Life of a Support Facilitator

Week 6: Lessons on Faith, Focus, and Forgiveness Life of a Support Facilitator This week was a collection of lessons all rolled into one. What began as an ordinary week ended with me realizing that sometimes we have to pause, regroup, and refocus on what truly matters. I’ve been tutoring on Sunday afternoons while managing a fast-paced workload this school year, and I’m learning that I can’t pour from an empty cup. I needed to take a day off to rest, reflect, and reorder my priorities—and that begins and ends with God. Re-centering Through Prayer On Tuesday, I spent time reading my Bible and praying. That quiet time gave me a renewed perspective and a sense of calm I didn’t realize I was missing. I was reminded that God doesn’t call us to carry every burden, only to bring them to Him. Wednesday’s training on transition planning for students moving to high school and beyond was eye-opening and full of practical information. It reminded me that each student’s journey is unique, a...

Week 5: Bridging the Gap — Lessons in Collaboration and Growth Life of a Support Facilitator This week felt like a roller coaster ride. I finished testing, and that’s when the real work began. But I quickly realized I was blending my old mindset as a separate classroom teacher with my new responsibilities as a support facilitator—and the waters got a little murky. I’ve always been a systematic thinker. I thrive on visuals, structure, and clear resources to guide my work. I’m also a perfectionist and my own toughest critic, which means I hate doing anything that feels even slightly unprepared. Redefining My Role A huge thank-you to my instructional coach, who spent an hour with me helping clarify that my job is not just to teach—it’s to bridge the gap between grade-level standards and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals. My focus is on making both accessible, not just one or the other. As a separate class teacher, I lived in the world of direct instruction. Everything was syste...

Week 4: Testing, Teamwork, and Trusting the Process Life of a Support Facilitator This week’s overarching theme was testing and accommodations . I spent most of my time administering assessments — sometimes in small groups of five, and other times one-on-one, depending on each student’s needs as outlined in their Individual Education Plan (IEP). Understanding Testing Accommodations Students may qualify for 1:1 testing for a variety of reasons: Difficulty maintaining attention or focus Sensitivity to distractions in a group setting The need for directions or questions to be read aloud by a human reader To qualify for this accommodation, there must be clear evidence that the student performs significantly better in a one-on-one setting compared to small group or classroom testing. For state assessments, some students have the option for computer-based oral presentation, but not all components are eligible. Reading passages, for example, cannot be read aloud unless the state ha...

Week 3: Streamlining, Learning, and Leading with Gratitude Life of a Support Facilitator This was a short week, but it was packed with learning and small victories. Monday was Labor Day , so we had no school. I spent the day taking my 17-year-old daughter, Abby, and her two friends to the Florida Mall — an adventure all on its own! They’d had a sleepover the night before, and I couldn’t help but marvel that my little girl is already seventeen. Seventeen years of learning all the ins and outs of autism — and I’m still learning every single day. Streamlining My Work Tuesday felt like our Monday, and I hit the ground running. One of the biggest lessons I’m learning as a Support Facilitator is how to streamline my work . If two students are working on similar skills, I’ve found it’s best to bring them together with whiteboards and tackle the task collaboratively. That day, I helped a student complete his writing assignment on the impact of earthquakes . We used sentence starters to suppo...