SDC Teacher and My Mom: Mrs. Keegan
So apparently I did get it from my Mom because I followed the same path as her. Actually, almost identical. We both have fashion majors and then went into teaching Special Education. She has been an enormous mentor for me and I even jumped at the chance to work with her this year, it was awesome!
Here's her interview:
1. Why did you choose to become a Special Education Teacher?
I like teaching kids one-on-one with learning disabilities. I felt like there was a need for teachers who individualize curriculum to ensure each student is meeting their goals. In the general education you don’t see a lot of individualization with the students but with special education I am able to work one to one with my students with all aspects of their learning.
2. If you could give any teacher one tool to incorporate into their classroom and use to help accommodate, what would it be?
I would give every teacher a highlighter because it is a very quick visual for kids. For example, highlighting the 1’s column, the 10’s column, and the 100’s column to help kids see visually when adding and subtracting. I actually learned this from a Speech Therapist a long time ago who mentioned this idea to me for one of my students who was struggling with math. It’s a great and easy way to quickly accommodate students as you are teaching, no prep needed.
3. What key element helps your classroom run on a daily basis?
Repetition and schedules are key to enabling growth. My two aids and I run a classroom with 22 academic groups a day. Every day looks very similar and there is a reason for that, it works. A lot of classrooms do a lot of over the top art and projects which is great for kids but sticking to our basic schedule each and every day is why my students with learning disabilities can go from not writing numbers to multiplying in a few years. It works!
4.Any advice for a new Special Ed. Teacher?
Don’t sweat it if you don’t complete a lesson. These kids are learning at their own pace. I use to stress out if I didn’t get through the whole lesson I had planned but after 15 years I have learned that every student is different and you have to try your best each day to teach them and if you don’t finish it, there is always tomorrow.
5.How are you doing with the change in learning since COVID-19?
I miss my students and seeing them face to face. Teaching a student from a distance without the supplies and resources my classroom has is not the same and I do not like it. My classroom has everything I use for my students so when I’m preparing packets I have had to get really creative because I don’t have my classroom with me at home. I have a few necessary books but other than that it has been a struggle to find things to give my students to use at home.
6. Do you think how we teach is going to change after this pandemic?
I think that the old generation will learn more technology. A lot of teachers who are from the older generation were unsure about what to do when we had to start distance learning because of the technology aspect. Besides that I don’t think much will change as long as we go back to school at the beginning of next year. There has been talk that we may not start on time or may not go back for quite some time and if that ends up being true I think a lot will change in how we are teaching.
Thanks mom!