Meghan O’Rourke

Tell us why you became a teacher

In school I was always intrigued by students who left the classroom or had unique supports throughout the day. As an adult, I realized those were students receiving special education and I was drawn to this field. I love problem solving and this job is a perfect fit, its a constant balance of supporting the student in ways they need without making them appear different than their peers.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

After working with a student with a reading disability for several years, my position was changed and I no longer worked in her building. Our first year working together she was a 4th grade student who was legally illiterate and could not consistently identify her name. I stopped working with her when she entered 9th grade and she was reading Lord of the Rings independently. Later, she invited me to her graduation and she went to college to be a screenwriter.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the money to install adaptive playground equipment at our local elementary school. Recently, they have created several inclusion programs for students using adaptive mobility equipment. However, the playground is on top of an inaccessible hill and none of the equipment can be accessed. In order to create a more inclusive environment we would like to design a playground that all students can use together.