How Far Has Special Education Come:
Local Teacher Interviews.
By Reyann Martin
Special Education has come a long way over the past years, but it can and needs to be
improved. I interviewed a couple teachers involved in the Special Education Department of North High School in Sioux City, Iowa. They tell of the change in the past years, the systems current flaws, and the improvements we can make to further benefit the Special Education programs and/or students.
Genevieve Perrin is the head of the Special Education Program in Sioux City North High. She has been teaching for six years. This will be her fifth year at North High School. She worked in Kainalu Elementary in the k-2 severe/profound room and did her student teaching at Washington Middle School in the Autism room (both in Hawaii). She got her MEd from the University of Hawaii in Special Education with an emphasis in Autism. This is her third year as the head of department.
Georgina Navarrette is a Special Education Teacher at North High School in Sioux City. She has been teaching for 10 years, at two different schools. She taught at NMS for two years, and this will be her eighth year at NHS. Navarrette is an under graduate from Briar Cliff and has her Masters from Morningside college. She started at North Middle in the fall of 2005 and taught there for two years before moving the program to North High School for the fall of 2007. Her program consists of both the middle school and high school programs.
Alyssa Niemic has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and a Reading Endorsement. She is working on her Master’s Degree for Special Education. North High is the only school she has taught at so far.
Kathy Fickett is a paraeducator. She has worked for Sioux City Schools for 13 years, and she started working at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in the Special Education Department as a one-on-one instructional assistant with a blind student. She then moved to North High along with this student until he graduated in 2006. After that she took a position at North High as a classroom assistant. She has a ParaEducator Certificate. Kathy has also been a Special Olympic Coach and volunteer for 10 + years along with being a Best Buds Volunteer.
Photography by The Mount Vernon Special Education Department
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