Miranda (Randi) LaCagnina has been a Speech Therapist with Colonial IU 20 for three years. Her advice to employees just starting out is: “There will be moments of frustration when it feels like you or a student isn’t making progress, but the breakthrough is usually right around the corner. Keep going, and never lose confidence in what your students are capable of.”
Rose Tarenc has been part of the Life Skills Support program for nearly a year. She says the most rewarding part of her work is “when children understand or are able to grow with their newly learned information and bonds.” She also shares, “I appreciate the growth opportunities here. You’re able to embrace continuous learning and receive support from other professionals in the field.”
Collaboration Brings Confidence: Jeffrey’s Successful Presentation
Randi and Rose recently collaborated to support Jeffrey, a student in the Life Skills Support Program, as he delivered a presentation in his regular education health class. Rose, Jeffrey’s 1:1 Associate Teacher, partnered with Speech Therapist Randi to meaningfully integrate his speech-generating device, “Bobby,” into the assignment.
Using the slide deck that Jeffrey and Rose created in Health class, Randi programmed each section into the device and helped Jeffrey practice during his Speech sessions, with classmates serving as his audience. This preparation gave Jeffrey valuable experience using his device for extended speaking tasks, with numbered index cards providing an easy guide through each slide.
On the day of the presentation, Randi supported Jeffrey through a brief technical hiccup and provided prompts using the index cards. After that, Jeffrey confidently delivered the remainder of the presentation independently and did a remarkable job.
This collaboration is a shining example of how intentional teamwork at the IU helps create the best possible outcomes for students.