LATHAM PROFILES: Monique Williams
Latham Profiles:
Monique Williams
Physical Education Teacher
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy giving direct support to the students in a way that I feel over time makes a difference. I enjoy the challenge; I enjoy the responsibility, and I enjoy the kid’s energies, and inquisitiveness which makes the job that much better!
Describe a few of your responsibilities and how you spend much of your time.
Most of my time is spent with the kid’s outside when it is nice out or in the Recreation Building, weather permitting. Some of my responsibilities include providing the students the maximum amount of physical activity time within the class period, teaching them skills and activities that they can transfer outside of Physical Education Class, and overall motivate the student’s to be active and to have a healthy lifestyle. Along with motivating the student’s to be active it is also my responsibility to get them to understand how it is also important to develop healthy practices.
What skills are most important for professionals who work with individuals with PWS or other complex special needs?
This type of work doesn’t require any kind of extraordinary skills, although, one important skill to have is the ability to observe. It’s important to keep in mind that all behavior is communication. Keeping a lookout for these differences and thinking about what someone’s behavior is communicating to you will help meet the student’s needs.
What do you love about working with individuals with PWS or other complex special needs?
Working with and teaching individuals with PWS or other complex special needs will present you with some unique and distinctive challenges. Not only will the students demand more of your time and patience; they are also all capable of success. Each will succeed according to his or her individual ability — but they ALL can succeed. Keeping this in mind while working at Latham, has to be one of the most rewarding things to take from this job.
Has this job taught you anything about yourself?
This job has taught me three major things about myself:
PATIENCE: You cannot rush a process or cut corners
COMMUNICATION: The better you communicate with the students and with staff, for whatever it is you are trying to achieve, the better they will be able to assist you in reaching a goal.
BE OPEN TO ADVICE: It’s important to be thankful when someone points out a different and often a better approach to accomplish something and do so with an open mind.
How do you spend your time when you’re not working at Latham?
When not working at Latham most of my time is spent coaching on the soccer field, working out at the gym, cooking, bowling, and enjoying time with my friends and family!
What advice would you give to someone contemplating a career at Latham Centers?
The best advice I could give anyone is it’s important to be flexible, have a positive attitude, and to most of all have fun and be able to laugh. If not capable of doing any of those things, it will be difficult to enjoy your job!
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