If you know me personally you will know that I have kept a blog for many years. It has been my family blog and has provided me with great comfort and others with education. I'm nervously excited to share this professional blog with you. It is a work in the making as is my professional career. I'm nervous because I have strong opinions that can step on toes. I'm excited because I have strong opinions that I feel can change the world.
For the first post it is important that you get to know who I am as a professional.
My title is the special education teacher. Now I know that this has a lot of connotations to it. Special ed conjures up different images for everyone. Soon I will let you know what 'special education' really means and I will try to convince you that we all need to be classified as 'special ed'.
I graduated from the University of Washington, Department of education with my masters degree in 2005. In 2004 I had been doing family research for 3 years and my study was coming to an end. I realized at that time that my hiatus from education equaled a hole in my soul and it was time to return to the profession. I admit that I never wanted to be a general education teacher so I returned to get my masters in special ed. I was part of the "high incidence" program. Which just means that I work with students that have needs that occur often in people, learning disabilities, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (both inattentive and hyperactive) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
I have always had a passion for students who learned differently. It is a challenge and a gift to figure out how to best reach a particular student. Those quirky learners are the ones who will stand out! Those are the kids that teach us and their peers something extraordinary! After working with many different kids I realize that we all have a bit of special ed in us. I realized that disabilities come in all shapes and sizes and we 'categorize' to help us understand but not because it gives 'insight' into the child. A former professor always told us, "If you've met one kid with autism you have only met one kid with autism" disability manifests in everyone differently. It is important to look at the whole kid and not just thier disability.
I'm so wonderfully excited to be a part of such a great community as Queen Anne Elementary and McDonald Elementary. I've grown to love these students and see the precious gifts they all have.
For the first post it is important that you get to know who I am as a professional.
My title is the special education teacher. Now I know that this has a lot of connotations to it. Special ed conjures up different images for everyone. Soon I will let you know what 'special education' really means and I will try to convince you that we all need to be classified as 'special ed'.
I graduated from the University of Washington, Department of education with my masters degree in 2005. In 2004 I had been doing family research for 3 years and my study was coming to an end. I realized at that time that my hiatus from education equaled a hole in my soul and it was time to return to the profession. I admit that I never wanted to be a general education teacher so I returned to get my masters in special ed. I was part of the "high incidence" program. Which just means that I work with students that have needs that occur often in people, learning disabilities, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (both inattentive and hyperactive) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
I have always had a passion for students who learned differently. It is a challenge and a gift to figure out how to best reach a particular student. Those quirky learners are the ones who will stand out! Those are the kids that teach us and their peers something extraordinary! After working with many different kids I realize that we all have a bit of special ed in us. I realized that disabilities come in all shapes and sizes and we 'categorize' to help us understand but not because it gives 'insight' into the child. A former professor always told us, "If you've met one kid with autism you have only met one kid with autism" disability manifests in everyone differently. It is important to look at the whole kid and not just thier disability.
I'm so wonderfully excited to be a part of such a great community as Queen Anne Elementary and McDonald Elementary. I've grown to love these students and see the precious gifts they all have.