SM strategy: - Private Time with the Teacher: in School and out

• Who: Amy, teacher
• Location: Classroom
• Environment: Quite, free from distractions. The door is closed, which makes her feel more safe.
• Worry Level: 2
• Purpose: Having alone time with the teacher allows Amy to get to know her teacher better in a more relaxed environment.
• What is Happening: Amy is in between classes. She has private time with her teacher. Amy and another friend are playing a board game. The door is closed. The other two kids are about to leave to go to art class.

Strategy and Scene

1. Fade-In/Fade-Out

• Teacher takes Amy to the art classroom before the other classmates
• Teacher, Amy, and art teacher have private time to fade-in/fade-out without other students there

2. Private time with teachers

• All teachers are busy, making it hard to find private time; it is important to be creative and think outside of the box to find private times with the teacher
• All of the classmates go to the art class without Amy and the teacher. Amy and the teacher stay in the room and play a game together – Start the game right away when other kids are still in the classroom so that other kids can hear her voice. Being friendly with the teacher makes other kids more likely to be nice to her and want to be friends with her.

Amy is able to feel more comfortable in the 1-on-1 time

She will also be able to have more time to be comfortable around the teacher. Possible Private Time:

• Before School / After School (before buses leave)
• Recess
• Lunch
• Between classes
• Some school teachers are willing to meet outside of school for community events, playgrounds, at home, etc. 

At the beginning of the school year, Amy did not talk to anyone, and even had a difficult time talking to the teacher. One-on-one time with the teacher can familiarize Amy with the teacher in a more relaxed environment. During the private time, they can play a game that Amy likes, talk about fun things at school, or make jokes. They can walk around the school, in the hallways, classrooms, teachers’ lounge, garden, or playground. She can also do activities with the teacher such as print and staple the homework, organize books, and set up the classroom. Overall, let Amy do something that she likes that will make her feel relaxed. As you can imagine, due to a teacher’s busy day, it is nearly impossible to find enough time to accompany Amy. Therefore, opportunities to spend time with Amy have to be made during a small time frame. For example, right before class begins, right before boarding the bus to go home, break time, lunchtime, recess, etc. Try to let Amy have small pieces of private times with the classroom teacher, special ed teacher, counselor, and other various teachers each day. Only after some time will Amy’s progress be apparent. It is possible that Amy gets familiarized with the special ed teacher first, but may not be able to talk to her. With a lot of one-on-one time, she will be able to communicate with the special ed teacher. On many occasions, Amy’s talking and whisper buddies can accompany her while with the teacher. Then the “fade-in fade-out” strategy can be used.

It’s time for art class. The special ed teacher can bring Amy to the classroom first. She can look at the drawings and look at where all the art supplies are located in the room. When her classmates arrive, Amy can help the art teacher distribute paper and pens, and bring them whatever materials they need. It’s time for PE class. The classroom teacher can take other classmates away first, and let Amy stay in the classroom to play games with the special ed teacher, while purposely letting her classmates see it. When they see Amy playing games with the teacher, they will become curious and try to play with Amy as well. When playing the game with the teacher, at the beginning, she will probably only nod or point. As she gets more into the game, she will probably say a few phrases. It’s usually more effective to have the private time outside of school than in school because Amy is more comfortable outside. The parents should invite the teacher to bring his/her own kids to join Amy in participating in community activities, playing in the playground, having dinner together, or going to Amy’s home. 

Hint: a caring teacher and a dedicated parent can definitely find and create private times for Amy to meet with the teacher. Take advantage of small periods of time to create short meetings. Private times with teachers both in and out of school are very effective. 
Jun Reitman and Ashely Jiao  Wechat:  junwang08837    [e-mail]  SunnyMindEd.org