Structured Teaching Program

What is STP?

Harlem’s Structured Teaching Program, housed at Rock Cut Elementary, is an educational program primarily for students with autism or characteristics of autism requiring a highly structured, scheduled environment.  These students spend much of their day in a structured environment but are also integrated at varying degrees with their general education peers in homeroom, specials, and some other academic content areas.  Students in the program receive an individualized mix of academics, fine and gross motor skill work, social leisure, play and communication skills, as well as functional and self-help skills.

Who teaches STP?

Alexa Bois, Kimberly Slick, Michelle VanWambeke, Erica Burke, Jennifer Graves, and Kelsey Kline, along with their incredibly hardworking paraprofessionals  are the educators who get to work with this wonderful, unique group of students each day.  The “why” behind these ladies’ calling is truly inspirational.  

Slick  shared, “I have a brother with autism who is now in his 30s...I was able to see firsthand the impact that his teachers had on him (both good and bad).  I have a mindset of knowing that I am setting these kids up for adulthood.”  VanWambeke added, “When you work on a skill with a student for so long, and one day it clicks and they have it... When you get to see that happen, it’s very rewarding!” 

How Does STP operate? 

Students are often clustered in multi-grade level groups.  Differentiation is a skill these educators have truly mastered.  Students are all on an individual schedule and lessons are tailored to each individual student every single day.  Students are rotating to new workstations every 20 minutes throughout the day.  To make this work, these teachers and paras work with intentionality towards collaboration and differentiation.  

The team states, “We share everything!  We collaborate on an ongoing basis to create an arsenal of tools that will meet our students’ wide range of learning needs and abilities.”    They are in constant communication with each other and have built true friendships.  Whether through group texts or popping into each others’  classrooms before or after school, they make a daily effort to connect and share ideas.  They smiled as they shared about their general education colleagues who, “treat our students like their own and welcome them into their classes.  The general education students grasp onto our students and they become good friends.”  One teacher recalled, “When one of the students in their home room earned the privilege of inviting any friend in the school to eat lunch with, they selected one of my students.  It really warmed my heart!  Seeing them build friendships and relationships with their gen ed peers is so valuable.”

What the Community Should Know 

These ladies are honored to work with our special education population and Harlem is lucky to have them!  They want the community to know that these children are capable.   “My kids are nonverbal...but they can absolutely hear and understand you.  They hear you!”  Whether integrating into the gen ed classrooms or into community spaces, “our students are in the room, and they are listening!”  

Our school encourages us as a community to ask questions:  “Why does that student wear a helmet? Why does s/he not talk or repeat things?  Society has put a stigma on these things, but if you (or your child) is curious or unaware and as long as you’re respectful, there is nothing wrong with asking questions!”  Sheets adds, “Instead of saying ‘don’t stare’ ,teach them to say ‘hello!’”  This would initiate a giant step towards acceptance of all people within our community.  

One thing these special educators love about the program is that it gives all kids exposure to people with disabilities.  Exposure leads to understanding, acceptance, and kindness.  They remind us all that, "Until people are exposed to people with disabilities they don’t know how to interact.  Without the exposure there is a lack of knowledge, so it’s our job to educate the community and the people around us.  These students are fully capable people, therefore I hold them to a very high standard. If we don’t, who will?”