Meet the Presenter:
Meet the Presenter:
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Sarah Batchelor (nee Seymour)
Sarah Batchelor (nee Seymour)
Sarah Batchelor graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education in 2000. She has taught Band, Choir, Jazz Band, and Elementary Music in 3 different school divisions, currently calling Rocky View Schools in Airdrie Alberta Canada home.
Sarah considers herself a Conductor, Pianist, 2nd Soprano, Percussionist and Brass musician who embraces neuro-spicey-ness in all aspects of her life.
She is an obsessive crochet/knitter/canner/tech loving/true crime binging mother of 5 children, 3 boys, a girl, and a non-binary kiddo. 3 of these children have a ND diagnosis.
Sarah is open about her journey to find a diagnosis of ADHD, Autism, dsylexia and her mental health struggles because she has learned that “living out loud “ gives others permission to be open and honest as well.
Music is a powerful tool for making the world a better place and Ms. Seymour is blessed to be living her best life making music with musicians of all ages.
Sarah feels akward writing this bio in the third person....but feeling akward is a way of life....so....
Ms. Seymour's Alter/Ego
Maestro Seymoursaurus
Probably Unnecessary Content Warning
The following presentation was created by a neurodiverse individual who got tired of the fact that their ability to cope and mask was being used as an excuse to not provide support.
The content of this presentation is based on research, individual experiences, and conversations with other neurodiverse teachers.
Sarah Batchelor is NOT an expert..she is simply one neurodiverse person trying to help others navigate their world more easily, and hoping we all feel seen and heard in our workplaces.
Why this Presentation?
Why this Presentation?
As someone who has struggled their whole life, often with misdiagnosed conditions and medications...when I discovered I was actually on the autism spectrum, had adhd, and dyslexia...my world suddenly made sense. I began looking for ways (other than meds, which saved my life) to make my life more productive and to help me fit in with my peers more.
I found NOTHING....absolutely nothing written for teachers. I found a few articles for employers in business or tech industries, but nothing that relates specifically to educators. I began calling my union, HR etc to see what supports were available and their responses were dismissive and honestly I think they were just confused as to my requests as the most common response I got was..."but you are coping"
Coping isn't enough. I want to thrive. I want to not have to struggle within a system that ignores my needs...and because it isn't just me I felt it was time someone brought up the topic in a more formal and public way.
A statement in an study "Neurodiversity at work:a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults" by NancyDoyle Department of Organizational Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, stated what I had come to believe:
"There are very few studies evaluating the effectiveness of adjustments in the workplace and this is an urgent research need.
RiceandBrooks stated the following in the conclusion of their adult dyslexia interventions review(p.12):‘" good practice in this field rests almost entirely on professional judgment and common sense, rather than on evidence from evaluation studies’."
In the absence of such valuable research we must continue to advocate for our needs using our professional judgement and common sense.
This presentation is a summary of my journey down the rabbit hole.
Today we will discuss:
Neurodiveristy is and how common it is.
Embracing our Neurodiveristy, the pros and the cons
Are neurodiverse conditions superpowers or disabilites?
Some strategies and ideas on how to use the strengths and some ideas and tools to compensate for the deficits.
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