Profile by jared perryman by Freestyle Academy

nd Mi he eT sid In slaps his name ﬁve times in a row in a sea of words on paper. Mrs. Summers’ classroom is not your ordinary classroom; she teaches special education at Luigi Aprea Elementary School, where she addresses the needs of many children with disabilities. Here she uses different methods of teaching in the form of stations to educate the children in her class. The students switch stations every few minutes and move on to something new. Sometimes, however, diverting the attention of the student

children dot the walls around the classroom, each displaying their own unique design and simplistic message. A cheerful woman sits in a chair adorned with an Arizona State University sweatshirt, happily greeting the children as they look at her. “The shapes above the desks tell the students which subject they will study,” says Adrienne Summers, flashing a bright grin on her face as she directs children to their specific tables. She resumes teaching, rewarding a boy with pats on the back and goldfish crackers when he

vhildren sit on yoga ball seats at ﬁve small tables across from shelves of organized books. Each of the tables has a different shape hanging over them from the ceiling by a small twine thread with pipecleaners for decoration. Small, brightly colored chairs line a deep blue carpet with a vibrant sun in the center. Across from the carpet lies an old television playing an educational movie for kindergarteners. A little girl smiles at the television and looks back and forth between her classmates. Arts and crafts made by the

to the object they are studying or to the paper they are trying to read is quite difﬁcult. In response to this challenge, Summers came up with an idea: “These cardboard walls help block out distractions and other students so they can focus.” She explains this strategy as she adjusts the wall so that it blocks off another student trying to wave at the boy she is teaching. The sensitive Mrs. Summers is a master at accommodation, identifying special needs and ﬁnding creative ways to meet them. Born in Watsonville California in a family of four, Summers’ inspiration came to her when she was in middle school. She had a physical education teacher that was actively involved in the Special Olym-

pics. She was encouraged by her teacher to aid the individuals who were too severely disabled to participate in the tournaments. And as a result she was inspired with her work and turned to coaching basketball for individuals with disabilities during her time in high school. Originally, Mrs. Summers planned to be

an architect, having acquired a degree in architecture from Arizona State University. However, she did not like nor want to deal with all of the necessary physics . But through this experience she gained a very important lesson; she ﬁgured out that her goal was helping others. Remembering her past, she recalled how she used to

help with the Special Olympics and how she coached basketball in high school for individuals with disabilities. It was then, in this waking moment, Adrienne Summers realized that she wanted to be a special education teacher. To her luck, Arizona State University offers a major in special education, rather than California’s system where individuals must gain a liberal arts degree before proceeding to a degree in special education. This invigorated her even further to proceed because she knew that she was getting the education she deserved and could make it further with a major in special education. Graduating later with a clear credential and a degree in special education, she took her newly learned experience to the ﬁeld, working as a resource teacher at various K-8 schools in arizona. Unfortunately Adrienne later realized that she could not live in Arizona with the salary she was making. After a long time of considering this issue, she later then decided to move back home with her parents in Watsonville. Adrienne now works for Gilroy Uniﬁed School District as a special education teacher where she continues her work. Adrienne has inspired many individuals in her lifetime. “I believe Mrs. Summers is doing a wonderful job inside the classroom,” says Carolina, a fellow

one-on-one Para Profecional for a little girl in the classroom. “When iI ﬁrst came into the classroom I did not know what to expect,” she laughs, lightly thinking about it. Through the use of team coordination Mrs. Summers has created a classroom where everyone works together. She holds regular meetings with parents and fellow co-workers to address the needs of the children in the classroom. The result from Adrienne’s hard work is a sense of inspiration and admiration for her abilities as a special education teacher. Even when talking to her for the ﬁrst time, I felt a sense of respect and admiration for her skill as a teacher. She continually manages to inspire others with her chipper attitude and resolute fortitude. She adorns the responsibility of taking action for the children she believes deserve better in the world. She strives to watch

them succeed in life and carry on toward adulthood. What else deserves more admiration than that? Summers has also made an astounding impact on the children in her class. One that stands out in particular is the story of Sasha. Born with epilepsy and cerebral palsy, Sasha has struggled since infancy. Sasha ﬁrst entered Mrs. Summers’ class in kindergarten.

Since being with Summers, she has also been diagnosed with Lennox-Gaustaut Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy known to cause neurological deterioration. Luckily many strides have been taken to address Sasha’s needs inside the classroom. Such things as PowerPoint presentations on a Smart Board, the use of American Sign Language, and a viewing center have been implemented inside the classroom to better improve the way Sasha learns curriculum. Sasha also requires specialized equipment for her disability. In response, Summers organized an order for items such as: touchscreen computers, adaptive bicycles and swings, and a specialized chair. These items were all paid for through the useage of state funded low incidence funds. “Mrs. Summers’s unique ability to determine what is an effective

teaching tool for each student including Sasha facilitates success in learning for the student,” exclaims Angela, Sasha’s one on one para. This kind of teaching beneﬁts students of all abilities. And is an independent individualized

stantially lacking before the fact. What will Adrienne Summers do now? At the moment her classroom has to deal with a funding issue. “It feels like we always get the leftovers. Sometimes we have to pay out of the pocket to get the supplies we need,” says Carolina, expressing sadness. It’s

instruction approach to teaching special education. Another area Mrs. Summers addresses is letting the parents know what is needed for their student. This, in turn, leads to parents becoming advocates for their child. One example of this scenario is my younger brother Connor and my mother Angela. Through discovering what Connor has needed, my mother, Angela, ﬁghts for services and appropriate placement for him. When Connor was in Mrs. Summers’ class she made sure Connor had services like occupational therapy, speech therapy, and adaptive physical education. Early occupational therapy and speech therapy improved my brother’s motor skills and language, both of which were sub-

these leftovers that are hindering special education teachers from being able to fully accommodate the children in their classes. It even has to come to the point where they have to pay money out of their own pockets in order to keep up with the needs of the children. Why the lack of funding? According to learningrx.com: “Ever since the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act, the federal law has included a commitment to pay 40 percent of the average per student cost for every special education student. However, 2004 statistics showed that the federal government paid only 20 percent of their commitment.” This is a prime example of how special education is being underfunded. The

“We need to provide high quality special ed programs in our own district so parents aren’t forced to look elsewhere.”

burden of making up for the lack of funds falls on the teacher a great deal of the time. Mrs. Summers’ opinion on this topic, however, is that “We need to provide high quality special ed programs in our own district so parents aren’t forced to look elsewhere. We need to change district policy about how to recruit and retain highly qualified staff. This will reduce lawsuits and drastically cut down the district’s encroachment on the general fund. The federal government needs to pay their fair share too. Politicians need to stop proposing new entitlement programs until they can fund the ones they already have in place!” As of now, Mrs. Summers gains the following amount of funds from these specific areas: $100 from Luigi Aprea, $300 from the special education department of the Gilroy Unified School District, and $7 per child from the Luigi Aprea Home and

School Club. This amount of money is not enough to compensate for the funds required for such items as baby wipes, magic erasers, lysol wipes, paper towels, lamination, velcro, art supplies, books, and printer ink. On average, Mrs. Summers spends between one and two thousand dollars a year out of her own pocket for these items. Only two hundred and ﬁfty dollars of that amount is tax deductible. To compensate for this loss in personal funding, she resorts to classroom fundraising such as garage sales. Taking into consideration all these factors, Mrs Summers will go to any cost to make sure her students have everything they need to be successful inside the classroom and out. With utmost determination she will climb any mountain in order to achieve her goals for her students and acutely accommodate any of their needs.

Works Cited Summers, Adrianne. Personal Interview. 18 October 2015 Lopez, Carolina. Personal Interview. 20 October 2015 Perryman, Angela. Personal Interview. 26 October 2015 “IDEA 2004.” Peter W.D. Wright Esq, Pamela Darr Wright. 2004. Print.