Alternative Special Education—Mild Intervention Program 毕业生档案
Read our alumni profiles to get a glimpse into the lives of our alumni and how their 博彩平台排名 degree has helped them succeed in the field of education.
Thousands of young people are waiting for special education teachers, and 布兰登·布鲁克斯 wants to see plenty of men answering the call by applying to 亚洲博彩平台排名’s 18-month 另类特殊教育-轻度干预证书 program.
“我一直在推广这个想法. 接受特殊教育的男性人数很多,布兰登说。, who taught special education in the MSD of Lawrence Township (Indiana).
Brandon is a great example of someone who never thought about being a teacher but had plenty of applicable experience.
生活的经验影响着教学
Brandon was counseling students at two alternative high schools while pursuing a degree to work with adults when he realized he wanted to keep helping children. He became a youth counselor at a juvenile detention center after graduation, then a teacher of students who needed extra attention because of behavior, 学校的进步, 或者社交技能.
很快, 布兰登管理九名教师的教室, 参与了恢复性司法模式, and served on the Student Intervention Team for middle and high school students.
“我一直祈祷能对人们产生一些影响. 这就是我最后进入教育行业的原因. I thought that if I could get to them early, I could do some good.”
布兰登形容自己的性格是“牧羊”,这让他获得了第二个硕士学位, 这个是部里的领导. 很快，她开始全职教授特殊教育, and that’s why he discovered 博彩平台排名’s 另类特殊教育-轻度干预证书 program.
尽管其他大学也提供类似的课程, 博彩平台排名 accepted Brandon’s current teaching job as fulfilling his student-teaching requirement. 其他项目会让他两样都做.
The experience inspired Brandon to earn his third master’s degree, 这是博彩平台排名教育学院(COE). He became Special Education Chair at Skiles Test Elementary last year and is now Assistant Principal at Heritage Christian High School, 都在印第安纳波利斯. Brandon will return to his alma mater to teach classes for COE undergraduates and graduates next summer.
Brandon hopes his attitude about teaching neurodivergent students resonates with other men (and anyone who wishes to make a difference).
“我很幸运.” That’s a theme 安德鲁松弛 repeats often during a conversation about his career as a special education teacher.
Slack teaches functional academics at Zionsville (Indiana) High School to students with intellectual or developmental disabilities who will go directly into the workforce after graduation. He instructs them in basic math and reading and vocational skills, 他们在工作现场和日常生活中所需要的熟练程度.
“We try to get them into a variety of job sites when they’re juniors and seniors as well as any time they spend with us after that, 帮助他们在社区中建立联系并找到工作,斯莱克说.
这是他在锡安斯维尔的第二年. He first worked there as an instructional assistant while getting his Alternative Special Education—Mild Intervention Certificate at 亚洲博彩平台排名 nearly a decade ago.
从房地产到特殊教育
He’d earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Ball State University in 2011 but didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do.
“我成了一名房地产经纪人，”他笑着说. “I kind of got lucky in that I ended up working in an elementary school for a while with a special education teacher and found a passion for special ed.”
他说，学生们激励他从事这项工作.
“Special ed students are extraordinarily nice and caring people who have a unique set of circumstances and challenges that a lot of people don’t see or appreciate,他说. “I always appreciated them when I started working in special ed and wanted to be a part of helping them succeed.”
在另一个幸运的时刻, Slack had moved to Pike High School as an instructional assistant when a teacher told him about 博彩平台排名’s Alternative Special Education—Mild Intervention Certificate. 他于2013年入学，并于次年春天毕业.
为成功做好准备
Slack’s 博彩平台排名 instruction helped him stay relaxed when he was in charge of a classroom.
“No one should be intimidated by the thought of teaching children with developmental delays or disabilities. 回顾十年的职业生涯, I can say 博彩平台排名’s program absolutely prepares you to be a special education teacher. When I left the program, I knew what to expect in the classroom and how to be successful. I certainly have recommended it to quite a few people over the years.”
然而这份工作并不适合所有人, 这是为很多人准备的, Slack said—and the students are almost always the best part of the job.
“Students with disabilities are oftentimes kinder and sweeter than any student in the general population. They’re the nicest and happiest students in the school,斯莱克说. “虽然他们有独特的环境, everyone inherently can understand how extra-difficult life would be with the added challenge of a disability. I’ve always felt that most people would appreciate helping someone prepare for life by being a special education teacher. 这是一个非常有益的职业.”
He also feels good about how education and society will treat children with disabilities in the future.
“我很乐观. I’ve been pretty impressed with student bodies over the past few years, how accepting general education students have become of special ed students. 我觉得社会变得更好了. It’s a slow process, yet as a general trend, I believe we’ve been moving in the right direction.”