Yamina Pinnock, Special Education Teacher November 1, 2020 By wpengine I’m grateful that Friendship recognized my vision, allowed me to do what I need to do for these students, and provide equity for them. What’s your role at Friendship Blow Pierce? At Blow Pierce, I am a preschool 3 through second grade special education inclusion and resource teacher. I’m also the special education elementary lead. In her absence, I fill in for the special education coordinator. I support my elementary team, Ms. Prullage, and anyone else in the middle school who might need assistance with elementary learning materials. I’ve been at Blow Pierce for six years, so I’ve taught most of the children who are on the second or third floor. I might already have a relationship with their parents. For the most part, I’ve worked with most of the scholars here who have IEPs. Before COVID19, I was the girls’ middle school coach for basketball, and I called myself the “resident greeter.” Monday through Friday, I stood at the beginning of the hallway where the kids come in. I greeted them and said, “Good morning,” I would give them high fives, hugs, and fist bumps. On Mondays, I’d play music for them and bust out a dance if the kids wanted to dance. I can’t do that now, but I enjoyed it. I taught in PG County before coming to D.C. I taught general education kindergarten for four years, first grade for four years, and I’ve been teaching special education for six years. I’ve been a teacher for fourteen years. What do you like about the current grades you teach? I love that I can be my authentic self with the little people. I can be as wild and crazy as I want to be. They love every second of it. They don’t judge. They’re just like, “Oh Ms. Pinnock, come on, okay, okay! She’s getting ready to flip and jump from here, and we’re going to love it!” They’re entertained, and it’s just me being me. This is the kind of energy I have. The little people let me be who I want to be, and they have a very, very genuine love and yearning of learning, which makes my job that much better. Of course, you have children who you have to go above and beyond with to get them interested, and that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that. I just love their energy. I love their stick-to-itiveness. I love that they just want to do whatever. They’re always game to try something new. What do you find rewarding about working with special education students? It’s been specifically rewarding this school year, because I work with Ms. Kelley and her students. We started together in pre-K4, and now they are in second grade. To see their growth and know that I have played a part in it is exciting. Both the special education kids and the other kids without IEPs, because I’ve been with the same group of kids all the way through. To hear them say, “Oh, well, Ms. Pinnock, I remember when we were talking about this and you taught me how to do this.” To see them own their learning, own their education and enjoy it – that’s what makes me happy. That’s what makes my heart smile. They know they’re capable of more. I love giving my students an accommodation and seeing the doors open for them, because for them it’s like, “Oh, all I needed was this. Now I can learn whatever is being taught.” One of my students has autism. I remember when she was in pre-K3, she used to lay on the floor and just bang her head. We were trying to figure out what classification she would fall under. Now, a few years later, I know what kind of accommodations she needs to succeed. She’ll tell me if she’s struggling and I’ll say, “Okay, let me get your whiteboard and we’ll find a way to make this work for you.” She’ll say, “Oh, that’s better.” And I’ll say, “I know, I got you.” To be able to build relationships with students and to see them thrive in everything they’re doing gives me a deep sense of purpose. Is there anything about Friendship that stands out compared to other places you’ve worked? I’ve been at Friendship Blow Pierce for six years, and there hasn’t been a lot of turnover. There are teachers who I started with and still work with, like Ms. Thompson. When she won Teacher of the Year a couple years back, we were co-teachers. It’s just a great place to work. I also appreciate that Friendship gave me the opportunity to step out of the general education world and into special education. I’ve always had a classroom that had students with IEPs in it. I have a heart that says, “This is what I can do. This is what I want to do for these children.” I was given the opportunity, and it’s been great ever since. I’m grateful that Friendship recognized my vision, allowed me to do what I need to do for these students, and provide equity for them. What has it been like to work in this remote situation? It’s very different, because I work with so many different classes. The hardest part was probably trying to get a steady schedule where I could hit all the points that needed to be hit so my students could be successful. Once I did that, it got a lot easier. The co-teaching model still works similarly. We still have a lot of back-and-forth banter. Everything is planned very much in advance. We know what we want to talk about, and we decide whether my co-teacher or I will lead, do breakout rooms, or whatever the case may be. It still feels like school. It is definitely a shift. There were moments and pockets of students who couldn’t get online, and I couldn’t force them to. So, there were still students who I did miss because they didn’t get online. Especially with the younger children. It’s up to their parents to get them online. Is there anything that I haven’t asked that you want to be sure to include in your spotlight? The only thing I can say now is that communication has been key, whether I am teaching virtually or in person. It’s been crucial to work with my co-teachers, set the pace, and set early expectations for the students and myself. I think that’s what has helped me thrive during quarantine, as well as in the building. We never have a moment where we are like, “We haven’t spoken in a while, are you going to do anything today?” We are already on the same page. We already know what to expect. And if anything changes, we’ve already built these relationships and have an open line of communication. It only takes a text or phone call to say, “Plans might have changed,” and then we are able to shift gears. Is there a fun fact that your colleagues don’t know about you that you’d like to share? Well, during quarantine I learned how to cut my own hair. It was my first time ever doing this. It’s hard when you’re trying to get to the back and you can’t really see. You’re using the mirror, but you’re using your right hand to get behind your left ear. It’s just different. My sister got me some really small clippers to practice putting designs in my hair.
Clarissa Wright, Special Education Coordinator July 29, 2020 By wpengine Students are growing tremendously in amazing ways that I couldn’t have imagined. What was your journey to your current position? I went off to teach in Hawaii right after college. That was definitely a great adventure. I was there for two and a half years before returning to the east coast and becoming a teacher in Baltimore, which was also an amazing experience. After that, I said to myself, “Well, let me try teaching in DC.” I started at Center City, where I taught for two years and became a teacher leader. Eventually, a special education coordinator position opened up at Friendship Blow Pierce and I thought I’d be a good fit for it. I’ve been here for six years and haven’t looked back. The leadership here has allowed me to take the special education department under my wing and mold it to what best suits our students and community. That trust and flexibility has allowed me to make a greater impact. Are there any strategies you would recommend? As a special education coordinator, it is very helpful to have started out as a special education teacher. I was both an inclusion and resource teacher, and I learned early on that it was important to have a solid team. I have two leads with whom I communicate day in and day out. The same trust the leadership team has given me, I extend to them. I allow them the autonomy to run their classrooms as they see fit, so long as their strategies are effective. Team effort is crucial to ensuring our students receive the most effective support. I also get to know the kids on a deeper level. I meet their families, I make sure they know me, and I tell them that I have an open-door policy. They can come to me at any time. What do you like about what you do? I love seeing my students grow academically, behaviorally, and improve their ability to express themselves. I see their growth and they see it, too. Students are growing tremendously in amazing ways that I couldn’t have imagined. I love seeing our MAPP scores improve. We work to ensure our students grow by 1.5 to 2 years of every year. Students who previously had difficulty expressing their thoughts verbally are now expressing themselves by writing and speaking full, eloquent sentences. There is growth in all areas – academic, behavioral, emotional, and social. We help parents become invested and active participants in ensuring that their scholars succeed, which is crucial. Parents are our partners. Sometimes when students arrive here, you can see that the world has given up on them. Their families and communities have even given up on them. At Friendship we don’t give up on any of our scholars, and because of that they don’t give up on themselves. You see students who, for the first time, want to go to college and have a successful career. At Friendship Blow Pierce, it’s all hands on deck. If a student in middle school is struggling, a PreK teacher might get involved to support her because he has a good relationship with that family. Is there a fun fact you’d like to share? I’m a military brat. I was actually born in Wiesbaden, Germany, and I lived there for eight years. We left right after the Berlin Wall came down.
Clara Epps, Special Education Teacher July 29, 2020 By wpengine Since working here I’ve been meeting great people, and that’s important to me. It is important for me to be in an environment where I can continue to grow. I feel very comfortable here and I absolutely love working here. I teach special education and I’ve been teaching at Friendship Tech Prep High for over five years. However, teaching is my second career. I originally started out as a retail store manager. For 18 years, I worked as a manager with a variety of companies, ranging from Safeway and Nordstrom to MAC cosmetics. Remembering I held a master’s degree in education management, I decided one day that I’d rather be teaching. My friend Natiia Johnson, the business manager at Friendship Tech Prep High at the time, said to me, “You should come see the principal.” So, I met with the principal at the time, Ms. Tindle, and the rest is history. I started as a long-term substitute. One day, the principal visited my classroom and said, “Wow, you really get them to listen to you.” That’s how I became a permanent teacher here. I enrolled in Teach for America and completed their two-year teacher training program. TFA was going to place me in another location, but Principal Patrick Pope said, “No, we want to keep her here.” What has been the most meaningful about being a special education teacher is learning how to have patience. All students can learn, they just learn differently. I enjoy examining the data, seeing student growth, and knowing if I am doing the right thing – asking, “Do I need to scale something back? Do I need step it up in a different way? Why are students not understanding a specific skill that was being taught?” It’s all about the students. I enjoy having real conversations, and that’s why I especially love teaching in high school. I ask myself, “What is my students’ plan of action to ensure they will be successful in college and then career?” Regardless of a student’s disability, I ask myself how I can ensure they take responsibility for their learning so they will have success. I support them with processing their emotions and adjusting their thinking so that they can make good decisions. It is also important for me to keep my door open, as I enjoy one-on-one time with my students. If there is a misconception either in class or in a conversation, I believe that it is crucial to talk it out. For someone who might be new to teaching special education, are there any other strategies that you would offer? Know your students. Learn about their background. They won’t share a lot unless they trust you. I ask, “Hey, what did you do this weekend?” They’d reply with something like, “I did this and that.” “Did you do anything else?” I’ll start by sharing my own life with them. If students are struggling with deeper challenges in their lives, I want them to feel comfortable coming to me with anything. Sometimes what they share is very sad. I do as much as I can to encourage students and give them what they need – even if it means buying them a pair of shoes or a sweater. I encourage them to stay strong because “this too shall pass.” Nothing lasts forever, and you have to work hard if you want a better situation in life, which you may not be able to see right now, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. I share some of my own struggles with them and talk about things that I think I could have done better and things I did well. This is helpful because students don’t see us as ever having being a high school student. I am very honest with them. We also try to expand our horizons outside of the community so that students can have broader experiences and realize that there is a big world out there. You meet people, taste different types of foods, and hear different music. It makes you a well-rounded person. We go to museums and restaurants. Many of my students need to develop their social skills, I tell them to clearly order their food with the waitress and socialize with different culture of people. Often, my students are used to only interacting with a small circle of friends and family, but rarely new people. We talk about real life skills – finding a job, going to the grocery store, creating a budget, finding an apartment, and even riding the bus. I might ask them: “If you worked in Georgetown and lived here, what bus route would you take?” They might say, “I never thought about that.” What do you like about Friendship? Friendship gave me an opportunity. I did not have a traditional background in teaching when I started. Since working here I’ve been meeting great people, and that’s important to me. It is important for me to be in an environment where I can continue to grow. I feel very comfortable here and I absolutely love working here. What strategies do you use in the classroom? It is important for me to be an advocate for my special education students to ensure they get the support they need. I know what they need and what their reading levels are. If they’re not yet on grade level, I make sure they get the extra help they need, whether it is modified content or an accommodation. I will visit their teachers and say, “May I please see what you’re giving this student in the classroom?” I monitor their grades and we have one-on-one sit downs every two weeks. I’ll ask, “What’s going on? Why do you have this grade in this particular class?” Then I’ll meet with the teacher. Everyone will meet in the middle to ensure every student succeeds. Certain students have difficulty communicating, so I work on teaching these students to speak up for themselves. Is there a fun fact you’d like to share? I’m a licensed makeup artist! I love makeup. Sometimes I do students’ prom makeup and makeup for other school events.
