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Started Kindergarten
I am the oldest of three. My baby brother was less than a week old when I started kindergarten. I was so excited to ride the bus and learn to read. I loved books and stories. I knew my letters. I was ready for school. -
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First Grade
In first grade, I loved my teacher. Her name was Henrietta and she told a story about not liking her name because it was like a boy's name. My first name is Rae, so I connected with her. We tasted seaweed and learned the Mexican hat dance. I still loved school. I could learn through listening, reading, watching or doing, and I loved it all. -
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Second-Sixth Grades
I spent the next five years in elementary school. I learned to read, write, complete math, discover in science and learn history. In sixth grade I got to read independently with SRA kits where I could read and answer questions and then check my work. I raced my best friend and we finished all of the colors. I was still good in school. I had it figured out It still seemed no matter what the instructional format, it was easy for me to learn. -
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7th grade
In my school, 7-12th grade was all in one building. We move to the high school in 7th grade. I was in advanced math and science. I still loved school, and teachers loved me. I was compliant, did my homework, and participated in class. -
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Grades 8-12
School continued to be fun for me. I was good at school. I had some really good teachers and some that were less than mediocre. I knew how to play the game. I was an A student. I scored 90s on my Regents' exams. I was in National Honor Society. I was definitely going to college, and I wanted to be a pediatrician. I was going to start in an occupational therapy program and then go to Medical school. I was still a really good student-no matter the method of instruction. -
Graduation
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My freshman year
I went to Elizabethtown College in PA. It was 6 hours away from home. I was home sick, and for the first time in my life, school wasn't as easy as it had always been. No one had taught me how to read three chapters in a really big textbook and be ready to discuss it at during the next class. It was scary, and hard. I was so homesick. And we would have to dissect a cadaver next year.....and I wasn't so sure that I was smart enough to be a doctor. I needed to learn how to learn. -
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UB
I transferred to UB and became a psychology major. I knew I wanted to work with kids and I knew I didn't want to be a doctor. I figured out how to do college. I learned how to be an active reader (annotation). My senior year, I did an internship in a special education preschool and fell in love. I so wanted to work with children with disabilities. I graduated and began to work at an intermediate care facility in direct care for children with severe disabilities. -
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Geneseo
I began a program as a graduate student to get my certification in both elementary and special education. It confirmed my love for teaching and special education. I had figured out that I am a visual learner first and auditory second. I could learn through reading, but if I wrote, I could remember it better. Taking notes while reading or listening solidified my learning. -
Andrew was born
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Advocating for Andrew
When Andrew started school, I learned how it felt to sit on the opposite side of the table....I was a mom of a child who did not fit the mold. I didn't understand it because school was easy for me. I cried. I read. I lost sleep. I fought for him. I felt the prejudice of some teachers. I heard that kids with disabilities didn't belong in AP classes. I read the email, the behavior reports, the IEPs. I understood how education can break someone. -
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Masters Degree in Reading
I learned quickly when I was in the classroom that many of my students struggled in the area of reading, so I began my Masters degree in reading. In five years and three babies later, I finished the program, and felt so much more prepared to teach. If I could unlock reading for my students with disabilities, they would be so much more prepared for the real world. My professors taught whole language....my kids needed explicit instruction..... -
Daniel was born
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Wayne Central School
I became the primary inclusion teacher in 1995. I had three amazing students fully included. One little boy with Down Syndrome, a little girl with Cerebral Palsy and a little girl who was a quadriplegic on a ventilator. I learned so much from them....and I hope they learned from me. I worked with amazing teachers and administrators. I learned that not all people felt the same way that I did about children with disabilities. The world can be cruel to those who are different. -
Nathaniel was born
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Andrew was diagnosed with ADHD
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Brockport
I left Wayne Central for Brockport Central. It was 30 minutes each way closer to home. It was a K-1 building that was fully inclusive. I loved it there. In this role, I learned a lot about autism. I worked with children with autism, learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, intellectual disabilities, fetal alcohol syndrome. I was on committees, I provided professional development to teachers, I became a literacy coach. I learned from amazing teachers and administrators. -
Andrew was diagnosed with autism
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Special Education School Improvement Specialist
I left Brockport to become a SESIS. In my role, I was part of a statewide network whose mission was to assist school districts in improving outcomes for students with disabilities. I went to Albany for meetings three times a year. I worked in 22 school districts in rural Western NY. I learned more....and saw more. I saw some of the most dedicated teachers and some not so good education. I grew professionally, provided PD, facilitated groups, saw systems change. -
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SUNY Brockport
At the same time I became a SESIS, I became an adjunct professor at SUNY Brockport. I taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in both the special education and literacy programs. I learned from amazing professors and students. I continued to practice the art and science of teaching. I also learned that there is sometimes a gap between what is being taught to teacher candidates and what is the reality in schools. I brought the practitioner view to my classes. -
Andrew graduated from RIT
Andrew graduated with a regents diploma with advanced distinction. He went to RIT. And he told me after the first month, "mom, this is the first time I feel like I really fit in." He made friends, he struggled with some professors, he learned how to advocate for himself. He was challenged academically. He was accepted. He was happy. There were no more email, reports, or IEPs. He was a person. a student. a skateboarder. a friend. an engineering technology major. he has autism. -
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PHD
On a Tuesday in April 2014, I decided to apply for my PHD. I was accepted. I continue to change and challenge my views on education, build my instructional toolbox, and grow my passion for improving outcomes for students with disabilities. I have learned a great deal that I apply in my work daily. Andrew, Daniel and Nathan continue to teach me. I am excited about this course and the prospects of adding to my toolbox. I look forward to learning with you. -
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Letchworth
I am now the Director of Pupil Personnel. I am able to bring all that I have learned over the past 25 plus years in education to one place. It is a challenge....and a joy. There are more than 100 students with disabilities, 14 special education teachers, related service providers, parents and outside agencies. There is compliance and paperwork and budgetary concerns. I am still making the difference in the life of a child....I still learn through reading and writing the best.
