Experience Summary
Instructional Specialist/Assistive Technology Coordinator/Special Education Teacher
o Working on the Work with Special Needs students for Elementary, Middle and High Schools
o Review Individual Education Plans for compliance
o Review policies and procedures to ensure MCSD is compliant with Department of Education
o Complete Assistive Technology Evaluations for students
o Catalog and Distributing Assistive Technology throughout the district
Special Education Teacher, Elementary and Middle School
o Lead Special Education Teacher, 2010-2011 School Year
o Elementary and Middle School Experience
o Inclusion, Pull Out, and Self Contained
o Student Support Team and Response to Intervention Experience
Certifications/Accreditations
• Assisted parents in learning about their student’s special needs
• CPR Certified
• Marcus Institution Training for Discrete Training Trials (DTT) for Autism Students
• Mindset Curriculum for Restraining Students Certified
• Transitional Planning for students in Middle School
Teaching Style
My philosophy of discipline is simple: observe, take data and find the function of the behavior. When a student misbehaves in class there is an underlying reason. Every behavior has a function. The function can be to gain access to an item or person, to avoid doing the work or aggressive behaviors if they do not understand the assignment completely, medicine or personal affects (hungry, sleepy or thirsty). I also believe in “brain breaks”. My students take a break every hour to get up, walk around, listen to music and get the wiggles out. By doing this one simple trick, they are able to concentrate better and have an opportunity to get the wiggles out. I also have “my time versus your time”. Meaning “my time” is a time for the students to learn or pay attention while I am teaching. “Your time is your play time. If my time gets taken away then your time is taken away. It is a very effective means to encourage students to learn and pay attention. They know the reward of “your time” is coming. I also provide short term rewards to the students and we celebrate accomplishments big or small. Rewards include small edible items, stickers, hugs, extra time with a preferred person or activity. My discipline has many components, but it WORKS! When students come to me, I am the last resort before an alternate school or a separate school for behaviors. I am able to teach them to maintain their behavior using various strategies. I have a high success rate for getting my students back to their general education classroom with their peers.
Other Comments
Being able to work with students with difficulties with behavior is my greatest strength. It takes a firm, patient and very structure teacher to work in an Emotional Behavior Disorder classroom. I am highly organized and have a happy disposition. I do not get rattled easily and able to maintain composure when chaos is all around. Academically, math, reading and science are my strongest subjects to teach. I work well with others and promote team building within groups. I can build other team members or students up to make them feel included or like they are part of the team. I am easily motivated and goal oriented.