Some students need extra support and encouragement to be successful learners.
This is where Saginaw ISD social worker Haydn Thomas enters the picture.
"Some students need help working through their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors," Haydn said. "The best way I know how to do this is to build trust and relationships by providing unconditional positive regard.”
Positive “regard,” according to Haydn, occurs when social workers focus on restoration, provision of resources, and prevention.
“We strive to build bridges, mend fences, and prevent emotional floods through supportive relationships, counsel and guidance," he said.
Haydn is a 38-year veteran in social work, the past 21 years with schools.
He has been in Carrollton for the past five years, working with students from 4-to-20 years old at the elementary, middle school, high school, and alternative education buildings.
Haydn makes it a priority to meet with students and their peers during lunch time to foster socialization and friendship building.
He also greets students at the door in the morning to ensure their day gets off to a good start.
"We're really lucky to have Haydn on our team," said Anna Zuraw, one of his colleagues in Carrollton. "He's accessible to all of the teachers as well as the students. His ideas and strategies are invaluable to us as teachers and difference-making for our students. And they can be quickly incorporated into our instructional practices.”
Mr. Thomas is just one of the over 370 individuals at the Saginaw ISD who support students with special needs in our local school districts across Saginaw County.