The Dream Team

There are many reasons I am thankful that I work at The Lighthouse. I love my students, I enjoy being a teacher, but there is something I thank my lucky stars for almost every minute of everyday: our staff team. I am actually convinced that the most talented people in this field, in all of Ontario, work at The Lighthouse. No amount of planning or hard work goes as far to create successful days with our students, as our team. To write this blog, I am going to try and narrow down what it is that actually makes my co-workers so awesome, as well as why having a strong team, in this field specifically, is so integral. Positivity As all of our team members are trained in ABA, we are constantly looking for ways to celebrate the little things that our students do everyday to positively reinforce their achievements. As a team, we incidentally do this for one another as well! We can always count on each other to be genuinely excited when there is a success in the classroom, or even to highlight something positive on a challenging day. When a team like ours goes out of their way to tell each other why something done was awesome, awesome things are bound to keep happening and at The Lighthouse, they do!   Communication Each of our classrooms has students in them with specific behaviour protocols and individualized education plans. It is extremely important for all of the staff in that classroom (and all over the centre, in some cases) to be up to date on these specifications in order to create consistency for all of our learners. I can speak for the team that works in the primary classroom when I say that we usually just have to look at each other to know how to react (or not to react) to a behaviour. Because we take the time to proactively collaborate and communicate on a daily basis, I have full confidence in the members of my team to follow through as I would. This allows each of us the flexibility to work with all of the students in our class and maintain a high quality of care and education throughout the day. A Common Objective Although each of our team members is unique, it is obvious that we share in one prevalent ambition: making each of our students the best they can be! You can tell the minute you walk into The Lighthouse how much love our staff has for all of the children who attend our centre. We will always put their wellbeing as our top priority. As long as each of us is acting with this in mind, the success of our team is inevitable. It is amazing what a group of positive and like-minded people can do when they work collaboratively. Every single member of our team contributes to the success of our students, whether it is through direct programming or a smile in the hallway. The Lighthouse is an awesome place to go to school, but it also a great place to work, on a fantastic team! Written by:  Jenna Williams, Primary Teacher