With shopping lists distributed, the students run off into the grocery store excited about what they might find. The Special Education department goes on field trips during the school year, like going to the grocery store or getting state IDs.
Jayme Schroeder works as one of the Functional Academic Life Skills (FALS) teachers. FALS gives students in special education classes the knowledge and self determination needed in order to live a more independent life after high school. Schroeder taught Adapted PE in 2004 and decided that she wanted to work with the FALS students exclusively, so she gave up coaching and became their teacher.
“I get up every morning excited to see my kiddos,” Ms. Schroeder said. “They are the reason I love coming to work everyday.”
Ms. Armstrong works as a FALS Aide and helps alongside Ms. Schroeder in the classroom since 2012. Growing up with a brother who had special needs caused her to feel a special bond with students with special needs.
“I feel I’m good at working with these students, and I like doing it,” Ms. Armstrong said. “It’s very rewarding.”
The FALS class teaches students skills they will need to utilize in the future. Schroeder and Armstrong teach their students how to complete tasks such as doing laundry, brushing their teeth, cleaning after themselves and cooking in the kitchen.
“It’s going to benefit them if they ever live either on their own or in a group home situation,” Ms. Armstrong said. “Our goal is to help them learn the things they will need for their life.”
Their students’ ages range from 14 to 21; they graduate when they turn 22. The day her students graduate remain bittersweet for Ms. Schroeder.
“I tend to attach myself to my students,” Ms. Schroeder said, “which makes it a hard day when they graduate.”
Other teachers have hundreds of students, seeing each one about 45 minutes a day, but FALS teachers spend the entire day with a smaller amount of students. This allows strong student-teacher bonds to form.
“My students are like my own children; I treat them as my own,” Ms. Schroeder said. “They are my life, and I couldn’t imagine life without them. They are my world.”
