Tag Archives: Lisa Medoff

Inspiring SEPTAR Presentation

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We had a great turnout on February 27, 2014: 40 parents and teachers tuned into the inspiring presentation “Resilience in The Classroom” by Dr. Lisa Medoff at the district office.

How does Dr. Medoff define “resilience” in the classroom? She views it as a strength to reset yourself, wanting to go to school the next day, regardless of the challenges Special Needs students face daily at school.

In one encouraging note, Dr. Medoff mentioned that students with Special Needs have already been learning to be resilient at school early on, and this very thing could be a great advantage later in their lives.

Practical advice was given to parents whose children do not shine in the classroom; Dr. Medoff offered ideas about alternative ways to shine, including volunteering at an animal shelter or participating in mixed-age community groups, where students can feel they are needed and appreciated.

In addition, Dr. Medoff highly recommends swimming and Karate, as a choice of sports for those who struggle with self-regulation and who do not thrive in team sports.

SEPTAR (Special Education PTA of Redwood City) is a non-profit organization with the mission of bringing families and educators together to meet the special education needs of children in Redwood City. SEPTAR offers monthly educational events, IEP resources, support groups, mini-grants for parents and teachers in Special Education. Recently, SEPTAR provided 10 iPads to classrooms via mini-grants.

–Kay Rim

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