I worked vocational ministry for 20 plus years, and made the switch to become a teacher in an impoverished area of my community. I have a heart for all kids, but a special place for those who have special needs. My youngest child has down syndrome and is turning ten years old, and he has been an inspiration to me, my wife, and our five other kids. I know how much support is needed for families with special needs kids, and I try to be that for them.

I have so many special moments in my classroom. Recently, my favorite memory is working with a student who is a kindergartner on the autism spectrum who is nonspeaking. We have been working over the last two years on using icons to communicate needs in the classroom. All of our work has begun to pay off as he is starting to tell us what he needs such as: all done, more snack, more recess , and is it time for lunch? Beginning to see him utilize his words has been amazing.

First I would definitely set aside a portion of the money to use in my classroom as there are many needs that the district just cannot meet. There is also a training at the university of north carolina I want to do to allow me to better serve students who are on the autism spectrum. I would also like to buy some assistive devices to help my son who does struggle with language be able to thrive in our home and community. And I of course, have student loans that still need to be paid off.