I am a recently retired educator of 35 years. I taught speech/language correction, intellectually disabled students and reading. In addition, I served as the Response to Intervention Coordinator and the Science Technology Engineering Art Math (STEAM) teacher K-6th.  Read more >

For as long as I can remember, I have always been inspired and drawn to children that arrived to school everyday despite challenges at home and various learning styles. My heart broke for these students who were repeatedly dismissed by educators that were not trained to meet their needs, were sent to the office or quite literally banished from the classroom. Students that were seen as “bad” were sent to other schools, and we never saw them again. When educators supported these children by simply listening, opening their hearts and showing compassion, I couldn’t help but notice the difference. Read more >

I have to say that being awarded the 2016 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Teacher of the Year was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I was selected as the CEC Teacher of the Year in January. In May 2016, I was invited to the “The White House Event to Honor Great Educators.” President Obama honored the National Teacher of the Year alongside great educators from across the country. As part of the event, the President lifted up the role those great educators have played in improving our education system over the past several years while highlighting the progress we have made over the years he was in office. Representing the CEC at that event made me so proud to be an educator of children with exceptionalities. I felt like we were being held up to the same standards of the general education teachers and our work was judged to be just as essential and significant. Read more >

Brittany Boeset is in her second year teaching in rural Iowa. She graduated with a Bachelors in Special Education from Buena Vista University and is currently teaching level 2/3 (mild/moderate) special education in a self-contained classroom at Storm Lake Elementary. Read more >

Nora Boyle started teaching in January 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic. Before becoming a teacher, she was a special education paraprofessional for 12 years in a Setting 3 ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) in Shakopee, Minnesota. Before getting her teaching degree, she was also a substitute teacher at the Chisago Lakes School District. She went to Minnesota State University Mankato for her bachelor's degree and my two graduate degrees (ASD & DCD). Nora loves working with students in a Setting 3 program. Read more >