative.

Today, Zoe is a third-year Culinary Arts student. His mom, Kim Anderson, who now works for Shepherds College, shared this with me about the progress she’s noticed in her son.

“During Zoe’s time at Shepherds College, he’s developed an independent spirit. He knows who he is, what he wants and what he believes. He can now stand up for himself.

Three years ago, I couldn’t have left Zoe home alone if my husband and I needed to go away. Zoe now stays home on his own and is very sure of himself. He even taught himself how to ride the city buses in Milwaukee.

Zoe would like to live independently someday. He took the initiative to look for a Culinary Arts position online, hoping to find a job after he graduates. He also has visited the public library website to learn a foreign language - Spanish – again, all on his own.

My husband and I believe so much in what Shepherds College is doing. I feel blessed to be a part of it.”

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Teacher Tuesday: A Social Para

A big part of my job as Director of Marketing for Shepherds College is social networking. It's hard for me to believe now, but before starting work at Shepherds over five years ago, it was common to hear me say, “Social what? Oh, you mean that face thingy … you know, that face… or is it space? … um, spacebook thingy.”

Now I can’t imagine my job without my daily dose of tweeting, pinning, posting, blogging, fact-sharing, friend-building activity.

Because of social networking – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogger and the like – I have been blessed in various and unexpected ways.

I can send out prayer requests and get immediate response from prayer warriors across the country.

I can celebrate important occasions, like our accreditation and FSA approval, and have any number of people join me nationwide in joyous whooping.

I am introduced to other organizations that share our passion for supporting people with intellectual disabilities, like Klundt Hosmer, Logan Magazine and Apostrophe Magazine.

I can read and be inspired by the work of other bloggers whose heart is vulnerable and open to whoever chooses to read their thoughts that day, like A Perfect Lily and Ellen Stumbo.

And I also meet amazing people who offer support, motivation and encouragement on a daily basis – someone like our new classroom para, Kim Anderson.

Mrs. Anderson became a regular on our Facebook page when her son Zoe started attending Shepherds College. She was eager for information on what Zoe was doing and “liked” and shared posts regularly, especially ones that included pictures of her son. 

Kim's son Zoe

Her enthusiasm for the college was contagious and some days it was just the boost I needed to keep plugging (and tweeting and posting and pinning) away.

All the warmth and interest Mrs. Anderson brought to our almost daily interactions online, she now brings to the students at Shepherds College. You can see by the big smile on her face that she thrives working with people with disabilities. They hold a special place in her heart.

I asked her about her experience teaching people with intellectual disabilities and was so impressed by her response, “My two children both have intellectual disabilities, so that is where I have the most experience.  I also volunteered as a “surrogate” parent for foster children who needed special education services. I was their advocate at IEP meetings and made sure they received the appropriate services they needed.

 I also served as a resource and mentor for parents who had children just being diagnosed with disabilities who were in need of special education services. A lot of these parents were in the denial stage of their children having special needs, so I was able to help them process that, as well as help them navigate the special education system.

Before coming to work for Shepherds College, I was in an Area Education Agency in Iowa. I supported staff who worked directly with children ages 0-3 who had intellectual disabilities. One of my responsibilities was to create tools for them to use with those children. That was a part of the job I really enjoyed!

Now I’ll be working one-on-one with a student using various ways to help him understand each lesson – hand motions, flash cards, white boards, computers -whatever is necessary to help him reach God’s full potential for him, and for him to reach the level of Appropriate Independence that will allow him to have a rich and fulfilling life.”

Wow! Not only am I impressed with Mrs. Anderson, but I’m amazed at the quality of people God consistently leads to work at Shepherds College. We are truly blessed.

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.