Rhonda Cunningham

Background

About Rhonda Cunningham

ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS SUCCESS: I am a teacher. I strive each day to notice and document each child's stressors, motivators and medical issues, I am able to call upon that information during a life event. A student and his/her family will determine to what degree I become involved outside of school. Some students need the proper discipline and interaction only during the school day, others may need more in depth help. I will be involved with ongoing consults with parents, doctors, court, law enforcement officials and mental health programs as needed. I facilitate. During my day with the students, I may learn of a need that will assist in a better learning environment and/or an accommodation that eliminates stressors that creates a more successful means of learning. I will try to find answers and the needed provisions for that child. Sometimes there are problems in moving forward to the “unknown”. I will try to help the student see ahead, to plan for a better life, using concrete goals and benchmarks as a pathway. I may talk with the parents and try to create a better communication between the student, the parent, outside resources, and future educators/employers. I may sit with a child at a hospital, in a jail or in a courtroom. I am there to comfort and reassure the student. At times I may take students to their first community service project with a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, or a Harvest Food Bank. These are real life experiences that are crucial for my students and their growth. I strive to show each student that there are many different ways to live your life, not just the life that they live. I encourage them seek what it is that they want for themselves and then help provide the tools they need to succeed. During these times, I am always their teacher, bound by all the ethics and rules of disclosure my profession requires, but I am also a person the student and the family can rely on to help, to inform, and to care about them.