NAME:
Helen Daniels
SCHOOL:
Wilson Central High School
CLASS:
Therapeutic Intervention Classroom
SCHOOL PHONE:
453-4600 ext 3168
Ms. Daniels was born and raised right outside Washington D.C. After many fun
summers in Tennessee, she made her permanent move down south in 2006. She has
a Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation from Longwood University and
a Master of Arts in Special Education K-12 from Belmont University.
She has been teaching students with behavior, emotional and learning
difficulties for 3 years. Before she was a teacher, she was a Certified
Recreational Therapist using recreational activities to change behavior and
provide a safe and modified leisure experience for individuals with various
disabilities and life challenges. She continues to utilize her therapeutic
recreation certification working at a summer camp with children with
disabilities every summer. She is very passionate about teaching, behavior
modification, and therapeutic recreation.
She enjoys doing many things outside of school when she can find the spare
time. Some of her hobbies include visiting her large family in DC,
scrapbooking, crafts, camping, fishing, being outdoors, traveling, Redskins
football, Red Sox and Orioles baseball, spending time with her puggle Luda,
country music, watching reality TV shows and trying to motivate herself to
workout!
I. Advocacy for Individuals with Disabilities.
I believe that the most important job as a teacher is to advocate for
my students while they are children and as the transition into adulthood.
Educating society about disabilities and the importance of focusing
on “ability” rather than “disability” is extremely powerful. The more
society understands about disabilities the easy it will be to confirm that
every child can learn and has the same desires to learn as a typically
developing/learning child has.
II. Children with Disabilities in the Classroom
I believe in treating every child as an equal and without labels. I will
provide each student in the classroom with an accepting and safe place to
learn without judgment from peers. Each child is capable of learning just in
different ways and at different speeds. I will encourage students to work
together and support each other’s academic goals and provide each other with
assistance. I will encourage independence in the classroom by adapting
learning techniques to fit each child and without doing for a child what he
or she is capable of doing.
III. Continued Learning
I believe in continuing to educate myself in order to better educate
my students. I will seek guidance from experts in the special education
field. I will use every moment as a teaching moment in order grow daily as
an educator. I will attend conferences and in-services throughout the
academic year.
IV. Parents and Guardians of Students
I believe it is impossible to effectively teach my students without knowing
what is going on in his/her home. I will encourage each parent to be an
active part in their child’s education. I will respect each parent and
treat him/her as an expert on the child. I will communicate with parents and
work as a team to effectively teach each student. I will open and honest
with parents about the abilities and potential of his/her child while
remaining sensitive and respectful.
V. Inclusion
I believe in inclusion and that each student should be provided with the
most appropriate and least restrictive environment. However, I do not
believe the general education classroom is always the appropriate
environment. I believe the student should be in the classroom where he/she
has the academic support needed to be successful. The student should be able
to participate fully, receive appropriate instruction, and allow for growth.
VI. Classroom and Behavior Management
I believe in providing a learning environment where students are actively
engaged and motivated. I will be proactive in preventing inappropriate
behaviors within the classroom by knowing my students inside and out. I will
provide a safe learning environment through the physical layout of my
classroom. I will make classroom expectations clear to each student and
clearly post rules and regulations in the classroom. I will have both
consequences for inappropriate behaviors and incentives for appropriate
behaviors. Each student will have behavior goals based on his/her IEP and
behavioral assessments.
VII. Team Teaching
I believe it takes a team to teach a child. I will work as an active part of
the IEP team to find approaches to best fit each individual student. I will
communicate with every person on the team about the student’s progress and
areas of concern. The team will include parents, general education teachers,
counselors, social workers, psychologists, additional services such as
physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy and the principal.
Each student will be encouraged to have active role in his/her education and
IEP.