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Grenada educator, Holmes dean speak at ABA Capitol Day Pictured is (left) Grenada Public Schools special education teacher Marie Lane speaking with Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann at ABA Capitol Day on March 19. Lane just finished they ABA course at Holmes that Secretary Hosemann provided a scholarship for through his family’s foundation.
Marie Lane, a special education teacher for Grenada Public Schools, and Dr. Jenny Jones, Goodman Campus academic dean/Attala Center director, represented Holmes Community College at the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Capitol Day on Tuesday, March 19. Lane was one of 15 Mississippi educators who received the Applied Behavior Analysis Scholarship for Teachers, provided by the Hosemann Family Autism Foundation.
In the spring of 2018, Holmes made history as the first community college in the nation to offer PSY 2543 ABA. Delbert and Lynn Hosemann, and their family, created the scholarship Lane received. The Foundation offered scholarships to 20 educators who applied, registered, and passed the ABA online course, which began on January 22.
During ABA Capitol Day, Lane and Dr. Jones both spoke on behalf of Holmes and Director of Marketing Bronwyn Martin and Director of eLearning Tish Stewart attended as representatives of the college. Dr. Jones also accepted scholarship monies from Secretary Hosemann for the ABA Scholarship for Teachers.
Lane, who teaches second and third grade students in the self-contained special education classes, completed the course on March 15 and has already been able to use the material she learned.
"This class taught me how to work with certain behaviors," Lane said. "I was able to pull knowledge obtained in the class, and with help from the instructor on how to tweak some things, was able to improve those behaviors in my classroom.
"Dr. Bellipanni was awesome. If I had a question, she was really quick to respond to me and she never acted like I was a nuisance, although sometimes I felt like I was because I had so many questions! I know this course would be beneficial for a lot of parents, as well."
This online course satisfies the 40-hour training requirement which is required to sit for the RBT Competency Assessment and RBT National Exam. This allows the individual to directly implement behavior-analytic services under a supervising Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). RBTs meet directly with clients and work in a variety of settings, including behavioral health clinics, schools and development centers.
"I encourage those who take this course to go in it with an open mind, absorb all you can and don't hesitate to ask any questions," Lane said. "Even if the instructor didn't comment on every question raised or point made on our discussion boards, there were other people in the class that did, which was helpful. They were all educators, so they all had some experience in the classroom that they could share."
Lane was among the fourth group of students to take the course at Holmes. Now that she has passed, she is ready to take the exam to become a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT).
"Several of my educator friends did not know I was taking this course, but when they saw that I was part of ABA Capitol Day, they called me wanting to know more. Even a lady that lives in Texas contacted me because she was interested in the course. Although I don't know her personally, we connected on a special education educator group on Facebook. Additionally, a friend who teaches at Northwest Community College talked to me about the course because she is interested in possibly teaching it.
"I can say, this course truly helped reignite the fire in me and reignite my passion for what I do. It was truly an answered prayer for me, and now I just have to take my RBT exam!"
Formed in 2017 by Delbert and Lynn Hosemann, and their family, the Hosemann Family Autism Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to assist children on the autism spectrum and their families in accessing educational, therapeutic, medical and behavioral health-related resources.
For more information about the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Scholarship Program for Mississippi's Teachers scholarship program, please contact hfautismfoundation@gmail.com.
For more information about the Holmes Community College PSY 2543 Applied Behavior Analysis course, contact Lilly Austin at laustin@holmescc.edu or call (662) 472-9146.
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