A. I am the first through third grade behavioral support education teacher.
Q. How did you become a teacher?
A. I always wanted to be a teacher since I was a very young man attending elementary school in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. I only had one male teacher in elementary school. Not only did he look like me, he understood what level I was working on in my studies and made me feel like I was important. I wanted to be that male role model for students too. After learning more about education at Cleveland State University, I decided that my presence was needed more in a special education program. The number of students being diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and other exceptionalities was growing. I wanted to not only be that teacher I mentioned above, I wanted to help in a monumental way.
Q. What is Behavior and Emotional Support and why did you choose to teach it?
A. Behavior and emotional support is teaching and creating a usable tool box for students to use in emotional crisis. Emotional crisis in my classroom can be defined as frustration because of rigorous school work or coming to school with an emotional event that took place last night or this morning still brewing in the student’s mind. I choose to teach behavior and emotional support for two reasons. The first reason is because I want every student I meet to be prepared for the real world. In life people will be upset and feel as if they are overwhelmed. However, we must be able to disengage, take a deep breath, and handle this issue head-on using a technique that works for us. Also, behavior and emotional support in classroom helps the teacher with classroom management and maximizes teaching time.
A. My goals for Langley elementary this year are:
- Create a BES classroom environment that is academic- and conscious discipline-based.
- Create a school culture where all students feel like that have a teacher they can depend on in me.
- I also want to see a more inclusive school, where students with special needs feel like they can communicate with others and participate in daily school wide activities.
Q. What do you love best about your job?
A. Overall, my job is amazing. I love every moment I spend with my students and in my classroom. If I must narrow it down to one thing that I love, I’d say seeing my students go from being nonreaders and writers who really dislike learning to being students who realize that education is a process they will have to work hard on, and that with the love of learning they can conquer anything. Learning is essential to all people. Seeing this growth in mindset is very exciting and sets my students up for success for the rest of their educational careers.