支持性教师使一切不同

克里斯蒂(水) Danenhauer '04, '19 MAEd came back to MMU for her MAEd because of the support and individualized help from faculty.

你为什么决定通过 教育学硕士 慈悲山的项目?

CD: I graduated from Mount Mercy in 2004 with a general education degree in teaching K-6. In 2014, I was offered a position as a special education teacher—Strat 2 Behavior focused. I needed to add an endorsement to my license and thought Mount Mercy would be a great place to continue my education. I’m a single parent to a 12-year-old daughter and have a history of learning difficulties myself. 慈悲山医院的员工记得我是谁, 我是那种学习者, and welcomed me with open arms to continue my education towards a master’s degree. Mount Mercy提供夜校, 灵活地与我的教授交流, and a very personal touch with small class sizes and tons of support and encouragement.

你的具体工作职责是什么? 你能给我们介绍一下你一天的工作吗?

CD: 我是爱荷华市社区学区的一名特殊教育教师. 我的工作包括为学生提供行为计划的支持工具. I write behavior intervention plans to help 学生 access the general education classroom with peers—providing a safe classroom when the student is struggling behaviorally or academically. I also write individualized education plans (IEPs) for 学生 so they can build their learning levels and achieve an education. 沿着同样的路线, I provide Specialized Design Instruction (SDI) to 学生 with learning differences.

正常的一天是和我的学生报到, making sure they have what they need to start the day (often times 学生 might not have had a good night sleep, 家庭支持, 干净的衣服或食物), 与直接与我的学生一起工作的para教育者联系, 提供一个倾听者(学生通常承担许多责任, 焦虑, 压力和创伤). 我每天继续教学生, 无论是小团体还是个人, skills they need to help continue their education (most often my 学生 get intense skills in social emotional learning skills and interaction with others). Often times my day will include talking with 学生 about behavior issues they are having in the classroom or handling aggressive situations and using de-escalation skills and the student’s intense behavior intervention plan. 一天结束时通常包括数据报告, 与家长和学校工作人员合作, 参加会议.

MMU:这个课程对你目前的工作有什么帮助? 你从这个项目中得到了什么好处?

CD: Mount Mercy’s educational programs have helped prepare me for today’s classrooms and 学生—giving me many tools to help meet the individualized needs of today’s youth. I’ve become a very detail-driven teacher that is able to accommodate 学生 with very different learning needs. Mount Mercy has helped me build a solid teaching foundation that empowers me to educate 学生 from a variety of backgrounds and needs. The material that was provided and taught to me always included self-reflection and tied it back to real-life situations I or my classmates have encountered.

One thing that was very beneficial was the ability to student teach in my own classroom and have my professors attend lessons and provide feedback about my teaching, 学生, 或者我对情况和员工的处理. I continue to consult with my Mount Mercy classmates and professors even after graduating. I’ve really been able to build my toolbox of resources to help me adapt to the ever-changing classroom and educational platform.

MMU: Besides the educational growth you achieved, how did you grow personally throughout the program? 如果有，你是何时以及如何承认你的个人成长的?

"The staff at Mount Mercy is still a big part of my life personally and professionally. 贯穿生命的创伤, I have continued to gain confidence in myself and work with 学生 and educators."

CD: The staff at Mount Mercy has continued to be a big part of my life personally and professionally. 贯穿生命的创伤, I have continued to gain confidence in myself and work with 学生 and educators. 在与MAEd的工作人员交谈时，我意识到我可以完成这个学位, 我有一个非常强大的支持系统, 感谢仁慈山. Going back to school as a single, mid-30's woman can be very stressful and overwhelming. 慈悲山是我实现这一目标所需要的支持系统.

MMU: What is the most important skill to have in the education field and how can you develop it?

CD: 教育中最重要的技能是耐心. 没有耐心, 你不能真正倾听你的学生，并帮助满足他们的需求, 甚至没有真正听到他们需要什么来成为一个更好的学习者. The ability to hone this skill takes a positive mind set and the understanding that we are all different—it’s the ability to breathe deeply and stay focused and organized in life. To achieve this skill, you need to practice these skills in every life situation. 仁慈山提醒我要呼吸，对周围的人要有耐心. 我们都以不同的方式学习和看待事物.

MMU:在参加MAEd项目之前和之后，你觉得自己有什么不同?

CD: I entered the master´s program with general teaching knowledge and my own personal experiences with the special education program, 但, 通过我的教育, I was able to obtain a deeper depth of knowledge of 学生 with special needs and the world we live in. The master's program demonstrated a variety of depth within special education and challenged me to view situations from different angles then I had before. I have a better understanding of the special education laws and struggles parents have being advocates for their children.

MMU:你在MAEd项目期间遇到过什么困难吗? 如果有，你是如何克服这些困难的? (困难可能是工作、孩子、时间等等)

CD: 当我第一次在Mount Mercy参加本科比赛的时候, 我带着IEP(个性化教育计划)来的, 这意味着我需要一些学习方面的帮助. 当我回来读硕士的时候, the staff remembered I had these difficulties and were able to help accommodate my needs with online reading textbooks and writing support from the writing center. 多亏了硕士课程, I was able to avoid issues with attending class because they offered night classes and commuting from Iowa City wasn’t an issue. Throughout my master's I needed to bring my daughter a few times due to child care issues. 工作人员对此表示欢迎，并允许她和我一起去.

“如果没有慈悲山，我就完成不了我主人的学业, and I cannot see myself attending another master's program and having the success that I had."

还有什么要补充的吗?

CD: For those adults that are nervous about continuing their education and have doubts about gaining a degree, 我强烈推荐Mount Mercy大学的硕士项目. The staff is more like an extended part of my family who challenge and support me. 如果没有慈悲山，我就完成不了我主人的学业, and I cannot see myself attending another master's program and having the success that I had.