Jamie Wonzer was selected as our third Special Education Spotlight during teacher appreciation week 2018. She is a new Interrelated Resource Teacher at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA. Jamie was nominated by a professional colleague who loved her efforts to learn how to support all students better by becoming a special education teacher after already spending a decade as a general educator. As a thank you from all of us at MindWorks Collaborative, Jamie will receive a gift card and certificate of appreciation. Learn more about her below and look out for the rest of our spotlights during Teacher Appreciation Week 2018!

How long have you worked in education?

• 10 years

What is your favorite aspect of working in special education?

• There are two things that I love. 1 – The differentiation and creativity acquired to create class activities. 2 – Motivating my scholars on a daily basis while being their biggest cheerleader on the sideline.

What is one accomplishment at work that you are most proud of? Why?

• My students’ finished product. In the special education class, we are required to arrive at the same destination as the general education class but we may drive a different vehicle – this aspect is key and very special to me. We get the opportunity to show the world a) I can and will arrive b) don’t count me out c) I did it while using an alternative route…but I arrived at the same destination as my neurotypical peers.

What past experiences helped to prepare you for your current role?

• When I served as a general educator, I had the opportunity to co-teach with the Special Education population. Oftentimes I would hear, “my students can’t do this,” or “they will not be able to do that!” These comments were discouraging and they made me feel as if I was supposed to teach only to the 20 General Ed students while excluding the 12 other students with disabilities. This quickly became a problem, so I began to pull students out and group them heterogeneously. Grouping students in the small group setting was my first unofficial introduction to small group/resource setting and the students’ results were astronomical! It allowed me to see that the students were more than capable of mastering the same standards as the General Ed students if they had the proper tools to allow them to do so.

What keeps you motivated day in and day out?

• This may sound cliché, but I absolutely love to teach! Teaching is breathing to me, it’s a natural act. I’m motivated to teach because I love learning new things and sharing them with others. Ultimately, I love that I am in a position where I can require students to think critically on a daily basis. I’m motivated daily to teach because of its creativity, diversity, and challenges.

What is one special ritual you have to start or end your day at work?

• The first thing that I do in the morning once I have arrived in my class is write a positive daily quote on the board. I end my day at work by checking off my today’s “Things to Do List.”

When you retire, what do you hope people will say about you at your retirement party?

• When I retire, I would hope that people will tell stories of my radical teaching style and speak of my passion for education and students. Hopefully, they would share examples of the many times that I helped encouraged them – that would be a wonderful thing to hear at my retirement party.