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At the beginning of fourth grade,
I joined Peer Helpers.

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Peer Helpers is an inclusion program
where students like myself

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can interact with students 
in Special Education.

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When I joined, I was looking to try
something new

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because, you see, at my elementary school,

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there's only chess club
and Peer Helpers,

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so my options were pretty limited.

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But the kids that I did see peer helping
looked like they were having tons of fun.

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I mean, they were missing class,

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sitting together at lunch,

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and taking trips.

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I wanted in on that, so I joined.

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At the time, I had no idea I would
eventually be meeting someone

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who would become 
one of my closest friends today,

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Henley Hager.

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When I first met Henley and his family,
it was a disaster.

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I vividly remember talking
to Mrs. Hager for the first time,

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and I had no idea what to say.

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It was probably something like,

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"Hey, Mrs. Hager, I'm here
to work with Henley."

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So after I introduced myself to her,
I finally met Henley,

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the boy I was going to be working with.

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At first, I didn't know 
what to do or say around Henley.

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You see, Henley has severe autism,

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and I had no experience working with
anyone like that before.

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I'm going to be honest.

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It's not like I just strolled in there
and was already best buddies with him.

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I was nervous, 
nervous that I might set him off,

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or nervous that I might do something
to upset him,

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and since we're being honest,

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I was nervous because we as humans
have a tendency to feel uncomfortable

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around people who are different than us.

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Regardless, over the next three years,

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every Wednesday, I went with Henley
to an after-school program

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where we would on social 
and academic skills,

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such as organization,

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doing homework,

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physical exercise,

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calming down,

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helping him understand the day's plan,

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not complaining 
when he doesn't get his way,

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and engaging in small talk.

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But as long as I've known Henley,
I know what he wants to do,

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play on the computer.

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But we can't always do that.

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So I'll provide other examples
of what we can do,

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like walk around the track,

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use the stationary bike,

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or play basketball.

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He'll answer with yes or no,

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or he's gotten to the point

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where he will politely ask 
if we can do this activity instead.

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Over the years, Henley's small talk
has greatly improved

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and it's not just with me,

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it's with every person he interacts with.

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That's one of the goals 
of inclusion programs.

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Inclusion programs benefit people
because they develop friendships,

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increase achievement of IEP goals,

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and greater opportunities for enhance
learning are formed.

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But apart from all that, 
we would go fun places.

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I remember one time, Henley and I
went to the McWane Science Center

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in Downtown Birmingham.

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We had fun watching the fish,
and stingrays, and sharks.

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But imagine being at the science center

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and hearing two teenage boys cracking up
and giggling over nothing.

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Henley and I can just let out
a quick giggle

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and the laugh attacks begin.

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I have the best time ever
when I'm with him

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and I always look forward
to spending time with him,

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but this trip wasn't me 
being his Peer Helper.

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These were just two best friends
hanging out and watching sharks.

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Now, I can talk about how much
I've done with or for Henley,

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but what I really want you to hear
and what rarely gets mentioned

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is the fact that Henley
has also helped me.

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He's helped me become more patient,

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I am better at working with kids
with disabilities,

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and I believe I've become more 
compassionate

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toward those different than me.

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So through my interactions with Henley,
I mentioned becoming more patient.

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For example, Henley takes longer
to learn certain concepts,

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to do school work,

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and to respond to certain questions.

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And because of this, I've learned to
repeat myself without getting frustrated,

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or at least making 
that frustration visible.

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Somebody should teach my mom that.

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But let me be clear.

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Many times it was frustrating,
but you can't get mad at him

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because he's not intentionally 
trying to be difficult.

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He's just taking his time and adjusting
to the task at hand

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the best way he knows how.

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Understanding this has made me
a more patient person

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in all aspects of life.

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And apart from patience,

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I've become better at working
with kids with special needs.

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In your everyday school,

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a majority of students pretend 
like students in the Special Ed department

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don't even exist.

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They walk through the halls,

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talk to their friends,

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and ignore those with special needs.

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Rarely do people interact with these
students in a positive and helpful way.

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But I've learned that through
interacting with students like Henley,

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when you ignore those with
special needs,

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you're missing out on a gift.

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So from fourth to seventh grade,
I worked exclusively with Henley,

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and that partnership,
that friendship,

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is one of the best things
that has ever happened to me.

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I have loved working with Henley,

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and becoming a Peer Helper
was one of the best decisions of my life.

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But sadly, not all students
have this opportunity.

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After researching, I was shocked
to find that people with special needs

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do not have enough, if any,
Peer Helpers in their school.

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And what's worse, not all schools
provide enough teachers or teachers' aids

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to students in the special ed department.

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So get ready for this part.

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Many students in the Special Ed department

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don't receive the adequate services
they deserve.

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And of the schools who don't provide
the adequate services to these students,

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I believe the most common reason

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is because they don't have 
enough funding or staff,

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but if they're not up to standard,
it's the students who suffer.

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Think of all the kids 
with learning disabilities

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and how they need help
to thrive in their learning.

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Without it, jobs may not 
be available to them,

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or they may not learn social skills

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needed to live in the environment
we live in today,

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their autonomy won't develop

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and these rich relationships
will not be formed.

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All of these concepts rotate 
around each other,

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and are things that I work with
Henley to improve on.

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I can tell that Henley 
has greatly improved

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with communicating with 
people throughout the years,

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and this is because he's fortunate enough
to live in a community

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that has a very respectable
Special Education program

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with many staff members
and a thriving Peer Helper program.

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But, like I said before, not all schools,
a majority in fact,

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adequately support the Special
Education department,

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which is making it harder for these kids


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to become the most successful version
of themselves.

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But now, let's say schools 
do start providing

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the help they should 
be giving to these kids.

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Let's say that these students thrive.

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I mean think of the possibilites.

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They'd be prepared for the work force,

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and they'd learn stronger social skills.

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If the schools are not providing
enough teachers or teachers' aids

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to students in the Special Ed department,

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I say that job is passed to us,
the students.

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I say the students should step up
and support their fellow classmates.

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Every student in here 
has the ability to help.

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The hardest part is acting on the problem,
but I know everyone can do it.

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One of the best and most effective ways
you can help Special Education departments

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is by creating or joining 
a Peer Helper program.

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Once you join of these programs,
you'll feel like a different person

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because you realize how much of
an impact you have on other individuals.

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Because helping others impacts you.

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It turns you into 
a "glass half full" person

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and essentially, build stronger
friendships with those who need it.

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So aside from lunch, being a Peer Helper
is the best part of school by a landslide.

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For those of you who enjoy learning,
just wait until you become a Peer Helper.

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Every Tuesday and some Thursdays,
I help,

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and when I get to school, I am so excited.

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I'm excited for the time of day
I can walk into that room

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and say hello to all my friends
who I enjoy helping.

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Becoming a Peer Helper should
be considered a privilege

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because not only are you positively
impacting your fellow peers,

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they also help you,

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and you'll build 
long-standing relationships

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from this as well.

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It is hard work sometimes, and you're
definitely not going to get a trophy

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saying you're a good Peer Helper.

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But really who needs a trophy
when you're gaining a friend?

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That's the best reward.

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Being a Peer Helper helped me
realize who I am as a person

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and my purpose in not just my life,
but other's lives too.

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So I challenge my fellow students
in the audience

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to strongly consider becoming
a Peer Helper.

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You will love it.

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And if you don't have one, talk with
your principal or Board of Education

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and make one because these
students really need it.

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And to you parents listening out there,

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encourage your son or daughter
to participate in Peer Helper programs

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because all it takes is eight words to
change your life and the lives of others,

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"I would like to become a peer helper."