Exceptional People Serving Exceptional Children: December

Emma Hatfield Sidden, who is a pivotal member of the Assistive Technology Team housed at The Special Services Center, was awarded the Teacher of Excellence at the 65th Conference on Exceptional Children in Greensboro this November. 

Every year the N.C. Department of Public Instruction recognizes a Teacher of Excellence from each of the 115 districts. In order to be considered for this distinction, a teacher should be recognized as a leader in service through an innovative approach to instructional programs or methodologies that have demonstrated positive outcomes for students with disabilities. The characteristics of service, leadership, and dedication to improving the quality of education for exceptional children and youth are cornerstones of a Teacher of Excellence. 

As a N.C. Teaching Fellow, Emma graduated from  Appalachian State University. She began her teaching career in August 2008 at Walkertown Elementary School where she taught autistic students and ID-Moderate students in the CORE/MAP program. In 2011, Emma moved to Wilkes County and taught in a cross categorical middle school classroom.  Her innovative use of technology in her own classroom helped her seamlessly integrate onto the Assistive Technology Team in 2012.

Since moving to the team, she has been instrumental in researching new educational technology for students, developing engaging staff development for our teachers, collaborating with her peers, representing our county as a presenter at numerous educational conferences, and leading the state in implementation of assistive technology to improve the educational experience of her students. Congratulations and thank you for representing our district!

Katie Dowd teaches a 3-5 EC Functional Primary class at the Special Children’s School. She and her team of assistants, Alethea Holmes and Joel Hooks, have created a positive classroom environment that is centered on their students and their abilities. Katie leads her team with energy, warmth, and an enthusiastic attitude that is contagious. Together this group can get anything done. When you walk into their classroom you can tell that they all enjoy their jobs, respect each other, and love the children they work with.

 

Learning is very busy in Katie’s classroom and it extends beyond the school walls. Not only do they take field trips, community trips, and participate in Special Olympics activities, but they also schedule weekly trips to Old Town Park and to Mount Tabor High School for PE each week. Their partnership with the Honors PE class at Mount Tabor is a very special one. For three years, Katie’s team, our Adaptive PE teachers (Kitty Hunt and Nancy Hoover), and Mount Tabor’s PE staff have worked together to provide the students at both schools a chance to work together on PE activities in the Mt. Tabor gym. It has been a valuable learning experience for everyone involved.

 

Katie collaborates with her assistants, outside programs, and our school related services to make her classroom and her instruction stronger for her children. This cooperative approach to learning in her classroom is successful because of her leadership and the support of her two assistants. This team is the perfect match!

Lowrance Middle School’s Carrie Adams, Ken Carter and Prudence Timberlake are three amazing examples of what it takes to handle a severe profound class room and make it seem as if you are in a meditation room. 

You walk in and experience a feeling of calmness that makes you feel as if you have walked into a tranquil oasis. You would think that the teacher and her assistants have been working together for years because the flow of the transitions is seamless. 

Carrie Adams is in her first year at Lowrance as a teacher after serving as a personal assistant to one of our students for the past two years, Prudence Timberlake is in her first year as an assistant and Ken Carter has been at Lowrance for many years.  The students have responded to the class room staff very positively. Not only are they keeping the students calm, they are teaching them how to use switches to interact with others. 

There is always something educational going on in the classroom as is evident on the walls that showcase the student work.  The teachers have smiles on their faces and the students love coming to school to spend time with their teachers.

Daya Patton is Carter High School’s guidance counselor. She creates students’ schedules and class assignments like any other counselor in the district, but that is not what makes her such a wonderful addition to the Wildcat team. She facilitates a student services PLT that includes our school nurse, school social worker, and two EC case managers. These experts meet faithfully to discuss student needs and to find creative solutions to overcome them. The creation of this PLT has given Carter a secret weapon to allow us to support students in remarkable ways.

Many of our students have extreme needs that impact their success in the classroom. Some students live in families who struggle with housing and nutrition. Some struggle with challenging behaviors, and a lot of students and families need assistance accessing community resources. If a Carter student is in crisis, Daya doesn't only send information home to parents, she facilitates appointments with experts in the developmental disabilities support community. She makes it easy for parents and families to get the right kind of help from the right people. Parents feel like she partners with them in instead of just giving suggestions to them. Service providers receive a similar level of support and follow through, too. Once a therapeutic relationship has been created it thrives with frequent progress reports.

Being a guidance counselor has its challenges wherever you are.  Being a teenager has its challenges, too. Being a teen with unique, sometimes extreme, needs calls for a very unique set of supports. The students and families at Carter have an exceptional person to create supports for success.