INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW Mary Privette

INTERVIEWEE My Mom: Special Education teacher Why? Special Olympics Volunteer in High School Employer: Wake County Public School Systems Education: Undergrad: Special Education at Bloomsburg University Master’s Degree: Special Education with a concentration in learning disabilities

TYPICAL DAY ~7am to 4pm Attends regular-ed classes Supports special-ed kids in a regular-ed classroom Teaches her own English class to students with extremely low reading levels Eats lunch with a select group of special needs children in her classroom Attends IEP (Individual Evaluation Program) meetings with parents and other teachers

NECESSARY SKILLS FLEXIBILITY Patience Organization Communication skills Ability to juggle many things at once Interpersonal skills

NEW TRENDS/CHANGES Increasing amount of paperwork required for each student More work needed to be completed at home More data driven in terms of student’s work Statistics, test score comparisons Parents want to see more measurable goals on IEPs

CHALLENGES REWARDS Parents Time consuming Often working with unmotivated students Witnessing sad stories Student achievement after they work hard for something Relationships with students Making a difference, especially when you don’t realize it until later

ADVICE “You really have to love kids when going into the education field, especially special-ed kids because they are so unique. Compensation for your time is not there monetarily, but your experiences with the kids are more rewarding than anything. Teaching is a lot harder than people think, but there are numerous joys that come along with teaching that you won’t understand until you become one.”