Special Dedication

Story by Jane Gordon | Photo by Julie Bidwell

	Helen Tabaka, Anne Lippincott, and Janet Roman

When the French novelist and winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in literature Anatole France said “nine tenths of education is encouragement,” he was not dismissing the value of a formal education. Better, he was promoting the worth of a kindly word, of earned praise, of a nod and a smile for a job well done. He may well have been referring to the special education teacher, if indeed he had known any in his day. Yet back then, special education did not exist, and “retarded” was the word commonly used for a broad spectrum of learning disabilities. Learning-disabled children were often misdiagnosed, isolated from their peers and stigmatized. Today, they have saviors in those special education teachers, who heap praise and smiles upon them every day while helping them to overcome their disabilities and master the art and science of learning.

Hear the voices of those teachers, as they describe why they do what they do, from Natalie Carlone, an Avon High School teacher whose students inspire her, Anne Lippincott, a Canton educator whose own teacher’s philosophy of inclusion exhibited an understanding of what was possible in the classroom, Janet Roman, a Farmington teacher whose determination and creativity won her the town’s teacher of the year designation three years ago, and Helen Tabaka, a Simsbury specialist who savors the moments when her students realize they have learned to read. “It is so rewarding,” she says, echoing the voices of special education teachers everywhere.

Natalie Carlone

Special education teacher for students 17 to 19 years old, Avon High School

I was born in the Bronx and lived in Manhattan for eight years. We moved to New Britain in 1968. I attended New Britain public schools through high school. As the oldest of five, I had a lot of opportunity nurturing children and playing school with my siblings. I attended St. Joseph College in West Hartford where I received a dual certification in early childhood and special education. My parents, immigrants from Italy to the United States, were not able to complete their education, however, they valued and encouraged higher learning. My mother went on to receive her GED in her late 40s.

I have a master’s degree in Educational Leadership; and a sixth year certification in Administration from Central Connecticut State University.

My inspiration for choosing special education as a profession came in my senior year while volunteering at the Hartford Regional Center in Newington, a school for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. After observing one of the teachers working with a student with Down’s syndrome, she allowed me to take over. She was impressed with my performance and said that I should consider special education as a career.

Because of her encouragement and my respect for her compassion and ability to work with and make progress with the neediest children, I decided to enter this field. I have never regretted it.
I am most grateful for her words of encouragement and inspiration; and it taught me at a very young age how influential and inspirational teachers can be to young people when they take a genuine interest and encourage students to pursue certain goals, passions, or careers.

I have also gained more than I have ever given in my daily interactions with my students. They teach me daily the simple truths of how to live in the present moment, enjoy simple things, value friendship and relationships, and to never give up. They have taught me that your best is always enough.

My program at Avon High School is based on teaching functional academics, life skills, and pre-vocational training. Our students spend half the day in school on functional academics, life skills with an inclusion class and an adaptive physical education class with typical students. In the afternoons, they work as volunteers in the community at such places as the Avon Public Library, Friendly’s, and the Avon Senior Center.

In the past, we have worked at the Avon Chamber of Commerce. One day per week, students participate in work-supported employment through FAVARH; and one day per week, students swim at Healthtrax in Avon.

The biggest challenge each day is managing students’ and paraprofessionals’ schedules and coordinating each child’s individualized program along with after-school activities. Those activities include participation in Unified Sports with Farmington High School and our Peer Support Club, a group of about 25 students who meet weekly to plan social activities that include dances four times per year, monthly bowling, movies, parties, etc.

My biggest challenge is also my greatest reward. Working with a dedicated group of paraprofessionals gives me great respect and admiration for their dedication, compassion, and the effort they give to our students and program. Without them, there would be no program or after-school activities. My students provide daily feedback of their appreciation for all our hard work and efforts through their smiles, affection, and increased progress in their learning and social skills. Support from our parents and administration from central office and from my Avon High School colleagues is unprecedented. I am most grateful for their support and the opportunity to work with students with special needs. They are special, indeed.

Anne Lippincott

Early childhood special education teacher, Cherry Brook Primary School in Canton

I was raised in Winsted. I attended Saint Anthony’s School and the Gilbert School, received my bachelor’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College, my master’s degree from Columbia University Teachers College, and did coursework beyond my master’s at Fordham University.

My parents were firm believers in education. As a young girl, I have memories of my mother talking to me about becoming a teacher. As a teenager, my first job was in a nursing home. In high school, the special education students interested me. The high-school special education teacher, Mrs. Cormier, did a lot to include these students in all aspects of the school. That was more than 30 years ago. She was a very positive person.

This is my eighth year as an early childhood special-education preschool teacher at Cherry Brook Primary School in Canton. I am dual certified in both regular education and special education, preschool through grade 12 in both areas.

I began in the Winchester school system 28 years ago. I was the first teacher for what was then called a resource room for special education students in kindergarten through second grade. Over the years, I evolved into a preschool special education teacher. In this capacity, I work with both special-needs students and community peers. The preschool classroom follows the reverse mainstream model for the state of Connecticut. The curriculum that we implement is the High/Scope Curriculum from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Our preschool program in Canton is nationally accredited through NAEYC.

I would have to say that my specialty is in creating the learning environment in which all preschoolers are motivated to learn. In education, there are always daily challenges. I feel special education teachers are masters at being flexible and adjusting to the moment. Special education teachers are great at making daily accommodations to adjust to every and any challenge that arises.
For me, the biggest challenge right now is not a daily one, but one which encompasses the entire school year. This year, our preschool program is going through the re-accreditation process with NAEYC. This is a very lengthy, time-consuming process that requires you to look at your total program: students, families, staff, environment both outside and inside, and materials. Staff and families complete surveys, a self-study process occurs, adjustments are made to the program to reflect best practice, a program description that involves putting together portfolios is completed, and an on-site visit occurs.

Just this past weekend, I was at the grocery store when I ran into a former student and his mother. I had this student in preschool 16 years ago. Although I have since moved on to another school system, both the mother and student recognized me. I had not seen them in many years. The mother and I discussed how I was her son’s first teacher. At that time, he was non-verbal and exhibited behavioral as well as learning issues.

He left our conversation to go and order his own deli meats. He is working on daily life skills. The mother and I talked for a few minutes longer and then said our goodbyes. As I walked away, I smiled and felt a genuine happiness at knowing I had a part in the huge gains this young man had made in learning and in life. What better reward is there in one’s life than being part of educating a life?

Janet Roman

Farmington special education teacher, named Farmington teacher of the year in 2005-2006
I grew up on Long Island. The summer that I was 15 – when I was too young to get a job and too old to still go to summer camp – my mother encouraged me to do volunteer work at United Cerebral Palsy, which was less than a mile from my house. As a volunteer in the summer camp there, helping children engage in all those camp activities that I took for granted, was the most gratifying, unselfish experience of my life. It was after that summer that I knew what I wanted to do.

I specialize in teaching students with intellectual and physical disabilities as well as autism, although I like to refer to them as students with special abilities. I have taught at the elementary, middle and high school over the past 14 years in Farmington.

I started with a group of students – they were called a multi-handicapped class - when inclusion wasn’t where it is now. I was at Union School, an elementary school. In the first couple of months, I noticed that the typical kids at the school were very scared of these students. Some had profound disabilities, so I designed a reverse inclusion program. My students weren’t included in some of the core academics at the school, so I invited some typical students to take part in their classes. I started with a cooking program. That was an initial introduction. I invited students to come in and cook with us. They could see the adaptive equipment and they could see how my students learn. Then they could extend that volunteer work into a group called Friends. The group meets during the school day, typically during lunch, and engages in activities with the students. Most of the time, I would include sign language so the typical students were learning something when they come in, not because my students can’t hear but because they can’t communicate. We did a talent show and my students were included; there might have been 100 students on stage signing a song.

I find that in society people are not really comfortable with people who have a disability, whether it’s physical or intellectual. I was trying to take a community and increase its comfort level.

I always transitioned with that group of students; I started with one of the students when she was 7, and she’s 20 now. Then I reached a point in my career when I felt that I could leave them; they are seniors in the high school. They will stay in school until they are 21, so this was a good time to transition them to a new teacher.

I’ve now taken a group of students who have come out of fourth grade from all the Farmington elementary schools into West Woods School, which is a fifth-sixth grade school. I have five students with autism and/or intellectual disabilities. I’m in a new school with new students and I learn something different every day about them.

The challenge is always making inclusion work to be the best it can be, and having my students become a part of the school community. The more that typical students know, the more comfortable they are sitting in the classroom with my students, or having lunch with them.

With the laws of inclusion, the biggest challenge is to make the student an integral part of the school community every single day, to provide them with appropriate modifications and inclusive activities, and to be sure they are treated with respect and acceptance by all others. Rewards come from watching peers interact with comfort, and from the smallest student accomplishment. They come from watching students have friends for the very first time in their lives.

Helen Tabaka

Educational support specialist for kindergarten through second grade, Central School in Simsbury

I grew up in New Britain. I was the first child of my parents to be born in the United States. They had immigrated from Belgium and Poland to the United States. My fourth grade teacher inspired me to be a teacher because she always made each child feel like they were valued for who they were. I remember one day during our share time, she announced to the class that a student with disabilities had learned how to read. When she had him share his hard work and read a sentence from a picture book, everyone followed our teacher’s lead and clapped. She was so proud of him and his accomplishment and everyone in the class shared in celebrating this.

From that early age I knew that I wanted to teach, but it wasn’t until high school that I knew that I wanted to teach special education so that I could help children who were struggling and who needed an alternative way to be taught in order to be successful.

I teach children with autism, significant learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and language disabilities, and those who are health-impaired and hearing-impaired.

I specialize in teaching reading to students with severe reading disabilities. I have the opportunity to work intensely in early literacy to identify focus areas that interfere with the acquisition of reading skills for students and develop the specific interventions and programs that address these literacy areas. As a member of the Student Intervention Team, I enjoy the opportunity to work closely with classroom teachers to assist at-risk students and to establish focus areas and interventions to help these students progress with early literacy skills.

My biggest challenge, like every educator, is having enough time in the day to accomplish everything. My biggest reward is teaching children to read and helping them feel good about themselves as readers. It is so rewarding to watch struggling readers acquire the skills to learn to read and see the sparkle of excitement in their eyes and the smile on their faces when they discover they can read.

Jane Gordon is a regular contributor to Seasons.