Recipe for individualized success

Recipe+for+individualized+success

Gloria Baldevia and Jackson Howell

There is never a dull moment in the Special Ed room. You’ll never guess what they were doing on Dec.18.

In a corner of CMR school, there are huge smiles and loud laughter shared on a daily basis. Every seventh period in room 104, students learn the valuable skills of cooking.

Special Education teacher, Pam Underwood, shared how seeing these children learn new skills everyday is a highlight in her 21 year- career in teaching.

According another educator, Jennifer Lewis, there has never been a boring moment when working with these students.

“You’re brain is in different directions,” Lewis said. “These students are different in many different ways.”

Just like many others, they learn, get in trouble, share jokes, and make their teachers lose their minds.

“We don’t have it easy everyday.  We are not your typical teachers,” Lewis said.  Despite the challenges of helping students, Lewis also mentioned that she always has fun.

Aside from cooking, a typical day for the students in room 104 also consists of different everyday tasks like learning about budgeting, checkbooks, and laundry. They are also taught  Math and English.

One thing these teachers make sure their students gain are individualized goals.  More than the laughter and the troubles, Lewis shared what her favorite part about seeing the children.

“To me, it’s their growth,” she said.  “When they leave and graduate, I am proud of that.