The Hendricks County Retired Teacher’s Association kicked off its first meeting of the new school year on Monday, Sept. 11 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds.
The meeting began with the introduction of three newly retired teachers in attendance; Mindy Ragan, Cal Biddle and Kathryn Roe, followed by a meat loaf dinner provided by Mayberry Café.
Following lunch, Nikki Scott, the founder of a 503C Charity foundation called Bentleys Buddies, and her dog, Timmy, shared how dogs are making a huge difference in children who struggle with reading skills. Nikki shared how they take certified Reading Buddies (dogs) into schools for students to read to them. A Reading Buddy creates a fun and relaxing learning environment for the students. A certified Reading Buddy provides a non-threatening, non-judgmental, calm environment for the child to read. A child will often read more freely to a Reading Buddy than to a human. A Reading Buddy will not tell them they are wrong if they make a mistake. The Reading Buddy may lay right next to the reader or gently place his paw on the reader’s lap as if to say “Great Job!”. The Reading Buddies and their owners become part of the classroom. The children look forward to reading to their special friends and always try their best when reading to them. Many parents testify to the fact that their child’s reading confidence and ability soar after their child spends time reading to their Reading Buddy.
Following general committee reports, several teachers reported on the following various opportunities available to retired teachers: 1. Wayne Township HOSTS program; Helping One Student to Succeed. Call Wayne Township Superintendent’s office for more information. 2. For $17, sponsor a wreath for a deceased veteran’s grave at Christmas. Visit DAR.org for more information. 3. Collect tabs from aluminum cans which benefit the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital. Bring the tabs to the Hendricks County Fairgrounds for the next meeting, November 13.
The Indiana Retired Teachers Association Foundation has grants of up to $500 available to current Pre-K-12 Classroom teachers. The grants can used for classroom resources, leadership, research, or materials for special classroom projects. The deadline to submit an applications is September 30. Visit retiredteachers.org or call 888-454-9333 for more information.
Following a raffle ticket drawing for 5 mums, President Shelley Sparks-Munson, adjourned the meeting. The next meeting will be Monday, Nov. 13.
