James A Wallace

Tell us why you became a teacher

After working in the insurance industry for 20 years, I decided to return to school at night to become a teacher. My motivation was my son, Joey, who has severe Autism and is non-verbal. I wanted to have the skills and knowledge to help him and others to lead fulfilling and independent lives. I have focused my teaching career on pre-vocational, vocational and life skills training. My current students are all between 18 and 22 years of age and have deferred their diplomas under the FAPE laws.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I worked with a young man on the Autistic spectrum. Most people assumed he couldn't work and would spend his adult life in a day habilitation program. However, while assisting him with job discovery, I found out that he had a love for biology and knew a great amount about dentistry. Our work led to him obtaining a volunteer position in a local dentist's office. His duties included running the reception desk and sterilizing equipment trays. He maintained this position until the dentist retired.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the majority of the money to build a specialized life skills classroom for my students including, all new appliances, furniture and equipment and create an endowment to make sure that the future students in the program had funds to repair and replace classroom equipment in the future.