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Special Education Teacher Interview- Anna Webb

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Special Education Teacher Interview- Anna Webb

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I interviewed Jackie Strobbe who is the Special Education teacher at Circle's Towanda Intermediate Elementary School. She was so encouraging and some amazing advice! Here are the interview questions and answers she provided me with:

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1. How long have you been teaching special needs children? 

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1. How long have you been teaching special needs children? 

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Mrs. Strobbe said that this is her twelfth year being a Special Ed teacher, but she was a Para in an Early Child Special Education room before that.

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2. What made you choose the teaching profession and, in particular, teaching special needs children?

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2. What made you choose the teaching profession and, in particular, teaching special needs children?

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Mrs. Strobbe said that being a Para in the Special Education room made her fall in love with working with young kids. She got her emergency sub license during this time and they thought she was doing a good job, so she went back to school to be a teacher. She said that while she was doing her student teaching, she had an experience with a student that opened her eyes to Special Ed because he was taken away by the SRO. She was told that she handled the situation well. This encouraged her to try for a Special Ed teaching job.

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3. How have your ideas toward teaching changed with each passing year of experience? Can you recall your ideas about teaching when you were a teacher education student like me? What were they? What are they now?

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3. How have your ideas toward teaching changed with each passing year of experience? Can you recall your ideas about teaching when you were a teacher education student like me? What were they? What are they now?

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Mrs. Strobbe's ideas changed a lot over the years because going into teaching she wanted to teach regular education. She said that going into it she felt overwhelmed, but she had a good mentor who helped her. Starting out, she felt afraid to make mistakes, and at first she felt very structured because she wanted to make sure they got everything done. She has now learned to be flexible in order to teach the kids effectively. She has also learned that each kids situation is different, and to take it day by day.

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4. How does teaching children with special needs differ from teaching other children? What are some challenges you face in teaching special needs children? What are some rewards in teaching special needs children?

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4. How does teaching children with special needs differ from teaching other children? What are some challenges you face in teaching special needs children? What are some rewards in teaching special needs children?

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Mrs. Stobbe said that teaching Special Education is different because you have to take in the account of the student disability. She said that these students are going to be treated a little bit differently, but that they want them to be as successful in the classroom as they can be. She said that the challenges would be making sure that things are taken care of, and that there is a lot that goes into it such as making sure the kids have their meds, helping the Para, communicating with administration and teachers, and making sure that the kids get what they need each day. She said that the rewards far out way the challenges. She said that an example of the rewards they get are witnessing a kid who is one day totally lost in space, but the next day have accomplished the task. She said that the reward is seeing them happy and excited to come to school.

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5. What advice can you give me for teaching children with special needs in the regular education classroom?

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5. What advice can you give me for teaching children with special needs in the regular education classroom?

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The main advice that Mrs. Strobbe had was that there will be Special Education students in my classroom, so it is important to be proactive, and know who the Special Education teacher is. She said to communicate with them about the Special Education students that you have in your classroom. This was you are able to know their needs to be able to teach them better. She also said to be open to criticism and ideas.

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 6. What changes, if any, would you make to the educational system with regard to special needs children? Consider such aspects as inclusion, funding, state assessments, etc…

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 6. What changes, if any, would you make to the educational system with regard to special needs children? Consider such aspects as inclusion, funding, state assessments, etc…

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Mrs. Strobbe said a major thing that she would like to see change is the testing required for Special Needs students. She said that there are pros and cons to the testing and that she does understand why it is important, but that even with the accommodations and modifications, they are very strict about the testing. The forms of testing make it hard for a lot of Special Education students so it is harder for them to show what they know.

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7. If you could choose another career field, would you? Please explain your answer in detail.

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7. If you could choose another career field, would you? Please explain your answer in detail.

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Mrs. Strobbe is very passionate about teaching Special Education, but she has also been interested in teaching college students who are wanting to be teachers. She said that she went through the Butler BEST program so she gets emails from Butler about it, and she said that she thinks it would be fun and she would provide good insight about Special Education.

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8. Are there any comments you wish to add to close this interview?

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8. Are there any comments you wish to add to close this interview?

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Mrs. Strobbe was appreciative of me coming in to learn about Special Education, and she said to be open to comments from Special Education teachers, She also wanted to thank Butler for having us come in to learn about Special Education.

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Mrs. Stobbe is a very encouraging teacher and I would recommend that students go and shadow her because she is very passionate!

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Mrs. Stobbe is a very encouraging teacher and I would recommend that students go and shadow her because she is very passionate!