A FFILIA T E LE A DERSHI P
Lessons From the Past…Guiding the Future By McKayla LaBorde, NASES President
After 18 years in educational leadership and another exciting school year under my belt, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on why I am so incredibly lucky to work in education. I come from a family of educators and have experienced the purpose and gratCraig Beach, First Year Special Education itude that results Teacher 1967 from a career serving children in public schools. My talented brother followed in my mother’s footsteps as a music teacher and I chose to follow the path of my father into Special Education administration. Serving as NASES President this past year has re-energized my commitment to the field and has been especially fulfilling knowing how important NASES was to my dad, Craig Beach. He was a NASES member since the group’s inception in the 70s and served as the NASES President during the 1990-1991 school year. I sat down with him to glean some wisdom from years past and it solidified for me that the more things change… the more they stay the same. McKayla: How did you get started in Special Education? Craig: By accident, really. I was a first-generation college graduate in 1967 (the first out of 100s of extended family members) and a Sociology major who wasn’t sure what he was going to do after graduation. One of my professors shared that there was a fellowship for a new federal program in a nearby high school supporting students with learning differences and they needed a teacher. I had no idea what I was doing, but I loved working with the 18 students in my classroom, although I recognized they were capable of much more than was expected of them. I soon started subbing in the Shop and PE classes and developed a relationship with those programs, which got my foot in the door and allowed me to give my students an opportunity to participate in general education classrooms for the first time in their lives.
McKayla: What was the best part of your job as a Special Education Director? Craig: I really enjoyed recruiting and hiring great staff, but the challenge of including students with disabilities into general education when that wasn’t the common practice was my most important work. I was the very first Special Education Director in my district starting in 1974, and there were some administrators and teachers who just weren’t ready for it. We had leverage with the passing of Public Law 94-142 (the first federal special education legislation) in 1975, which we often had to use to promote change. It just took time and gentle pressure, relentlessly applied. McKayla: You were a champion for inclusion…what did it mean to you? Craig: Inclusion is one of the only things that has truly transformed our educational system in the past 50 years. It took a lot of effort, time, and money to change the way teachers think and schools behave. I was there when it all began… IEPs, the Americans with Disabilities Act, mandated services for Birth-21, preschools for children with disabilities. I remember it being like the Wild West, but such an exciting time. And the work was a great fit with my skills and disposition. Changing minds and hearts can be difficult, but it was well worth it for the students. McKayla: How did your involvement in NASES and NCSA help you grow as a leader? Craig: Having the opportunity to connect with others doing the same thing I was trying to do was critically important. Special Education was so unique and often isolating. There was no internet or email, so the interaction and support that we gave one another through the regional NASES groups was a lifesaver, especially in rural areas. I also enjoyed being able to mentor new staff coming in. Continued on page 14 >>
SUMMER 2022 NCSA TODAY
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