This is the second of 4 blogs, each exploring a different element of Special Education.

Part 2: The SPECIAL Educators

When you think back on your years in grade school, junior high, or high school, was there one teacher that really made an impact on you? Maybe they gave you creative license to present a project as a talk show rather than a theme paper (My 6th grade English teacher allowed that). Maybe they did crazy things… like walk on the desks and swing across the beams hanging from the ceiling, all while explaining a key concept (My 8th grade history teacher did that). Maybe you were mentored by a teacher or a coach. Maybe you had an experience that led you toward or away from a specific career or field of study.

I suppose, if we really thought about it, we could each say we had at least one special teacher. However, with my limited vision, school was challenging at times. Thankfully, I had two very special teachers, not because of one thing they did, rather because of everything they did. These two women were my Special Education teachers.

When I started Kindergarten, Mrs. Denny was my Special Ed teacher. She helped me to learn Braille. In second grade, when I requested to go to the same school as my twin brother, she agreed to meet me there instead of forcing me to continue at a different school. At the new school, she helped me transition from Braille to large print. In junior high, Mrs. Denny introduced me to a Personal Reading Machine (PRM). A camera is positioned above a movable tray, and whatever is placed on that tray is projected onto a TV or computer monitor. It changed the way I would read, write, and take tests.

Then it was time for high school. We all go through lots of changes in high school, and for me that included a new Special Ed teacher. Ms. Bruner worked with all of the Special Ed students in my high school district. Much like Mrs. Denny, she would travel to each school to work with each student. She helped me discover how to use my very thick glasses, and a magnifying glass to read schoolwork and take tests. That gave me the opportunity to read anywhere, without the need to have a PRM. She helped me learn to cook and how to navigate busy unfamiliar intersections. Ms. Bruner even taught me how to use a cane (yes, the red and white one) in case my high school eye surgeries didn’t go well.

One of my favorite things about Ms. Bruner was that she would occasionally take all of her Special Ed students on a field trip. One particular trip that stands out to me is the cross country skiing outing (Hey, at least it wasn’t downhill… or bobsledding). That field trip could have been a disaster, but Ms. Bruner selected a pretty flat and wide course, so that we beginners had a chance for success. When the path was level, the skis glided across the snow, and we just used the poles for stability. There was a lot more effort required when traveling up hill. The poles were used to pull us along, slowly making progress up the hill. My favorite was the small downhill slopes. What a feeling to just drift down that hill with the poles completely off the ground. Even though it was only for few seconds, it was… incredibly freeing.

It’s been decades since I was in school, and Special Education has changed since then. The scope of special needs has expanded, and that makes the entire environment more challenging. However, my view of Special Ed teachers is clearer than ever. They provide an experience much like that cross country skiing field trip.

Working with Mrs. Denny was a lot like going uphill on cross country skis. While we got along well, there were times when I became very frustrated or angry, not about anything she did, but because I felt like I had to work too hard just keep up, just to stay even with the other kids. Instead of lecturing me, she would simply stop working with me for a day… or a week. I had to figure it out for myself. What Mrs. Denny really taught me was… the amount of effort I needed to put in to my own work. It really didn’t matter what “the other kids” did, she helped me see that I needed to do what I needed to do to be successful.

Working with Ms. Bruner was a lot like the level sections of that cross country skiing course. She helped me to glide along a little more easily by providing different tools and skills to prepare me for a less challenging future. She even helped me get ready for the ACT and SAT exams, so I could apply to college, and even gave me a swift push in the right direction when I doubted my ability to get there.

After high school, I didn’t have a Special Ed teacher – I didn’t need one. Mrs. Denny and Ms. Bruner spent all those years, all that effort, getting me ready to lift those poles. Much like the downhill sections of that cross country skiing course, my sense of freedom and independence is both thrilling and scary all at the same time. It’s scary, thinking about the fact that I might fall. At other times, I have fallen, and while it hurts, I get up, dust myself off, and hold those poles for stability. The freedom to use the tools and techniques these Special Educators have taught me has helped me to navigate a family, a career, and a social life. What makes Special Education teachers so special? While they work so hard on helping in the here and now, the impact of their efforts goes far beyond the classroom, and for that I am very thankful.