Exploring the power of “Just Give Him the Whale!” with parents and educators on December 15 was delightful and inspiring. Talking as a group and feeding off each other’s experiences helped make the stories shared in the book by Author Paula Kluth, even more accessible.
In particular, each participant connected the stories in the book to students they care for and teach while exploring how their own passions and areas of expertise drove their educational experience. A teacher who inspired students with their own special interest and creative ways to ignite learning in students on the spectrum were shared.
We talked of trusting the process and leaning into kids’ interests – one child’s love of the alphabet, another needed to sing about monkeys to get started on anything, a third was so passionate about construction trucks that the teacher was concerned about his learning when the road outside the window was under construction. But in all those cases, the teachers used the kids’ interests to engage them and saw expansion in language and engagement, and a desire to share their interests with others.
Be part of our next Big Autism Read of “Just Give Him the Whale!” on January 9. When you buy the book through CEA, get a discount on the $15 registration fee for the workshop with Author Paula Kluth on January 25.
Made possible through a Disabilities Innovation grant through the MN Department of Human Services
