What Makes Special Education Special to Mrs. Downey?

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“I like working with the students and those moments when they realize how great they are at things.”

Hidden Valley Highschool gained a new special education teacher for the 2022-2023 school year, Alisa Downey.  

Downey had been a special education teacher for eighteen years before transferring to Hidden Valley. She decided to become a special education when she was working in social services and volunteered with young people. After that, she settled on the idea that she wanted to work with youth full time. Despite the challenges that would come, being a special education teacher captivated her. She wanted to satisfy the yearning she had to help with youth. 

I had a friend who worked at Rivermont, and I asked her what she liked about her job. It sounded challenging but I knew that those kinds of challenges would fulfill that desire in me to help students.”  

Another inspiration that made her want to go into the special education field was her belief that special education students are not given the same opportunities in life as most people. Downey says that her favorite part about working with students is when they realize how good they are at different implements of school. “I like working with the students and those moments when they realize how great they are at things. That is definitely my favorite part.” 

 Overall, Ms. Downey came to Hidden Valley to help special education students show their true potential and construct a helpful way for them to learn. Since high school is the step before going into a career, Downey believes it’s important for these students to have a supporter in order to take the next step in life.