Our Special Education Moments

Easter Seals Greater Houston loves our wonderful Caroline School teaching team and enjoyed celebrating them during Teacher Appreciation Week. Check out their Special Education moments:

Ms. Sandra’s SpEd moment:
“The day I knew I made the right decision working in Special Education was when my student (who suffered from vision challenges, was unable to verbally communicate or use his body – and had every right to be frustrated and angry) rolled into my classroom, scanned the area, locked eyes with me and smiled. That half-smile and look in his eyes gave me all the communication I needed to know that he was happy to be with me and that my class brought him joy. I knew then that Special Education was where I wanted to be.”
Sandra Guerra joined The Caroline School in 2018 and has since brought The Caroline School students immense joy and specialized teaching every day.

Ms. Tiana’s SpEd moment:
“Stepping into the SpEd community coupled with the medical needs of our students was very scary at first, however, it did not take me long to realize this is exactly where I needed to be… I will never forget the moment I knew I could be the difference between the disability and the ability! I was working with one of the younger students (one that is chair bound, non-verbal, only has control of his eyes, and is absolutely dependent on my support). He was recently provided with an eye-gaze device for communication. I took the time to support him in his new device and he was able to start answering questions by simply using his eyes for responses!”
Tiana Hine joined The Caroline School in 2019 and has since brought The Caroline School students’ zest for communication!

Ms. Tabitha’s SpEd moment:
“I realized I wanted to work with the SpEd population when I was 19 years old. I was a college kid with a work-study job teaching at a preschool. I had never taught before but was paired with an ESL preschooler who never spoke. After many challenging afternoons, I finally asked my site coordinator why she would pair me with someone who I clearly didn’t know how to teach. She observed our interactions many times and assured me that we were the perfect fit. That she chose me to be her teacher because she knew I could reach her because of my sister with disabilities. A week later, we were sitting in Circle Time reviewing letters and my student sporadically yelled out, “T is for Tiffany!” We had been working on her name all semester and it was the first time she spoke in a group.” I changed my major the next day and never looked back.”
Tabitha Hernandez joined The Caroline School in 2016 as a teacher and program director. She has since brought TCS teachers and students, patience, and leadership every day.

Ms. Beatris’ SpEd moment:
“My most impactful SpEd moment was the first time I successfully taught a lesson to a student with a full visual impairment. At first, I was hesitant and didn’t know how to teach him, but after some training, practice, and relationship development, I could see a difference! He smiled when we worked together and started showing me that he was able to learn different materials based on touch. This amazed me and brought such joy!”
Beatris Zubieta joined The Caroline School in 2020 and has since brought The Caroline School teachers and students, smiles and support every day. 

Daryn is a speech language pathologist with a passion for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Houston. She worked with children birth to three and their families through Early Childhood Intervention for four-and-a-half years. She currently works in the Children’s Therapy Program and BridgingApps, our technology program focusing on making every day tech accessible to people with all abilities, where she conducts AAC evaluations and consults with The Caroline School, families, teachers, and therapists.

Thank you, Ms. Sandra, Ms. Tiana, Ms. Tabitha, Ms. Beatris, and Ms. Daryn, M.A., CCC-SLP– We love you! The Caroline School provides unique educational services to meet the physical, social and cognitive needs of individuals ages 0-21 with multiple disabilities, including those who have additional medical needs. Learn more about Easter Seals Greater Houston’s The Caroline School at CarolineSchool.org!