Wednesday, March 14, 2001
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Wednesday, March 14, 2001 |
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Braelinn Buddies program kicks off As part of its many Exceptional Children's Week activities, Braelinn Elementary School has kicked off a new program called Braelinn Buddies. The purpose of the program is to provide peer helpers for the students in the exceptional children's program at the school. Third and fourth grade volunteers will be paired with students from the program during inclusion (regular classroom) times. The buddies will help their classmates with in-class assignments, assist them during activities and just be friends. "Research has shown that students do better when they have peers to help them," said Cathy Skinner, a teacher at Braelinn Elementary. Students who volunteer for the program will have to agree to give up their recess period one to two times a week so that they can undergo training to become buddies. In order to qualify for the buddy program, students must get a recommendation from their teachers. Although this is the first time that Braelinn has done a program like this, Skinner said she believes that a large number of students will want to participate. "I have no doubt that we will have a lot of students sign up. The kids always want to help and they are fascinated with the classroom," Skinner said. Since the program is in its beginning stages, any student who wants to participate and gets a recommendation from his or her teacher will be able to become a buddy. Skinner hopes that enough students will volunteer so that each exceptional student will have two to three buddies. "I'm very excited about the possibilities of this program. It will be an enriching experience for everyone involved," Skinner added. Exceptional Children's Week was March 5-9. In addition to kicking off the Braelinn Buddies program, the school celebrated the week by reading books, creating artwork and singing songs that revolve around the theme "Everyone's Different."
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