Dawn Essig: A Career In Special Education

My career goal is to obtain a master’s degree in elementary education by the end of Fall 2016 in order to start teaching by the beginning of Spring 2017. Upon completion of the dual certification track, I will receive elementary (K-6), special education (ESE K-6), and ESOL endorsements. Before entering graduate school, I always believed these certifications would prepare me for teaching more than if I had started teaching immediately after graduation. Today, I still hold this belief to be true, for I have opportunities now to closely practice, implement, and refine teaching skills, strategies, and qualities that I learned as an undergraduate in a real school setting. I am also able to work closely alongside teachers who have experience working with students with identified disabilities and experience the different behavioral responses that students with identified disabilities may exhibit. As a first year intern this semester, I even sat in on an EPT (Evaluation and Planning Team) meeting regarding whether or not a student in my first grade classroom should receive a 504 Plan that I did not get to

An experienced Detroit-area educational administrator and consultant, Vivian Palmer holds a bachelor of arts in secondary education with a concentration in mathematics from the University of Detroit Mercy and a master of arts in education with an emphasis in instruction technology improvement from Wayne State University. Vivian Palmer’s professional history includes tenures as a professional development administrator with Detroit Public Schools and a director with the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan. She has also held a range of administrative and advisory positions in greater Seattle, Washington.

Dr. David Bolton has had an interesting spring, to say the least. He has served in the capacity of the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education in Central Bucks for two years. At the end of Dr. Bolton’s second year, the retiring Superintendent planned to retire officially on May 30, 2016 but in a series of events involving new School Board members, he was asked to clean out his office on Monday, May 9, 2016. The Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education also retired early in March of 2016, leaving Dr. Bolton currently with the title of Substitute Superintendent until a new Superintendent begins on June 6, 2016. Dr. Bolton has been completing tasks since March as Elementary and Secondary Assistant Superintendents and Substitute Superintendent all at once. My original interview was scheduled with the outgoing superintendent during the week of his departure. In light of this complication, Dr. Bolton was gracious enough to answer my questions in an email but I was unable to interview him in person or on the phone due to his busy schedule.

The West Fargo Public School system is not only the fastest growing school district in the State of North Dakota, it is also one of the most innovative and creative. The district’s Mission is “Educating today’s learners for tomorrow’s world”. Teachers employed by the district take this Mission statement to heart and live it in their own lives. To them, education is a lifelong process, not just something everyone experiences between the ages of 5-17. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that this past summer 20 elementary and secondary teachers began a 20 month educational journey by enrolling in West Fargo’s second Teacher Leadership Academy (TLA). The Academy is a collaborative effort between West Fargo Public Schools and North Dakota State University’s Educational Leadership Program. The 20 teachers began their journey this summer and will be meeting during the school year every-other Wednesday after school. At the end of five semesters they will be awarded the Masters of Education (M. Ed.) degree. Some of the unique features of the Teacher Leadership Academy are: a) rather than traveling to campus for their coursework, Academy students are taught at the district’s Leidal Education Center, b) classes are facilitated by not only university professors, but the district’s two assistant superintendents [Dr. Allen Burgad and Mrs. Beth Slette], and c) course assignments are focused around the district’s initiatives and strategic plan.

George Esposito is a Graduate of Saint Francis College in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Social Studies. He has a Master’s Degree from Brooklyn College in Social Studies. He has taught at David A. Boody Junior High School for 4 years. George Esposito has been a Teacher Leader for two years where he led teams in analyzing student data, teaching practices, and common planning teams. Throughout his career, George has spoken at the Gates Foundation and Learning Forward Conferences on teacher leadership. George has presented at several locations around the country on Micro-Credentialing and Teacher Leadership.

Kymberli is an example of a teacher who does not treat her job as a checklist of duties to complete, but rather as an opportunity to inspire, challenge, and enrich the lives of those around her. She is a powerful model to her students. Daily she puts her message into action- as an ideal educator and citizen. Kymberli is a leader in the classroom for Onaway High School, but she is also well known outside of the classroom. She has helped spearhead the districts integration of technology through the Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG). She also serves in a leadership role for her school’s

I completed my field experience at Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Since I serve the role of building principal, I am exposed to many different special education situations on a daily basis. Through this leadership field experience, I have learned a few additional things. It has taught me to stop and listen to what is occurring in our special education classrooms. By completing classroom observations, I was able to focus on the students, instead of rushing through a classroom observation on a teacher.

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is an organization for special education teachers to provide an effective learning and safe environment for students with disabilities. NASET was developed to educate, inform, support, and train teachers and upcoming teachers of special education. To conclude, NASET is a national organization with professional association for members of special education across America.

Mission: The mission of The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is to render all possible support and assistance to professionals who teach children with special needs. NASET seeks to promote standards of excellence and innovation in special education research, practice, and policy in order to foster exceptional teaching for exceptional children.

Autism Speaks. (2012). The Federal Response to Autism. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from HYPERLINK "http://www.autismspeaks.org" http://www.autismspeaks.org.

It is my pleasure to recommend Shayne Strickland for admission to the Master of Education in Special Education at Howard University. I remember meeting Shayne for the first time the day of his interview and thinking how original and calm he seemed. I have worked with Shayne in my position as Lead Teacher at Life Pieces to Masterpieces for a year. He is highly intelligent, honest, and creative and has demonstrated leadership potential inside and outside of the classroom. I enthusiastically supported his decision to pursue his graduate degree for the same reasons.

These parents truly care for their child. Growing up struggling with Asperger, one family had decided that they need to pack up and move to Pennsylvania to provide special education for their daughter.

1. How do you perceive the field of education changing, especially in the area of serving students with special needs?

The special education teacher interviewed, co-teaches algebra into three class periods. She is able to teach up to 50 students. In her classroom she can teach children with disabilities or up to 25 at-risk students.

When I was asked to reflect on my experiences in EDSE 316 and the fieldwork, I had to think long and hard on how I would sum up four months of classes and fieldwork into four pages. I have learned so much about the various disabilities and how it has change the world of special education. I think a better term would be the “endless possibilities of education”. It wasn’t too long ago when children with disabilities would be stuck in a room in the back of school only to be seen in the beginning and end of the school day. They were the ones who rode the other buses and no one really talked about. This class has allowed me to speak of my own family and how special education impacted my life. I have a brother whose whole life was spent in the special education class, and my own sons with speech and learning disabilities who are now receiving special education services. It also allowed me to reflect on my own participation in the special education program in my early elementary years when I was struggling with my own speech disability. This class gave me the chance to see the timeline of special education, from its earliest beginnings to what it is now.