Q: How long have you been teaching at Central?

A: Since 1995, so I think that’s 24 years.

Q: What’s your favorite class to teach? Why?

A: I think honestly my first group when I first started teaching. I had an awesome group of students that were all in general education but needed a little extra assistance, maybe with executive functioning skills or just reteaching of the material. So I really enjoyed that.

Q: Can you describe what it’s been like teaching at Central?

A: I’ve seen a lot of changes through my years here. Special education has grown in a positive manner unbelievably. When I first started, I did say, ‘okay, you’re going to teach a self-contained math or English class. Have fun.’ There were no books. There was no curriculum. There was nothing. So that’s probably one of my most proud things that I’ve done is we took the Common Core State Standards from general education and tweaked them to the reading level or the current math level of our students and so we have real solid curriculum in our self-contained classes now.

Q: What has this school done for you?

A: Central gave me an opportunity to do what I love. This is a great school community.

Q: What are your future plans after retiring?

A: I don’t have anything firm but I have a few ideas. I’d like to dabble in education somehow.

Q: What are you gonna miss most about Central?

A: I’ll miss the students because, since I don’t teach anymore, I go into the classrooms and I get to have fun with them because I don’t have to hold on to any expectations. So I get to know as many of the special education students as I can.