Empowering Minds: Redwoods Newest SPED Teachers

By: Isabel Barycki

Redwood gains new special education teachers and their insight on being teachers at Redwood.

Learning comes easier to some more than others. As special education teachers, it is their job to help students who may be struggling with learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities, all things that affect how someone learns. Thus, SPED teachers, just as much as any other teacher, are vital to schools and students.

At the beginning of the year, Redwood’s SPED department received four new teachers.

Nancy Rodriquez is a first-time teacher, working her first year at Redwood. Originally in the restaurant business, Rodriguez says, “I never really thought I’d be into teaching.” This was until she took up a job working in pro-youth, where she says, “It wasn’t work, I just enjoyed it.” Through this she says, “I realized maybe I should think about teaching or working with kids…and I just kind of fell in love with it.”

Along with pro-youth, Rodriquez has also done a few other jobs with students. Before she realized she wanted to work in SPED Rodriguez Subbed for Creekside and Golden West where she did a substitute job for SPED. Rodriguez says, “I just realized I really like SPED because they need more help and it’s a stronger relationship with the kids, a stronger relationship with their family.”

Originally working 5 years with little kids, Rodriguez realized she preferred working with older kids through an insight program and subbing for middle schools and high school. When it was time to apply for teaching Rodriguez chose high school, Redwood was the only available opening. Rodriguez loves “how welcoming everybody is.” She says, “Everybody has been so helpful and I’m really grateful, and love how everybody has a lot of school pride here.”

Rodriguez says, “I feel like I can make a difference in kid’s life and be there for them.” She says, “It’s really rewarding”

When building relationships with students she says, “I ask them a lot of questions,” She says she also does this by “Getting to know the students a lot more and helping them with anything that they need

This year Rodriguez says, “I am also looking forward to going to football games.” She says “and getting involved in school spirit and all the good vibes we have here.”

Sierra Dean is an ED specialist and has been involved in this role for two years. Since she was little Dean knew she wanted to teach. She says, “I’ve always had teachers who have been role models to me so I just think I really wanted to be a role model the way that they were in my life

When wanting to work in SPED Dean says, “I knew in high school.” As a previous alumna of Redwood, ’18, Dean says she was inspired by a previous SPED teacher here, Taylor George. Before teaching, She was connected to him where she got a feel for Special Ed through popping into his classes once a week. Through this, She realized she wanted to work in Special Ed.

As a student and now a teacher Dean has had much experience with Redwood. She says, “I love the community, I love the way that Redwood makes everyone feel involved and like they have a place, so it’s been a dream to come back and teach.”

When teaching Dean says, “These students are who I want to spend my time with.” She says, “I want to provide all opportunities for kids to get the learning experience that they deserve.”

Dean is looking forward to, “reliving and experiencing it[Redwood] from a different point of view.”

Keenan Naylor, Is an Education Specialist. He currently works for Redwoods Students Learning Center, a new program Redwood started this year. Naylor has been involved in teaching for a year and a couple of months.

This year in the classroom what Naylor looks forward to is, “getting these students ready for life after school.”

Before teaching Naylor worked in an office job however started teaching because he wanted to make a difference. Naylor says, “I just felt that that was the right place for me to be.”

Originally at Mt Whitney Naylor moved over to Redwood. In Redwood, he notices Redwood’s good community and culture and that it really cares for students and staff. He says, “It’s a really good place to be, It feels really like home.”

In his classroom, Naylor really bonds with his students through their interests. By learning their interests he then tries to incorporate them into lessons. Naylor says, “What I look forward to the most is building an SLC classroom that is really inviting.”

In the classroom, Special education teachers face many of the same struggles as any other teacher. However, Naylor says, “There’s no struggle that is too much of a hurdle to handle.”

Naylor says, “I’ve dealt with my own disability and I can really sympathize with the kids here, and I think it’s a good thing that even if you’re not special education to know that everybody is different in their own way and at the end of the day you have to be comfortable in your own skin and accept who you are.” He says, “If you do have a disability it’s just another way to say I’m super proud of everything I’ve done.”

 Veronica Rios-Martinez, is a first-time teacher, taking up her first teacher job at Redwood.

Since Martinez was younger she wanted to become a teacher. Prior to teaching, she worked as a sub. Now as a teacher, she notices some struggles. As a first-time teacher, she says the hardest part for her is, “Learning a whole new job.”

Through open-ended questions, Martinez builds relationships with her students. In her classroom, Martinez says she looks towards, “getting to know my students, making them feel like they’re in a safe environment.”

As a SPED teacher MArtinez’s job consists of doing case management as well as writing IPs to make sure students get their needed accommodations. Along with that, she teaches math and math skills.

Despite some struggles, Martinez says, “I think it’s a really rewarding job.”

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