Partner Interview with
Rose Sharon
I am currently employed in a K-8 school in a Resource L.D. position. I like the challenge of greeting my pupils on a daily basis and helping them succeed.
My greatest delight is when I teach literature to my pupils and their eyes light up. I enjoy developing the HOTS skills that I want them to learn from a particular story. My pupils are rarely exposed to books at home and reading is not a passion. The majority of the reading they do in their classroom is from a basal reader and I feel that I am exposing them to the outside world.
My goal is for my pupils to use the tools I have given them and to no longer need me. then, I will have succeeded.
The most challenging task I face running a resource program is scheduling. I have multiple grades at any given time and pupils are constantly late or going on a trip or some other excuse. The classroom teachers would love for me to teach basal reading but I refuse to do so. I need to follow my pupils IEP's and what works for me is to teach through literature.
I attended Brooklyn College, City University of New York for my Bachelors in Special Education and for my Masters in L.D. I have an additional Masters from New York University (NYC) in Public Administration. That masters has given me organizational skills that have been helpful in running a resource program. Even though I graduated college in the late 70's I believe that I was well prepared in my coursework. I spent time as a student observer, student intern and finallly a student teacher. My experinces were in elementary as well as high school and covered many fields in special education. I was also placed in urban poverty schools where the New York City Police trained their cadets. So, when I graduated I was well prepared for any type of school.
I found my first year of teaching very difficult. I did not have a mentor and it took the majority of the school year for me to find the teachers that I was comfortable with and could talk to. My second year teaching I moved to another state and had to begin all over again. I was not given a mentor in this school and it took most of the year to meet another set of teachers. However, teaching in one low income school in one state and then doing the same thing in another state was the same. It was the climate of the school, and the faculty that I had to deal with in addition to running a classroom. Even doing attendance in each state varied and I certainly could have used a buddy or confidiant.
What kept me going was my desire to teach and that my pupils were responding to me. As a daughter of immigrants my teachers had a tremendous impact on my life and I hope to have the same impact on another child's life.
The legacy that I would like to leave is to be flexible, and go with the flow. Many times your best planned lessons will flop but it doesn't mean you aren't a gifted teacher. I also want to encourage teachers to keep abreast of current information and to read journals and attend conferences. Also, keep doing new things in your room. don't do the same book and exercises every year. Use the new Newberry or Caldicott books and plan new units. Write grants to get money to buy additional books and implement your creative ideas. Keep experimenting.
