Episode Details

Superintendent:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Some students at Copper Hills High School are the best pals anyone could ask for. They participate in the Peer Tutoring program and CH Pals Club on today's program. We find out how peer tutors and CH Pals are changing lives, supporting students with special needs and making the lifelong friends in the process. Let's start with a visit to Jackie Sheppick's classroom at Copper Hills High School, where she teaches students with special needs. Just describe, first of all, what is this class? It's exciting to be here already. If I can tell a lots going on.

Jackie:
Thank you. Yeah. So I teach this severe Special education class here at Copper Hill High School. We're a life skills class, so I'm really focusing on the essential elements of math, reading, and science. We also have to do things like health history, social studies, social skills transition into adulthood and just basic life skills.

Superintendent:
So how much of a student's schedule is involved in this class?

Jackie:
Yeah, so they have a full schedule. My students are typically with me three days, three class periods, and then they go out to a mainstream.

Superintendent:
Okay, great. So three classes with you, one mainstream class.

Jackie:
Yeah.

Superintendent:
What are some of the other things that you cover? I heard today, you talking about job applications and thinking about the right job. What are some of the other life skills that you covered throughout the year?

Jackie:
We cover a lot. I mean, things that you and I just do out of common courtesy or just because we were raised with social skills, my students need explicit instruction. And so we're working on things like self-advocacy, what's an IEP, why do I have an IEP? Do I have a disability? We work on job skills, restaurant skills, theater skills, transportation. We actually go out and use UTA. And that's always a fun unit. They get to experience going on a bus and riding the TRAX for the first time. We do things like foods, unit housing, how to pay bills, how to find an apartment to live in.

Superintendent:
It sounds like the type of skills that a lot of people could use some help with.

Jackie:
It's a lot. My peer tutors say it's actually funny. You say that because they'll come to me, you know, we'll be working on our restaurant unit and one of them will say, thank you for teaching us how to leave a tip because I didn't know how to leave a tip. I say, you're welcome. So now when you go on a date, you know how to leave a tip.

Superintendent:
I think, especially lately, there are just a lot of things that we don't end up doing and we don't do for ourselves until we absolutely have to. And so these are great skills for everyone to learn, right?

Jackie:
It's just so fun for me to see them, you know, come in as a sophomore and realize, wow, I'm in high school. I have to be an adult here soon. And by the time they're a senior, they are ready. They're independent. They know how to do money. They know how to be adult and how to function in society. And that's my greatest reward is to see them move and get jobs.

Superintendent:
And you had a student last year get his driver's license, which was amazing. That's great. So, can you just see the self-efficacy or the self-confidence grow when they realize, I can do this? There's something I couldn't do and now I can d