SPECIAL EDUCATION

Pay It Forward: Tenth Annual Region 9
Special Education Paraprofessional Training Day

What better way to start the school year for Region 9 special education professionals than bringing back the highly motivating Corwin Kronenberg! The numbers continue to increase and this year more than 650 paraprofessionals from Waseca Area Schools, Mankato Public Schools, St. Peter, New Ulm, Fairmont and Wells Area Schools attended this topical training day on Aug. 31 at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato.

Back by popular demand was the extraordinary keynote speaker, Corwin Kronenberg, Programming Kids for Success. Through a unique blend of theory, practical demonstrations and humor, participants learned some useful techniques for working successfully with kids.

Daniel Cronn-Mills, Ph.D. from Minnesota State University, Mankato presented “Managing Chaos and Complexity in Our Daily Lives.” Our lives seem to get more hectic and more complex every year. An exploration and understanding of the interaction between chaos theory and complexity theory may be our solution. Complexity theory may help us think about tasks in new and different ways.

Kari Fletcher, regional resource coordinator for MN Organization Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS) helped bust the myths and breakdown the barriers surrounding Fetal Alcohol Syndrom (FASD). Kari is passionate about educating others about this disability. Participants had the opportunity to hear all three speakers.