The T.I.E.S. Program (Teaching Interacting Encouraging Student) at Milford High School is a program that gives general education students (TIE)  the eligibility to assist special education students. The TIE doesn’t only work with the TIES student and help them, they, more importantly, are a friend to their student(s) and associate with them in a non-academic manner as well.

Many students who are a TIE absolutely love the program and being able to interact with students who are out of their social norm.

This program doesn’t only help the special education students with being able to work with social skills and getting help academically, it also helps the general education students. It helps them in the sense that they are putting themselves in the middle of an unknown social group with an authority role and cannot be passive about their part. According to Milford Senior, David Housel, this program gives him the benefit of gaining some communication skills and knowledge of out of ordinary situations that could potentially happen out of the educational setting.

“I took L.A.C.E.S. back in eighth grade,” said Housel, “It was cool, but a lot different than the T.I.E.S. Program.”

The differences between the two are the facts that in T.I.E.S. it is only you and your student(s). Whereas in L.A.C.E.S. not only are you working with the students, you and about four other TIE’s are in the classroom working with the same students. There is also only one hour of L.A.C.E.S. that all only work with one class. In T.I.E.S. there are multiple hours and that class is open up to sophomores through seniors.

Sophomore Jacob Frantz said the T.I.E.S. program is  helpful. Frantz feels as if his TIE doesn’t only help him with his work when it’s needed, but also associates with him on non-academic levels allowing him to be able to connect with them.

Never having an issue with a TIE, Frantz had said, “Last year there was a TIE who would always take me to the ‘sensory room’ and it was really nice and peaceful.”

The sensory room allows students to calm down if they begin to get stressed out and overwhelmed. It has calming mechanisms such as swings, stair climbers, treadmills, a sort of punching/kicking bag to let out anger, and other mechanisms as well.

From the perspective of both a TIE and TIES student, you are able to see how beneficial the program is for all who are involved. Everyone gains something that they didn’t have knowledge of prior to taking the class.