LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jennifer Pero was nominated anonymously.

Ms. Pero's view is that a positive classroom is one that students want to come to each day. Every year, she strives to make her classroom inviting, warm, and happy for her students. She wants there to be lighting choices and colors that will appeal to all learners and different situations.

Ms. Pero ensures her students have soft spaces and pillows for times when they may need a break or to de-escalate. She wants her students to easily access classroom supplies by using various bins and organizers that are easy for students to use. All of these things help ensure that her students will have a safe, calm, and inviting environment in which they can laugh, learn, struggle, problem-solve, and grow together.

Ms. Pero is an intervention specialist and works with small groups of students with various needs. Many of her students have sensory issues and benefit from tools like weighted blankets and Chewelry - special necklaces that students can wear to chew on. Other students that she serves struggle with ADHD and/or struggle to regulate their bodies. These students really benefit from having bands for their chairs to stretch and move with their feet, rockers that can be placed on the feet of their chairs that will allow them to rock, as well as various fidgets.