Newbury Elementary’s newest addition to their special education program is Ms. Kate Snowden. ¨I couldn’t be happier to be here.¨ says Snowden.

Snowden teaches a mixture of both fourth and fifth grade students. This is her first year at Newbury Elementary, but also her eighth year teaching special education. The Triton Voice interviewed Snowden to welcome her and see how she is settling in.

Triton Voice asked Snowden to describe a day-in-the-life; “It changes on a daily basis, that’s the nature of special ed. Some kids might need more help on one day; and another day, during a lesson, they might be without too many accommodations, so it’s kind of day-to-day.”.

NES has a teacher who teaches special education and regular education students core subjects. All students participate in the regular education classes, then for the other portion of the period, some special education students go down to Snowden’s room.

Snowden has nine fifth graders and three fourth graders, but which students she sees every day varies. Snowden has the opportunity to create a bond with these students because she has such a small group. Snowden enjoys working with her students. “I really enjoy helping kids that struggle a little bit or just need a helping hand.”

Snowden seems to be here to stay. She took a look at all the local districts and she felt NES was the best school for her. ¨Itś [NES] a very comfortable, happy environment. Everyoneś  very friendly and has been a tremendous help, especially for a new teacher. ¨ says Snowden.

Snowden has advice to students who are interested in pursuing teaching special education. “If you want to be a special education teacher, it’s very important to be very understanding, flexible, and patient because you work with a lot of people,” said Snowden. “You don’t just have your classroom and just what goes on there. You have so many interactions on a daily basis with the regular education teacher.”

Triton Voice also interviewed LeAnne Plummer, a special education Pre-K teacher at NES. Plummer has met Snowden, but they do not work in the same classroom. Plummer compared her typical daily tasks to Snowdenś. ¨Itś very different. Weŕe teaching the Kindergarteners self control, following rules, and just basic lining up listening to teachers, which the fifth graders have already mastered,¨ said Plummer. ¨The fifth graders are more academic and the Kindergarteners a lot more active, depending on the child.¨ Both Plummer and Snowden have very different tasks, but seem to enjoy what they do. Maybe this will open doors for some people who are not sure what they want to do when they get older.

Snowden seems to really enjoy her new job at NES as well as the students she gets to spend every day with.