HomeMy WebLinkAboutPOUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT, COOPER HOME, 217 E. SWALLOW RD. - SPAR - SPA120003 - MEDIA - CORRESPONDENCEi�9fi001S
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HELPING STUDENTS TRANSITION
a
Gayna Jobe,
teacher
at Cooper
Home
Learning
for Living.
COURTESY
PHOTO
Relationships vital
to teacher's success
Q: What are your top five
school supplies and why?
A: Our school is set up in a
house so our supplies are a
bit different from most
schools. We need our plan-
ners to plan each day. We use
the city bus, so a bus pass is a
must. We also use the usual
amount of markers, paper
and copier paper. My own
personal favorite school
supply is markers because I
love all the cool colors
Sharpie pens come in now.
Q: Why did you become a
teacher?
A: I felt like I can make a
difference in the lives of stu-
dents.
Q: What is the best part of
yourjob?
A: I get to be in the com-
munity of Fort Collins and
work on real -life skills to
help students achieve inde-
pendence in their lives. The
Fort Collins community is so
supportive of students re-
gardless of their level of
ability. I really love that we
live in an inclusive city. I
have the privilege of helping
students learn how to access
this great city where we live.
We ride the city bus; we
work out at the Northside At-
zlan Recreation Center; we
volunteer at various sites
throughout the city; and
some of the students have
paid positions with in the
community. The district also
is very supportive of the pro-
grams for 18 to 21-year-old
students. I feel like I have
the paraprofessional sup-
port to make the program
successful. A college profes-
sor once told me that the
most important people in a
school building are the sec-
retary, the custodial staff
and the paraprofessionals.
He told me to make sure you
become friends with them. I
took that advice to heart and
QEA
GAYNA F. JOBE
School: Cooper Home Learning
4 Living
Grade Level:ld-to 21-year-olds
with disabilitiesfrransition
Teaching area: Transition
Experience Level: 20 years
Age: 51
realize how true it was. If I
didn't have the support of
my staff, the program would
not be successful. In my par-
ticular case, it does take a
village because we are in the
community to help each stu-
dent become as successful
as they can be.
Q: The worst?
A: The paperwork. I real-
ize it is necessary for ac-
countability and to show stu,
dent progress and growth,
but it definitely is not the
"fun" part of my job.
Q: What's your teaching
strategy?
A: The best advice a prin-
cipal gave me was to develop
relationships with your stu-
dents and show them you
care, otherwise they won't
care about what you have to
teach. I also believe that
each student can achieve,
and I have high expectations
for each of them, regardless
of their disabilities.
Q: What are some of the
biggest challenges facing
A: Teachers are faced
with the challenge of educat-
ing students where the
world and technology
change so fast that knowl-
edge is easy to access, but
the love of learning is harder
to instill.