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Summer Support for Families--Children, Elderly, and Special Needs (Burlington, NC)
education completed:
bachelors
license info:
certified teacher (English, math, and E.C.)
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Over the course of my professional career, I've had experience working all across the spectrum (in many regards), including high school, middle school, and elementary school. At the higher levels, I've been both an English and math teacher, while I've also dipped my toe in the water with ESL, and I've got a few years of exceptional experience with the "special needs" populations, including time at a school specifically devoted to students with autism. Beyond this, I have quite a few friends with kids of their own that I enjoy being around and spoiling--including a friend overseas in Greece that let me watch her teen daughter for a month, while she traveled abroad--and I've got an elderly mother who's been someone very dear to me and my ongoing care. To toot my own horn a bit further, I also tend to be rather adept with communication--written and spoken--and I'd say I have above average executive functioning abilities, when it comes to being competent for getting most necessities accomplished. As such, I'm seeking to find my way to a fitting situation that could make use of my various gifts and talents in a mutually agreeable manner.
I am primarily envisioning my aim towards some of the following possibilities:
--kid care, tutoring, and entertainment for children
I'm fairly well-versed with managing "youngins" of all types, and being a bit of a "big kid" at heart myself, I've also accumulated a plethora of books, toys, games, and such that kids would tend to enjoy...as well as many adults, since I have board/video games parties with friends of my own also 😋 If anything academic were of interest, I'm also pretty good at tutoring and teaching, since that's been the bulk of my work in the world thus far 😉 I've also helped manage summer camps for a Bricks 4 Kids franchise in the past, focused around both Minecraft and Lego activities 🙂 I know kids being home from school for the summer can be a challenge for some families who are used to having somewhere for them to go, and/or something for them to do, so I'm hoping I could maybe help a family or two navigate a way to make this time period less daunting 😉
--elder care, companionship, monitoring
My parents had me fairly later in life, so I've also always had a knack for getting along well with a more mature crowd as well. Like mentioned prior, I love my mama very dearly, so my heart holds a good deal of compassion for the journey into the "retirement" phases of life and beyond...I'm good at holding conversations on a variety of topics--nothing too eclectic for me--and some of the same strategies and tools that entertain kids work well for "older" kids as well 😉 Some of such might include time together with books, movies, games, crafts, or anything one might be interested in that I could help facilitate. In whatever regard, I'd aim to be as lively as would be liked--if activities are of interest--but I could also be as cool and calm as needed, if someone just preferred a steady presence.
--special needs support (highlight on autism)
As mentioned, I've been at one school for autistic kids exclusively, another for a broader range of unique needs--focused more on ADHD--and I've even worked as an E.C. teacher in the regular public school setting as well. My cousin also has a young daughter on the spectrum I've grown more familiar with, which has lead to me accumulating a LOT of "autistic (fidget) toys" for stimming of various dimensions, along with an accommodating understanding for the eccentricities that might pop-up as unorthodox preferences for this population, across multiple categories. Additionally, one of my best elder gal pals has been in the autistic world in various ways throughout her whole life, including a nonverbal, autistic grandson. Beyond this background, I've also enjoyed listening to the Telepathy Tapes--a podcast documenting some unique research regarding the nonverbal, autistic levels of life--which has accentuated my curiosity towards working closer with such people potentially. (I have my own quirkiness for sure, and I've kind of fancied myself being a rather aptly able "buddy" that could help "translate" the wants and needs of that crew into better execution, given my own prowess for navigating the 3D world so well, which is often part of the key struggle for them to more adequately express...) Ultimately, I'd be game to get my feet wetter with more experiences helping out this demographic, along with any other cases of "special needs" that might come calling 😉
Overall, it's ultimately about the "right fit" with anyone/anything in life, so I'm just putting myself out there to see what could resonate. I'm happy to have a more in-depth conversation about prospects with anyone possibly interested in such, as well as coordinating an in-person meeting to more clearly evaluate how things might organically vibe further. While I've detailed a lot of my range and familiarity thus far, I'm also open to learning any new skills or techniques that might be necessary to provide the care required, if other factors are all indicating a "yes" for things fitting together.
All this established, while my primary search is for the summer (since I'll be free from my "normal" work during those months), and I'll be able to get going again in a more traditional school setting in the fall--no shortage of teachers needed pretty much everywhere--I also wouldn't be opposed to building an ongoing connection that could become something that turns into a new "work style" for the "main dish" of my life...Honestly, I've been doing the "regular" teaching thing for so long that I'd truly love to find something a bit more holistically congruent with the full extent of service my nature would optimally thrive amidst, and something more "family" oriented seems especially ideal...but no pressure on anyone, or the universe at large. I'm a big fan of seeing that everyone tends to "get in" where they "fit in," with a flow of perfect timing, so I like leaving myself open to continue "reaching out to embrace the random, reaching out to embrace whatever may come," until "I know the pieces fit" 😉
If anything I've shared has piqued your intrigue, please reach out to introduce yourself, and let's see what kind of collaborations might be in order 😊
P.S. I've included a few photos to flash a splash of my various vibes for everyone to get an idea of me that way as well 😉
- Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this poster.