Special Education classrooms are a melting pot of students who are creative, innovative, and waiting for an opportunity to shine. These are the generalized qualities the students come with as their hard-wired gifts. Students all still need to learn how to read through direct, explicit and systematic instruction, and that will only happen through effective literacy instruction that is culturally responsive and teacher training. Literacy should be the great equalizer for students to become academically independent. Not every student will get exposed to quality literacy instruction which pushes them to reach their full potential or positions them to achieve their freedom. However, it should be at the top of the list for educators, policymakers and administrators to train teachers to excel in literacy instruction. Although the demographics of classrooms are changing to reflect increasingly diverse students, what remains unknown in Special Education is why there is a persistent underrep
On October 10th, I received an email from the Harris-Walz campaign inviting me to their rally in Green Bay (GB), Wisconsin. One line stood out: “The campaign would love to consider you for exclusive content creator access!” I was intrigued but also confused—I’ve never thought of myself as a content creator. Still, curiosity got the best of me, and I filled out the form. A few days later, I received my “Table A” access instructions, and suddenly, I was on my way to my first political rally at age 46. Governor Tim Walz, Evers, and Whitmer I brought my two boys, ages 10 and 7, to the rally, making it a family event. From the moment we arrived, the energy was palpable. After skipping the long line, we were greeted by campaign staff who treated us like VIPs. My boys were wide-eyed as they watched the security teams and law enforcement around us. It was exciting for them, but it was also a reminder for me—this was their introduction to democracy in action. As I listened to the speeches abo
As a young kid, I had always struggled with reading and avoided it at all cost. Reading should be an activity that one does for pleasure and opens their mind to endless dreams. However, reading was not an activity I enjoyed. I was engaged in behaviors that were destructive in order to avoid it. I had to attend an alternative program for two years of high school because I could not control my temper. I was angry for many reasons, but the main one was that I was not able to read. I was not diagnosed until the age of 18 and graduated from high school reading at an elementary level. My options were very limited. Yet, my life changed in 1996 when my mentor, an angel, Dr. Robert T. Nash literally saved my life and gave me HOPE as a student who was in Special Education. He and his colleague Dr. Kitz told me I was one of the most illiterate students they had meet, but that it was not my fault. They both said the system failed me. Dr Nash saw talent in me, told me I had a gift, but w
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