Teachers Change Lives at:
#ThankATeacher | #WhyITeach
Carissa Barnes
Carissa Barnes
During middle school service learning, I volunteered at a childcare center that provided service to families typically turned away from centers due to money or the needs of their children. I quickly realized my adoration for helping children “level the playing field”. This adoration, coupled with my passion for social equality, drove my decision to educate students with special needs. Watching students overcome the barriers presented by their exceptionalities is my daily affirmation. Every day, I witness exceptional students strive to take ownership of their lives and their education in the face of perceived limitations and a lack of societal awareness.
I firmly believe that my fundamental job as a special educator is not simply to help students navigate their school career or prepare for postsecondary outcomes but to help them claim/reclaim their lives. This charge serves as my humbling, call-to-action each day and is the reason why I teach.
Carissa Barnes
Special Education Resource Teacher
Stonegate Elementary School
Silver Spring, MD
Olivia Enders
Olivia Enders
My interest in education came from a deep appreciation of learning and the opportunities that education provides individuals. It also comes from the realization that not all students are provided with equitable access to these opportunities. As I started to volunteer more in public school systems through local Pittsburgh organizations, I realized that these barriers to quality education, though complex and often intimidating, are not insurmountable. I wanted to do something about those barriers, and felt that teaching was a career in which I could have a tangible impact, connecting students to education so that they could become the best versions of themselves.
I am currently a middle school learning support teacher at Peters Township Middle School [in Washington County]. My favorite aspect of my job is when I can celebrate the varied successes of my students, whether that be their acing a challenging math test, learning how to ask for help, finding deeper meaning in Shakespeare, or earning Hot Cheetos as part of a behavior plan. I find that taking time to appreciate both the large and small gains creates a dynamic atmosphere where learning is exciting for students, and I look forward to being a part of that atmosphere every day.
Olivia Enders
Special Education Teacher
Peters Township Middle School
Peters Township, PA
Graduate of the Secondary Dual Certification Special Education/English Education
Master of Special Education with Academic Instruction Certificate (MOSAIC) Program at the
University of Pittsburgh. The program received an OSEP-funded grant:
84.325T: Special Education Preservice Program Improvement Grants
Matthew Kirchmann
Matthew Kirchmann
I have been asked many times the question, “Why do you teach”? There are many reasons why I teach but the most honest response is, to have the ability to improve the future of society. Children today have the ability to make the world a better place, as they become functioning citizens in society. I know that I have been given a very important role in my life and can ultimately improve the quality of life for not only the children I teach, but also for members of society.
As a Special Education teacher in a high poverty area in the South Bronx, I truly understand the struggles that families face each and every day. I am given the responsibility to alleviate some of the stresses by providing quality special education services to those in need.
I dream to see my students sore to their greatest potential and that is the true answer to the question, “why do I teach?”
Matthew Kirchmann
Special Education Teacher
PS 314—Fairmont Neighborhood School
Bronx, NY
Teachers Change Lives at:
#ThankATeacher | #WhyITeach
