Heather

Greetings, I’m Heather. I’m a teacher living in Edgewater, BC. I currently teach Grade 5/6. I love teaching Intermediate students and have been doing so since the beginning of my career. I completed a Graduate Certificate in Supporting Children's Mental Health from the U of C. I LOVED the content and practicality of this course because I felt it provided me with tools that I could use to triage and support students, including those with Autism. One of my earliest experiences with teaching children with Autism was during my teaching practicum. I had a little boy who was very verbal and wanted to complete his spelling tests in Hebrew while lying at my feet, on top of his desk, etc., which I gladly accepted. I mean, don't tell him this, but it is MUCH more difficult to spell words in Hebrew than it is in English! To this day, I smile when thinking of him. He had such a beautiful mind and it was so neat to witness his talents. Currently, I have one child in my classroom who has Autism and did not have great success in the previous year. In part, this prompted me to complete this course. My professional learning goals for this course are to once again, add to my tool box of strategies to support children with Autism and to also become more current with recent literature and understanding of Autism.