Canine Companions “Help is a four-legged word” Hope Dougherty EEX 4070

Introduction to the Host Setting  Fairglen Elementary School serves 667 students in grades PK-6.  The student:teacher ratio of 15:1 is equal to the FL average of 15:1.  Minority enrollment is 17% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the state average of 57%.  Fairglen Elementary School operates within the Brevard School District. FAIRGLEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 201 Indian Trail, Cocoa, FL 32926

Demographics of Fairglen Elementary School Students by Grade Asian 1% Hispanic 5% Black 3% White 83% All Ethnic Groups

Engagement Activities  I decided to discover what goes into training a service dog for students with disabilities. These dogs change the lives of those with disabilities and this free of charge service provides a canine companion to a person in need. Copyright © 2014 Canine Companions for Independence, Inc. All rights reserved

Engagement Activities  I volunteered with a teacher, named Donna Welton, at Fairglen Elementary for a number of years. I remember she raised dogs and included them into her classroom. Unfortunately, Ms.Welton does not raise any puppies for the Canine Companions at this time. However, she does puppy sit for other puppy raisers from time to time.  I then set up a fundraising page in my name instead to help bring awareness to Canine Companions where she helped raise a total of 14 service dogs for this cause.  I completed my volunteering at Fairglen where I assisted Ms.Welton with her classroom and visited the special education classroom to assist Mrs.Lucy.

Participant Demographics  Ms.Welton has a few students that are considered ELL students and she is an ESOL certified instructor. I helped a third grade classroom that had ELL students and one with a learning disability. The student was mainstreamed into her classroom and would be pulled out to see a speech specialist.  With Mrs. Lucy I visited students with special needs ranging from first grade ages to fifth grade. I was not permitted to take photos with out sending a form for parents to fill out. My Fundraising Page Specifically my donation page will help hundreds of people with disabilities find the right service dog to help them daily

Service in Action  Pictures of Donna Welton and her service dogs Fletcher, Euses, and Roy.

Service in Action

This is a picture of one of Donna’s service dog that graduated the Canine Companion Program.

Perceptions of Differences  At first I was  VSA (prior)  Now

Connections to Your Course  For what EEX4070 at University of Central Florida I was required to complete the Teachers in Action program.  I better understand these course topics:  1. Accommodation 2. Preventive Planning Techniques 3.Positive Behavior Supports  I am now able to use this experience to add to my professional training to become a future educator.

Civic Engagement  One aspect of service-learning is to show the power and importance of being civically engaged. I now believe that it is very important to serve your community. I found this to be a very rewarding learning experience.  Service learning, in my opinion, is the best way to get hands on real world experiences.  I encourage teachers and students to embrace service learning because of how it benefits not only the community but the person volunteering as well.

Final Thoughts & Reflections  Wha t could others do about working toward greater understanding, empathy, and opportunities for persons with disabilities? What could you do to help others become involved?  What role do teachers play in educating students, parents, and communities about more than just academic topics? Are teachers truly paramount to the "greater good” of society?  Review prior reflections and share any additional closing thoughts of your own.

Works Cited  _ov/school_id/ _ov/school_id/16904  entary_School/Parents___Students/Title_1 entary_School/Parents___Students/Title_1  /k.3F1C/Canine_Companions_for_In dependence.htm /k.3F1C/Canine_Companions_for_In dependence.htm   ction/home ction/home 