Dynamite Duos
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Area teachers share their experiences and advice for parents
They say great minds think alike. For these Rochester area pairs, that great idea was to pursue a career in special education. While each of their stories is different, and each of their current jobs unique, they all share something in common: a passion for teaching. And it's this shared passion that brings each of these pairs closer together outside of their classrooms. Meet Karl and Katherine, newly-weds who were born and raised in the Rochester area; Stacey and Jenn, sisters who both work at Mary Cariola Children's Center; and Elizabeth and Kevin, who have always shared a love of working with children and are now proud parents themselves.
All under the age of 30, these dynamite duos hold Rochester’s future in their hands. Not only do these husband/wife and sister teams work hard inside the classroom, but they work hard outside, too. After a long day of work they keep on going, leading extra-curricular activities after the school bell rings, coaching sports, volunteering, and participating in school groups.
Just how do they do it? Take a special peek into the minds of some of our area's most promising special education teachers as they share their inspiration for teaching, their favorite parts of the job, and the advice for parents.
Who they are:
Karl Dobosz, 28, High School Special Education Teacher at Brighton High School Activities: 6 years as a Varsity Assistant/JV Boy's Swim Coach at Brighton
Katherine Sadler Dobosz, 27, West Irondequoit School District 1st grade Self Contained Classroom
Activities: Math Ad Hoc Committee, TLC Policy Board, J/V Lacrosse Coach
What inspired you to teach? Karl: I was inspired to teach when I was in high school. I had some teachers that really loved the profession and their enthusiasm made their classes that much better. I think it's obvious to students when teachers are happy to be teaching. I chose to specialize in Special Education because I enjoy working with students of all abilities and it is very personally rewarding to be able to assist a diverse population of students. Katherine: From my childhood, I always knew that I wanted to help the community in which I grew up. When I was in high school, my mother made a huge career change; she went from being a paralegal at Nixon Peabody to a kindergarten teacher at St. Boniface School. After watching what she did for children, and their families, I knew that I also wanted to be a teacher. While working on my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to work for Brighton Recreation and Parks where I worked hand in hand with BOCES to create an integrated program for children with special needs. I truly saw children with special needs learn and grow from the children and adults around them. When I completed my degree I was motivated to teach children with special needs in order to continue to make a difference in the special education community.
What areas of special education interest you the most? Karl: Co-teaching and inclusion. I believe in the co-teaching model and the inclusion of all students in the least restrictive environment. I plan on writing my dissertation on some aspect of co-teaching and the inclusion of all students in the general educational environment. Katherine: I am most intrigued by all the new research that comes out each year. Research changes so often, and as a teacher it is important to keep up with what is new, fresh and worthy of using within the classroom.
What do you find most rewarding about your job? Karl: I love going to school. I believe that we are all lifelong learners and I enjoy learning new things and I try to spread my enthusiasm about learning to all my students. In my 6 years as a teacher, I don't think that I have ever dreaded going to my "job." I find that the most rewarding part of my job is when I am able to help students reach their goals and become successful in learning new skills and activities. Katherine: I love to see my students read for the first time. It is probably the most rewarding thing for any 1st grade teacher to see. It gives me chills to think of the progress some students have made within my classroom.
What is most challenging? Karl: Being able to juggle all of the different roles teachers have today. Teachers don't just "teach" anymore, they also are mentors, parental figures, role models, etc. The variety of roles a teacher plays can be challenging at times but also very rewarding. Katherine: Time. There is never enough time. Many people think teachers work from 8-3; however this is not the case at all. I typically get to school at 7:15 (my school begins at 8:50) and I typically leave at 5 (my school ends at 3:05). Not only do I keep these hours, but I often bring my work home with me. We have meetings before and after school on average 3-4 times a week. My husband often listens to my challenges at the dinner table, and helps me brainstorm ideas for students because I continue to think about my students at home.
What is your favorite part of the school day? Karl: When I am teaching my students new things. I like to be busy and teaching definitely keeps you busy and constantly learning and thinking. Katherine: When students first come in. I always wait at their lockers, and greet each student by name. I also love hearing about what they have done the night before and ensure that each student makes a smooth transition into my classroom.
What do you wish the parents of your students knew? Karl: How committed I am to having their children reach their goals and to become successful. While I think that most of the parents know this, it sometimes is good to say it. Katherine: I sometimes wish they knew how much work we put into each child. As a part of a special education team, we put hours and hours into each child, trying to think of what is best for that child.
What's it like working in the same career field as your spouse? Karl: It's nice to work in the same profession and both be passionate about what we do. It's also a nice bonus to have the same vacations together! Katherine: It's awesome! We always are able to use each other's knowledge to help one another. It's also really nice to have the same hours and vacations. I love my profession and so does Karl, so our shared passion of teaching is just another thing we have in common.
What advice would you like to share with parents? Karl: The most common advice I give to parents of all my students is to support their child the best they can at home and at school. Maintaining a consistent and supportive relationship between home and school is important for many students to be successful. Students can be motivated with parental support and I think that it’s a very important aspect of education. Katherine: The key to a good education is openness and communication with the special education team. When everyone is on the same page, it is easier to help the child progress: socially, emotionally, physically, and academically.
Who they are:
Stacey Fiore, 27, Special Education Teacher in a 7:1:4 school age classroom at Mary Cariola Children's Center
Jenn Fiore, 25, Teacher Aid at Mary Cariola Children’s Center
What inspired you to teach? Stacey: Teaching was not actually my first career choice. I switched my major from nursing to education my freshman year of college after spending a summer and school break at Mary Cariola Children’s Center (MCCC.) I fell in love with the kids right away and knew then that I wanted to make a difference in children's lives and here I am today, after 6 years of teaching I still loving my job. From my first day working at MCCC I knew that was where I wanted to be. I was under the impression that students with special needs were not able to learn and go to school like their peers. This school has opened my eyes to everything a child, having special needs or not, is capable of. There is nothing more rewarding than watching my students progress and learn new skills. Jenn: I have always wanted to be a teacher and I absolutely love working with children. My sister was my inspiration behind working in special education. I would volunteer at her school when I got the chance and really enjoyed working with her students.
What areas of special education interest you the most? Stacey: I find the area of communication and adapted technology the most interesting. I have a classroom full of non-verbal students. Every single day we work on communication skills, whether it is using an eye gaze to make a choice or activating a voice out-put device. The amount of equipment and technology that is out there amazes me.
What do you find most rewarding about your job? Stacey: Words can not describe the feeling I get as I watch my students learn new skills, whether it is recognizing a common object for the first time, fitting a piece of a puzzle that has been worked on for weeks, speaking their first word, or taking their first step. I have been brought to tears many times as I have witnessed these events and looking back at the struggles it took to get there. Jenn: Hands down the most rewarding part of my job is the students. Working with them and getting to know who they are as students and individuals. It is also very rewarding when you are working with a students on a skill and they master if for the first time, you can see them just light up and get excited about it and you can't help but share in that experience as well.
What is most challenging? Stacey: The biggest challenge I run into everyday is working around students' individual disabilities and providing for them the best means of support for achievement. There is nothing harder to watch than a student struggling and becoming frustrated. There is a lot of trial and error done before an appropriate method or strategy is used and at times it can be a long process. But when that missing piece is found, it means the world. Jenn: Seeing students become frustrated. Finding the way that works for them may take a couple of tries and it is hard to watch them get frustrated when they can't get it the first time.
What is your favorite part of the school day? Stacey: Getting the kids off the bus! There is nothing better than seeing the biggest smile spread across their faces or a wave and a "hello" when they see you, it is the best way to start the day. Jenn: When we get the students off the buses. Many of them have long bus rides so when we get them off the bus they are excited to be at school and are excited to see us. It is a very warming experience.
What do you wish the parents of your students knew? Stacey: That there are many support groups, equipment, programs and help out there. Too often I see parents thinking that they are in this on their own and that is not the case. Also, nothing helps out a students with special needs more than carryover between home and school. It is so crucial to take a team approach because in the end, it will only benefit the child. I encourage parents to talk with their child's teachers and specialized therapists to find out what works best and how it can be brought into the home. I recently had a student receive a voice out-put device for home and was told by the parents how wonderful it is that he can use this device to communicate with them. His loves to tell knock knock jokes and tell his dad to "change the channel, I want to watch cartoons."
What's it like working in the same career field and at the same school as your sister? Stacey: Although we are in different positions right now, I have someone who truly understands the uniqueness of our programming and I am able to run different ideas through her. We also work with different levels of students so it is nice to hear some of the other ideas teachers have that might be able to help me in the future. Jenn: Even though we don't work with the same level of students, it is still nice to have someone that knows and understands our job.
What advice would you like to share with parents? Jenn: The best thing for parents is to be a part of their child's education. Be involved!
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Who they are:
Elizabeth Miller, 28, Relationship-based Autism Program Supervisor and Special Education Itinerant Teacher at Stepping Stones Learning Center
Activities: Co-founder of a volunteer group with fellow colleagues at Stepping Stones Learning Center that volunteer in the community including making dinner for families at Ronald McDonald House.
Kevin Miller, 27, Case Manager at a residential treatment program Activities: Involved with running life skills groups so that students can learn important skills that they will need throughout their lives including job skills, money management, hygiene and social skills groups.
What inspired you to teach? Elizabeth: When I was growing up my mother worked with preschoolers and my father was an EMT and firefighter. Both of my parents instilled good values in me as a young child and taught me the importance of helping others. Secondly, I began babysitting when I was about 12 years old and found that I loved working with young children. When I went to college I narrowed my field of study and found that I really was more interested in working with students with special needs. I had a few jobs in college working with special needs students and I really enjoyed the challenge of helping children through each day and teaching them the life skills they need to help them in the future. For me teaching was a perfect fit and each day is a new challenge and full of many rewarding experiences. Kevin: I enjoy working with kids because of the energy they have and their desire to learn new things. Every day is different and that makes my job interesting. I chose to work in my current field because the children that I work with are in need of learning more than just a subject in school, but often need a role model as well. My job gives me, and the rest of the staff, a chance to work with them and teach them life long lessons and to make a huge change and impact in their lives.
What areas of special education interest you the most? Elizabeth: I enjoy working in the field of autism primarily because it is such a puzzle to me and there is no known cause. Even though I have been working with students with autism for several years now I still learn something new each day. Kevin: Providing children with the mentoring they need to live their lives to the fullest. The most important thing that we can teach the kids in our program is the life skills they will need to use throughout their entire lives.
What do you find most rewarding about your job? Elizabeth: The best part of my job is that it is challenging and something new each day. I also love working in the early intervention system because I get to see some of my students from when they take their first steps or say their first words and continue on until they transition to kindergarten. It is amazing to see how much progress they make in such a short period of time. Kevin: Seeing a child grow and succeed. It's great when you work with a kid and they do what is necessary to move on. It is also a great feeling when I run into a former client out in the community that has moved on from our care.
What is most challenging? Elizabeth: Problem solving is sometimes difficult because I find that what works for some of my students one day may not the next. I always have to be on my toes and come up with new strategies. Kevin: Sometimes the circumstances in which kids come into our care can be difficult and it can be a lot to handle at times. Other times the individual daily needs of some of our kids can become very challenging and tiring.
What is your favorite part of the school day? Elizabeth: When the buses pull in and I see a big smile from one of my students because he/she recognizes me. It may not seem like a lot, but for some of my students that is huge progress. It is one of those things that makes you think "this is why I love doing this." Kevin: When I see that the kids are free to just be kids. We plan out their days quite a bit, and although it is necessary to plan everything out, it is also nice to see them get along with one another and have positive experiences.
What do you wish the parents of your students knew? Elizabeth: I take a little piece of my students home with me each day. I think about them when I go home and I learn from them how to be a better therapist. Kevin: The struggles that their kids go through each day and how all the staff members that are working with their kids are doing their best to help them through each day.
Now that you are a parent does having a son change how you view and approach your job? Elizabeth: It has only helped me make my interactions with my students each day even more positive. I know how hard it is to leave my child each day to go to work and there is no greater gift than knowing your child is with someone who cares about him and loves him. When I am with my students at work I think about this a lot and it impacts my daily interactions and the love I give them. Kevin: It puts me in the shoes of what it must be like knowing that your child is in a residential setting and how many struggles and how many sacrifices some of our parents have gone through in order to help their kids. Although I may have thought that I was busy at times before we had our first child, things only become busier. That has helped me understand some of the pressures that the families that we work with are under. I also give a lot of credit to many of the families out there that are headed by a single parent.
What advice would you like to share with parents? Elizabeth: If you truly believe that your child can learn he/she probably will. Also I wish parents knew that the more accepting they are with their child's disability the better off they will be in making decisions about their child's future and helping them grow. Kevin: Keep them involved and get involved in things with them. Sometimes it isn't good enough to just tell them what needs to be done and may require leading by example.
Jillian Melnyk is the Editor of Genesee Valley Parent Magazine.
This article originally appeared in the September 2010 issue of Genesee Valley Parent Magazine. Copyright 2010.
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