Communication and Education Support teacher Baxter O'Brien enjoys a field trip with students.
Q. Where are you from?
A. Originally born in Tampa, Florida, I moved to Herndon, Virginia when I was ten and grew up there.
Q. What class do you teach at Langley?
A. I teach in the Communication and Education Support classroom for grades 3 - 5.
Q. How did you become a teacher?
A. I have always worked in the special needs field but I wanted to see the educational side of things and what work could be done. So much of our students’ development takes part in the school day, I wanted to be a part of that in a public-school setting. To get into the classroom, I went through the DC Teaching Fellows program.
Q. What is Communication and Education Support, and how do you teach it?
A. The Communication and Education Support classroom services students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our students require additional supports in communication and educational needs which looks different for every student. It isn’t quite a "how do you teach it," but rather "how do we support our students to be successful," and for that answer, feel free to stop by whenever! =) We are always happy to have visitors.
A. Originally born in Tampa, Florida, I moved to Herndon, Virginia when I was ten and grew up there.
Q. What class do you teach at Langley?
A. I teach in the Communication and Education Support classroom for grades 3 - 5.
Q. How did you become a teacher?
A. I have always worked in the special needs field but I wanted to see the educational side of things and what work could be done. So much of our students’ development takes part in the school day, I wanted to be a part of that in a public-school setting. To get into the classroom, I went through the DC Teaching Fellows program.
Q. What is Communication and Education Support, and how do you teach it?
A. The Communication and Education Support classroom services students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our students require additional supports in communication and educational needs which looks different for every student. It isn’t quite a "how do you teach it," but rather "how do we support our students to be successful," and for that answer, feel free to stop by whenever! =) We are always happy to have visitors.
Q. You were featured on the news for teaching Langley's Conscious Discipline program. How do you bring socioemotional learning into your classroom?
A. Socio-emotional learning is woven throughout the school day. It is a transition in the way we think about teaching and utilizing moments throughout the day as teachable moments. We teach our students how they can independently work through conflict, both internally and externally whenever it arises. This can be seen proactively through targeted instruction of skills for conflict resolution, breathing techniques, strategies to utilize when overwhelmed, as well as in the moment, providing students with the language to effectively work through daily challenges and hardships.
Q. What do you love best about your job?
A. What I love best about my job is being able to work with students day-to-day - the ups and downs, the daily challenges and successes. Every day is a new day with different challenges that come with it. There is never a dull moment.
A. Socio-emotional learning is woven throughout the school day. It is a transition in the way we think about teaching and utilizing moments throughout the day as teachable moments. We teach our students how they can independently work through conflict, both internally and externally whenever it arises. This can be seen proactively through targeted instruction of skills for conflict resolution, breathing techniques, strategies to utilize when overwhelmed, as well as in the moment, providing students with the language to effectively work through daily challenges and hardships.
Q. What do you love best about your job?
A. What I love best about my job is being able to work with students day-to-day - the ups and downs, the daily challenges and successes. Every day is a new day with different challenges that come with it. There is never a dull moment.
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