Sam – Profile Advisor “What’s a Profile Advisor?” That was my first reaction when the director of our Schools Attuned regional training site suggested that I go to the training to become one. “That’s what you’re going to find out,” was his matter-of-fact reply. My name is Sam Schwarzmer, and I have worked in education for the past sixteen years, first as a High School teacher, and, for the last ten years, as a school psychologist for the Los Angeles Unified School District. I attended the first Schools Attuned training offered in L.A. in 1999, and helped facilitate the training that was held here this past summer. When I started in the field of School Psychology, I was excited about the prospect of being able to help children by assessing their potential and designing interventions that could make a real difference. But working in a large urban school district and facing the realities of eligibility, federal regulations, timelines, funding crises, overcrowded classrooms and worse, I began to wonder if I would ever be able to do what I was actually trained for. With this in mind, last summer I attended the Profile Advisor Training in Princeton, NJ. It was stimulating if exhausting four days, crammed with exciting ideas and techniques, and attended by eager, insightful educators who shared creative ideas to best adapt a classroom for all kinds of children. We explored standardized test batteries, learning how to recognize patterns that would inform us about a child’s neurodevelopmental profile. We learned how to more effectively consult with teachers as they learn how to better “attune” their own students. And, in an exercise that I thought was exceptionally valuable, we analyzed a lesson plan along its neurodevelopmental demands. By doing this, we can help teachers better anticipate where some students would have difficulty, before they are left behind the rest of the class. When I came back to Los Angeles, I was hired by the local training site to be a mentor to four teachers who were trained in Schools Attuned last summer and are just starting to use these skills in their classrooms. I have been meeting with this team twice a month as they wrestle with terminology and the best way to understand their students. This will continue to be an exciting challenge throughout the year. I’m glad that I was asked to contribute to A Day in the Life. Using Schools Attuned as a school psychologist seems somewhat like uncharted waters, and I look forward to having a sounding board as I navigate the course. As I practice and implement these skills, I hope to share what worked for me and what didn’t, and, by the end of the year, when someone asks what a Profile Advisor is, we’ll all know. Please contact us for more information about the Profile Advisor program.