Nominations are due at the end of this month for the teacher, student, parent, and/or other supportive team member who's shown "good friend" behavior in school.
What does that mean?, you ask. The awareness-acceptance-empathy
® message isn't just a model -- it's a movement. We want to know who in your school is reaching out to students with autism spectrum disorder and including them in a meaningful way. Maybe it was something simple, such as initiating conversation on the playground. Maybe it was a moment of exceeding expectations, such as during a small group project. Perhaps it was the parent of a typically-developing child who encouraged her son to invite his friend with autism over for a play date. Or perhaps it was a staff member who, after participating in a Good Friend in-service or other presentation, was moved to establish a purposeful culture of acceptance in her classroom.
We have heard many examples of Good Friend behavior over the years, and enjoy every story. Please share yours with us. To nominate someone for the
2011 Good Friend in Education Award, which is presented by Denise Schamens at our annual membership meeting in Waukesha in September, please email the following information to
denise@goodfriendinc.com:
- Your (nominator's) name, title (if applicable), and the school name associated with the nominee
- Your phone number
- The nominee's name, grade/title (as applicable), and contact information (phone and/or email address)
- Tell us in a 100-word (or less) essay why the nominee deserves the GFiE Award.
Call Denise at 262-391-1369 with any questions. Here's to good friends!
