Merle Stroud

EDU2000 CRN41874
Teresa Jackson
2/22/2024

Teacher’s Interview

My teacher’s interview was a delightful endeavor, I was able to interview my

friend Angela Collins. Angela and her husband Lawrence, a Marine Biologist, live
in West Texas with their 8 Whippet show dogs. They are both avid divers, have
traveled the world to diving locations. Angela was able to teach in Guam where
Lawrence was working on his PHD in Marine Biology. His project was to try and
revive an almost extinct group of sea turtles on a small island off the coast of
Guam. The Indigenous people were eating the turtles into extinction. Angela and
Lawrence set up a science classroom for local children, to teach them what was
happening to the turtles. Children helped set up protective breeding grounds for the
turtles, educated their parents and families about what was happening. This
research group brought these turtles back from the brink of extinction.
Angela has been teaching for over 25 years, her masters is in special education and
that is what she teaches at the local high school. She loves what she does for a
living, she enjoys instructing older kids, helping them to gain confidence, in a
world that they sometimes feel they do not belong. She has created a safe space
where students can feel confident that no one will bully or humiliate them. They
are in a room where they are heard, and someone cares about their opinion. She
also holds them accountable yes, they have learning disabilities, yes, some of them
have physical disabilities but they are still held accountable for their actions.
I asked Angela what was some of her most frustrating communication challenges?
In my mind I thought it would be with her students considering they are disabled,
but no that is not what frustrates her the most.
One of her biggest communications frustrations has been collaborating with peers
to get information about special education students to prepare their paperwork
prior to a students annual meeting. Our states current process involves sending
Goggle forms to all students’ teachers regarding academic strengths and behavioral
needs that students require recommendations that must come from these teachers.
This includes adding and removing accommodations, ISP goals, recommendations
for next year. This information is required, she does not have a choice She must
meet these deadlines.
Angela gives a two- or three-week window to complete the form, which gives her
time to complete the paperwork, send copies of the draft home for parents to look
over prior to the meeting. This also gives parents the opportunity to give their input
if they feel the need to. Angela says that it has gotten so bad that she is having to
check the system daily to make sure these teachers have done their part to get these
kids the help they need for the following year. She has offered to help them fill out
the forms, the teachers get offended when she does that.
On occasions she must get administration involved, Angela has filled out the forms
with information that other teachers have provided, she has missed the parent
deadline, the meeting is within a week, and she still has not been able to complete
the state forms. She sets up a meeting with the head of Special Education and the
principal. She gives them a list of teachers including documentation on how many
times she has requested the forms; they get called to the office where they must
explain their actions. Angela said that these teachers give her hard looks and
somehow this is her fault that they are in trouble. She explains to them again by
law she must include this information on the students PLA AFPS present level of
academic and functional performance.
Angela is retiring in five years; she is hoping she gets one year that she does not
have to go through this.