Greetings from Port View Preparatory®!
Summer Session is in full swing and our students seem to be enjoying PVP’s first ever summer session! We have welcomed new students and new employees to our learning community and it has been exciting to watch the growth of our students as they learn new skills, concepts, and generalize them into the community. Our teacher, Ms. Andrade has put together many fantastic learning opportunities for our students both on and off site so that the summer is both beneficial and fun for our students. Whether we are escaping to the air conditioning from a hot day or are en route to our next community based adventure, summer session promises many smiles and opportunities for growth and the creation of lasting memories.
School, especially summer school, should allow students to experience the benefits of having fun while working hard. Hard work paired with a smile and a positive attitude provides rewarding results for students and staff members alike. If we all learn to enjoy even the most complicated of tasks and see obstacles as opportunities for accomplishment, we can go so far! Port View Prep® pledges to instill in our students the values of working hard, enjoying hard work, and the opportunities that lie in overcoming obstacles in order to reach full potential!
Providing our students the freedom of choice, to choose what they want to do (or not do) is a very valuable and rewarding aspect of our program. We make every effort to design unique and professionally developed programs for our students but these programs only get their true meaning when our students decide that the program is right for them. This decision is exposed in their actions and presented with each students drive to excel and progress. Limiting a student’s ability to make choices only impedes their ability to reach their potential.
None of us make the right choices 100% of the time, that doesn’t mean that we do not try. Our students are allowed to make mistakes; they are even allowed to misbehave! Mistakes, like obstacles, present opportunities for growth and accomplishment. We cannot always do things right the first time, but often times if we are given a second chance we seize the opportunity, to adjust, and to thrive. Unfortunately, sometimes students are not given the opportunity to make the necessary mistakes that are crucial for personal growth. Physical interventions such as restraint eliminate a student’s ability to correct their own mistakes. Tantrums and challenging behaviors need to be replaced with socially appropriate alternatives that allow students to cope and communicate frustration, anger, fear, or other emotions. Restraint does not allow for students to choose. In October, we will be presenting on this topic and the benefits of allowing students the freedom of choice and how to reduce challenging behavior without restraint. This presentation will be at the Hawaii ABA (HABA) conference in Oahu, HI.
Events like the HABA conference allow us the ability to serve individuals around the country. This is consistent with our philosophy that everyone is entitled to a personalized education that allows for the achievement of a high quality of life. Lastly, we are privileged to serve as the voice of PVP but our parents and community members are our sounding board. So many wonderful ideas have come from parents of our students, and we are so privileged to be able to get feedback from the PVP community when we have a new idea or are looking to improve. For any one with an innovative idea that is meant to better the lives of our students or students like ours, please feel free to get in touch anytime.