Special Education

Departments

Guilford High School

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Special Education Voc Ed Program at Guilford

Intro to Voc Ed I - This class is designed for Freshmen and Sophomore students. We have guest speakers come in every Wednesday to speak to students about careers, lifestyles, and services offered to them in Rockford. The opportunity to bring people from the community into the classroom has been a great experience for those individuals as well as for our students. If you know of anyone that you think would be willing to come in as a guest speaker to introduce students to their career, it would be so appreciated. Please do not overlook a career as inappropriate because the students have learning disabilities. Last year we had a lawyer come in to speak to the students. While I would be surprised if any of the students were to become lawyers, they learned how the legal system works as well as about other jobs within the legal system that would be more appropriate for them. I had about 35 guests come in to speak to the students last year, many of which will return, but I am still looking to develop a strong network of people from the community willing to get involved with the school. You can give me the names and numbers of anyone you think may be willing to come in, or pass my information on to them. I am looking for a guest speaker for every Wednesday during first and second period. Thanks.

Intro to Voc Ed II - Intro to Voc Ed II is designed for Sophomore and Junior students. We expand upon many of the topics covered in the first course, and work to develop more skills that students can apply to their work and their life outside of school. I am looking to get this group doing some community service throughout the school year. At this point, I would like to begin with a monthly service project, preferably in or around the school. I am thinking about jobs like cleaning, landscaping, painting, organizing an office or storage area that is in disarray, etc. If you have any ideas for a service project or any needs, I would love to hear about them. Of course, any projects would have to be approved by Mr. Valentine, but I imagine there is a lot that we could do to help out around the building. Thank you.

Voc Ed Internship - The third part of the program is an internship opportunity for juniors and seniors with disabilities. The students involved in this program leave the building during the day and work at a local business for 2 class periods. Most of the interns do not receive pay, but they gain valuable experience and develop important work related skills and contacts that will help them make some important career decisions. We started this program last year, and had tremendous success. Twelve kids were placed as interns throughout the year. Most stayed with their original locations, and six were hired on to work after school and weekend shifts at their internship location. Last year we went on a tour of a local business about twice each month. Students were able to tour about twenty local businesses to learn about the jobs and services available to them in Rockford. This year I am planning to increase the tours to once each week. We will take our tours every Wednesday. There will be 14 students and two adults and we are available from approximately 11:40 - 1:00. If you know anyone that has a business or is in a position to offer us a tour, please pass on their information to me, or my info to them. Last year we visited a steel factory, a bank, the public library, the Rockford Register Star, an auto mechanic, a car dealership, a home improvement store, and more. The experience and the contacts made were very valuable for our students and I hope to provide them with more of these opportunities this year.


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