Success Stories

FACE was a blessing that came into my life at the perfect time. At the age of 22, I accepted my first full-time teaching position in second grade. I was feeling overjoyed but also extremely overwhelmed. When I entered my classroom, it was completely bare. The teacher before me had taken all of the books, manipulatives, and resources. I was truly left with close to nothing. Our district is located in an extremely rural Pennsylvania area and we don’t yet have access to the technology that I have seen in other classrooms. Before my first day even started, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed with how I was going to afford the supplies needed to give my students the best learning experiences.

That is when Dr. Jean Strait stepped in. She had seen my recent Facebook post about needing classroom supplies. Within minutes, she reached out and asked specifics about what I needed for my students to be successful. From our first conversation, I knew that Dr. Strait was someone who was incredibly passionate about education! I was blown away because, although I was geographically states away, she truly cared about my students and I. During the first week of school, I received an over 70-pound box filled with items for my classroom! Tears rolled down my face as I looked at all of the amazing items my students would now have access to! These are things that I would not have been able to afford on my own.

Now, halfway through the school year, my students and I have certainly reaped the benefits of FACE. Our math lessons are now super engaging with playdough, cubes, and magnetic ten frames. My students with special needs utilize a variety of fidgets and a diffuser all donated from FACE. At indoor recess, my students have a choice of several board games to play (there were no games before). I am eternally grateful for the generosity of Dr. Jean Strait and FACE.

Dr. Jean Strait is the teacher that everyone needed growing up. She finds your area of growth as a strength and amplifies it in the classroom. She taught me to build relationships first, listen always and be your student’s biggest advocate.

I received positive feedback right away from the staff, that FACE was engaging and made them see ADHD in a different light. I’ve had staff say that the training was relevant and profound in their thinking about our students. That to me is a huge testament to the effectiveness of the training because staff members still bring it up. Our staff has had a huge learning curve about ADHD, and how much more of an effect it has on children than we ever realized. It isn’t just about a squirming child in your classroom. Dr. Strait’s training challenged their perceptions and helped improve compassion for disabilities. We always struggle with hidden disabilities, and we have come a long way with our understanding of their impact on children. We’d love to have Dr. Strait come back soon!. Again, it isn’t often that I have staff that continually circle back to a certain training, but they do yours – often!