Bright Spot volunteer Michelle Karb has been spearheading the use of Therapy Dogs in her school system since she and her Bright Spot Therapy Dog Coco started working with the students at Melican Middle School last year. Many of you have followed Coco’s amazing work with the students in her End-of-the Week Reports she sends to me to post on the blog each week.
Michelle was so moved by the therapeutic effect Coco’s interaction with students has had, she didn’t want to leave it at that. Feeling that Therapy Dogs should be in all the schools in her district, Michelle, assistant principal at Melican Middle School, prepared a power point presentation on Coco, The Therapy Dog, and has presented at meetings with administrators throughout her entire district. It was Michelle who was instrumental in establishing a Bright Spot Therapy Dog training class open to educators in her district.
In its infancy, the class drew three educators who gave up three Sunday afternoons this summer to learn the skills and techniques needed to become certified Therapy Dog Teams. The Therapy Dog training was held at the Robert E. Melican Middle School in Northborough on August 10th, 17th, and 24th from 1:00-3:00. Pam Murphy, our Greenfield, Massachusetts, trainer, agreed to teach the class, assisted by Michelle. For the last two classes, the second hour was spent at the Coleman House, a local nursing home and assisted living facility, where teams were able to put their skills to use in an authentic setting, while receiving feedback and suggestions from Pam and Michelle. The three teams graduated on August 24th and continue to practice their skills as they look forward to their evaluations.
Michelle has this to say about the class: I could write so much about the experience. I presented a PowerPoint at the beginning to set the stage. The three teams were terrific and worked so hard between classes to practice. The dogs were wonderful. The three handlers were like sponges, asking questions and absorbing everything they could. It was awesome working with Pam. She is a great teacher, and I was able to offer everyone first-hand experience, things that have worked and not worked for Coco and me, how to get therapy dogs into schools, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel proud that we were able to offer the training at my school. Despite the long drive, Pam also enjoyed working with the teams.
Once the handlers and dogs pass their evaluations, they will become certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams. I look forward to hearing about the meaningful work these special dogs do in their schools. I have no doubt, too, that Michelle will continue to press for more Therapy Dogs in her school district and will set-up more special Therapy Dog Trainings at Melican Middle School.