Advocating through PowerPoint

A few months ago, I was asked to be a presenter for a workshop at Humble ISD's Volunteers in Public School Conference. I volunteered to talk about "How to be an Advocate for your Child." It seemed like fun at the time. That was until two weeks before I sat down to come up with content for my 50-minute PowerPoint presentation.

Not being very techie, which is an understatement, I performed some general Google research on the nuts and bolts of PowerPoint presentations. There were interesting buzz words and phrases like "slides" and "bullet points" and such. I did appreciate Googles' advice on the proper number of bullet points per slide. However, I didn't have a clue how to actually create a PowerPoint. It didn't appear to be anything like knitting or quilting.

I had the feeling PowerPoint was going to be another new growth experience for me. That was probably when I called my daughter for help! Katie, ever the supportive daughter, gave me my instructions: break down the topics into individual slides, create 4 or 5 bullet points per slide and pick out photos to go with them. It sounded so simple when she said it. In a couple of days, she emailed my PowerPoint. I suspect she keeps a magic wand in her very small purse. It was perfect and adorable.

I asked the lovely lady in charge of Humble ISD's Community Engagement if it was all right if I sat in on some of the workshops. It was a difficult choice with so many interesting topics. I was impressed with the quality of topics and workshop presenters. I also learned there are many engaging and caring volunteers in our school district.

When it came to my workshop, I talked about some of the topics in my book like government waiting lists, guardianship, respite, IEPs, ARDs, parent support groups, summer camp, and so much more. I know everyone in attendance came away with knowledge. And that was the goal of continuing to honor Mimi's mission.