As spring was coming on (at least I hoped it was…never sure in New England…), I was reflecting on the growth of New England Tutors and how we have cultivated and nurtured our organization, while we cultivate and nurture the skills and talents of our students. So I began “connecting the dots” in my mind, picturing each component of NE Tutors and detailing how they all connect in one way or another: students, tutors, teachers, guidance counselors, PTA’s, mom groups, dad groups, parent groups, autism groups, homeschool groups, case managers, therapists, administrators, para-professionals…truly a mighty tree of knowledge with roots and branches stretching all across our region.
It’s funny how you can build a network like this, add pieces to it incrementally, working on the small picture, and then all of a sudden see how truly wide-ranging it is.
Well, in the spirit of horticultural metaphors, I want to share with you my thoughts of the food for thought we have been growing, and what we are offering to help water other gardens in our area.
If you visit our Professional Development page (it’s under the Plans & Resources tab), you’ll see that we now offer In-Service Development programs, NEASC Accreditation opportunities, and other courses of interest to professionals and others in the field of education. These programs, as I indicated above, are for more than just teachers and professionals. They are applicable to anyone working with students and children who want to improve their skills in and/or their understanding of the latest developments in education and human development.
Our newest addition to our lineup of professional partners (make sure to visit our Professional Partners page) is a resident psychologist who will be offering our workshops in a variety of subjects, such as Positive Discipline Strategies, Impact of Anxiety on Learning, Attention, and Behavior, Self-Care for the Caregiver, among many others. She is Elizabeth, Doppler-Bourassa, Ph.D. and Licensed Psychologist. More on her in a future blog.
Some other branches on the NET tree include an education attorney whose task it is to review our legal footing when we give advice advocating for our families; an autism specialist who oversees both our tutors and our families who assist with the autism community; several ADD/ADHD specialists who guide and mentor our tutors and families with skills and techniques for more effectively building a successful life as an ADD’er, and who also works on improving educational performance; and other specialists who enable us to provide the most wide-ranging services possible to those who come to the NET tree. This network is invaluable to us and grows along with our tutoring faculty.
And as many ideas come to us from those we serve, we welcome your suggestions and contributions to this growing and exciting organization I am lucky to be a part of. You may have skills and qualifications that would expand our offerings while contributing to our motto: “Success With Every Student.”
