Episode 6: Special Education and Support Services

In this episode, we'll discuss how teaching special education not only shapes  professional lives but also influences personal perspectives and values. We’ll explore the joys of connecting with students, the lessons learned from overcoming obstacles, and the meaningful relationships built along the way.

Transcript

Meaghan Paramore (00:02.222)
you

Meaghan Paramore (00:15.886)
Welcome to It Means More, the stories behind Dothan City Schools, where we explore the extraordinary dedication and innovation happening in our classrooms and communities every day. I'm Megan Perimore, Digital Media Specialist for Dothan City Schools, and I'm joined today with my guest co-host, Alisha Hales, the Director of Exceptional Student Services. And today, we're diving into how Dothan City Schools provides specialized support to meet the diverse needs of all students. Joining us today are two incredible educators

who bring unique perspectives to the conversation. Together, they'll discuss how teaching special education has not only shaped their professional lives, but also influenced their personal perspectives and values. We'll explore the joys of connecting with students, the lessons learned from overcoming obstacles, and the meaningful relationships built along the way.

First, we have Barbie Nelson, a retired special education teacher with 43 years of experience in Dothan City Schools. She has dedicated her life to advocating for students with diverse needs and has seen firsthand the profound impact that tailored education can have. Our second guest is Anna Buller, who is in her early years of teaching special education. She brings fresh insights and enthusiasm to the field, sharing her journey and the challenges and rewards she's encountered as she embarks on this important career.

We're so excited to have you both. This is an episode that is so dear to my heart and I'm excited for y'all's insight to the amazing world of special education. Absolutely, Megan. Thank you. So ladies, if you would, please tell us, what inspired each of you to pursue a career in special education? Were there specific experiences that influenced your decision? Anna, we'll start with you. Thanks. When I first stepped into the classroom, your primary

primarily role is to observe students or to assist before you start getting into your internships. So when I first started helping students, it's typically the students that need more help, which are usually the special education students. So that's when I really gravitated towards those students and had an interest in them. But then when I got into college and I took my first special education class, I started learning about all of the disproportionalities in special education.

Meaghan Paramore (02:33.408)
and also how often students in special education don't always get served the way that they should. And that really just like struck a chord with me. So since from then on, I actually decided to go into special education. So I'm special education and general education and of course ended up in special education. But I think really my main thing is just being able to

Being able to help students who aren't usually helped. I learned how common it is for students in special education to not be served the way that they should be. So that really upset me. So one thing that I wanted to do in special education is to go in and not completely change how things are done, but I wanted to be one teacher that actually gives the students what they deserve. Because there's a lot of teachers out there that maybe don't have the patience anymore, or maybe need to leave the classroom.

So I just wanted to be one teacher that actually gives the students what they deserve. That is awesome. Love that passion and compassion, Megan. Yeah. Okay, Barbie, I know we've talked about this before in all of our many talks. Thank you, Anna. It was nice to hear you say all of that and I'm in full agreement with you. My journey started when I was just a second grader, about seven years old. And I remember being in the hallway and there was a class.

room across from us that had lined up in the hallway. And at seven, I don't know if you notice if it's like that they're different, but I just noticed, you know, that maybe something was a little bit different, but this little boy just kept waving at me and I waved at him. thought he was cute and I just knew he's going to be my boyfriend that year. anyway, I asked the teacher, I said, well, when did they go out to recess to play? And she replied softly, they don't go out to recess. And I said, well, where's his

Where's their classroom? Because maybe I can go visit. I would like to be friends with them. their classroom is in the basement. And probably as a second grader, I didn't know how impactful that would be to me at that time. But I remember as I grew that I wanted to be one of those people that would bring special education out of the basement and into the forefront, where we wouldn't have children just stuck in a classroom down the hallway where nobody visits. But we would have cheerleaders. We would have athletes. We would have kids who excel.

Meaghan Paramore (04:54.158)
at their abilities rather than their disabilities. Well, that just makes me want to cry. I know I love that answer. Well, I have a few more questions for you. So get excited about this. What are some of the biggest challenges you face or you have faced in the classroom and how do you navigate them? Anna? Yes. So I think one of the biggest challenges is all of our students learned behaviors and they kind of learn to maybe try a task and if it's too hard to give up.

or they learned that when they can't open their pack of gummies, they just give it to you and scream at you. So it's working past that and teaching them to ask for help and teaching them that they can do things. Because with our students, there's a lot of learned helplessness too. A lot of people, whether they interact with kids with special needs on a daily basis or not, they think that our kids can't do anything. So then we kind of give into that and there's...

these students aren't always made to do anything. So that's a battle that I'm constantly facing every single day is not only showing everyone else at the school and the parents that the students can do things, but also showing the students that they can do things. And then once you have a relationship built with them, you can just give them a look and be like, mm-mm, you're not getting away with that. I know you are full.

I think showing other students that these students can do things, you know, that they have special abilities, not just focus on their disabilities. Miss Barbie? Well, one of the biggest challenges that I faced when I was teaching was there for several years I would have 12 students, 8 students, and then all of a sudden I moved to Northfield and I had 23 students.

And that was a rather large classroom size for the types of disabilities that I was serving. And I also had to learn at that time that there were children with behavior problems that were now coming into the classroom. it wasn't always that, everybody's so sweet and so kind and so willing to learn. And so those are some of the biggest challenges. And thus then became the IEPs, the 23 IEPs you had to write.

Meaghan Paramore (07:02.2)
teaching all the standards when you didn't agree with the standards and sometimes teaching things that you didn't agree with, but that was a challenge for me and I liked a challenge. So I just learned to deal with it because I went to school every day saying, I hope this is going to be a perfect day. And I mean, I knew it wouldn't always be a perfect day, but most days were pretty darn perfect for me. That is awesome.

Anna, you said something about it earlier about parents playing a role in their students. What role do parents play in special education that you've both seen and you both, know, okay, yeah, that's an involved parent or wow, we can do a little bit better, you know? Like what, what role did they play in their, in their students lives in special education? So, legally we all know that parents are part of the special education team.

And sometimes parents don't know that. They think that it's them against the school. So I really try really hard to communicate all the time with my parents and create a relationship with them and show them that, one, you have to show them that you believe in their student and that you believe that they can do things. Because I'm not a parent yet, but I think that parents hearing that someone loves their child and is always going to put their needs first, that's really important to them. And then also showing the parents that you're on their side. Sometimes it's kind of

weird to have 30 and 40 year old parents ask me in my early 20s like what to do with their child, but just telling them that I'm there for them when they need anything or when they don't understand all these special education terms that we throw them. So just getting them involved in the IEP process, but also working on things with their kids because with our kids in special education, the learning isn't just in the classroom.

it's at the grocery store and it's in the bathroom and it's playing with their siblings. So I think creating a kind of community with them helps their child be more successful. And I couldn't have said that any better than you just did, but one of the things that I did with my parents, as soon as I found out that I had their student in my classroom, I gave them a call or I did a home visit and, you know, just wanted to let them know that they were going to be a big part.

Meaghan Paramore (09:12.502)
important part of this learning process. I think also sometimes getting into their brains and thinking on the level that they're thinking because some of them may not even understand what's going on whereas the other parent may demand everything and can be rather emphatic about it. But I always try to let my parents know.

that first and foremost that their child was going to be the most important part of my life and that I wanted to include them in that as well. if they ever needed me, I had an open door policy. You you can call me on my phone. If there's anything I can help you with, I will. And I remember there was this one incident where I had a homeless student. When I realized she was homeless, I didn't know it at first. You know, that I didn't have food. Well, right away, you know, we put it out in the school.

that this family needed food and they didn't need canned food because they didn't have anything they could cook canned food on. They didn't have a can opener. And so I think that just sometimes when you reach out beyond the educational classroom and just say, I either feel what you're feeling or let me help you out. They trust you and trust is an important relationship you have with parents. Well, Barbie, you mentioned relationship building and just reaching out to the community.

In what ways do you advocate for your students within the school and community? Well, I think this is probably my favorite question of the day. I've always been a big believer and a big advocate for my students from day one, from the time I taught the little ones for 19 years, and then when I was moved to the high school to teach the remaining course until retirement. And I just wanted to let the kids know that I believed in them.

I'd go to things they had at their church. If one of them was getting baptized, I went to the baptism. And I just tried to let them know how important they were and that we were going to focus on some new things. We were going to go on some new journeys. And I know when I went to Northview for the first time, Special Olympics was not a big part of the program there. So that was going to be one of my big ways to advocate was for Special Olympics and saying, hey, y'all, we've got all kind of teams out there that you can be.

Meaghan Paramore (11:27.624)
member of them, I if you're good at basketball, let's get on the Special Olympic basketball team. And in doing that, it gave the community a chance to see how great they were. And plus I also was very often calling the newspaper and TV station and say, hey come look what we're doing here with our kids. Look what they're doing, you know, in the world today. And we had the opportunity, we started a volleyball team.

and that volleyball team just kind of started from the ground up and we ended up getting picked to go to the World Games which were in Greece that year. And so we practiced all year and we got out there and if you can only imagine a crowd of 300,000 people and everybody watching and this is the last day and they're starting to do the awards and you're standing there with all the teams from all over the world. mean Japan, Greece, China, you know.

countries that we hear that we're having war with every day, we were all there on the field together as one person. And when they started announcing the awards and they said, now the best volleyball team in the world goes to, and we were all, you know, just standing there listening. We knew that we had had a pretty good play, but we didn't know where we stood. And they said it goes to Team USA from Dothan, Alabama.

And we were in Greece, you know, and I tell you what, we stood before that crowd and as you saw the American flag raise and we're so proud. These were special education students, y'all. had told them at some point in their life, they wouldn't be important, that they couldn't do just to accept that. But here they were standing on a field with people all over the world and they were told that they were the gold medal winners that year. And y'all, when we come back into Dothan, well, we were...

Driving back home, we'd flown and gone on boat and everything. And when we got to Ozark, the kids were still kind of sleeping, but they were starting to wake up. And all of a sudden the blue light comes behind us. I said, Ms. Griggs, I said, we have gone all over the world and we have got to be stopped by a policeman. What were you doing wrong? And she said, well, I don't know, but I'll pull over. So she pulled over and then at the next corner came another policeman. And y'all, by the time we got to Dutton, Alabama, there were 25 police cars.

Meaghan Paramore (13:44.13)
fire trucks, motorcycles. You would have thought the president was coming. Nobody knew what was going on. And there you were. You were dealing with somebody that you believed in. You gave them that opportunity. And that's how the community knows, let's focus on the good. Let's focus what these kids can do and let's give them that opportunity. And so, like I said, that was probably one of my biggest things is I love to advocate for my students. I want everybody to know that if you want to be a cheerleader,

and you weigh 300 pounds, you can be a cheerleader. If you want to be a basketball player, if you want to be whatever you want to be, we're going to provide that opportunity and we're so blessed here in Dothan to have the therapeutic program that we do have. You mentioned about bringing the awareness to the community. How important do you feel that that is to bring awareness to the community regarding special needs? Well, I think, like I said, it focuses on the abilities and

All of a sudden somebody that will see a special ed child maybe at the mall or at the grocery store and they might have bad thoughts or something. All of a sudden you're reading about somebody who's gone off to a World Games and all of a sudden they're the best in the world. And you're hearing these things that they're doing to show their care and to show how much we love them and providing them with that opportunity to be the best that they can be, excel at their talents.

I think that's just the best way to let the community know and to let them know upcoming opportunities are ready for your child. When your child reaches that age, you know, this is here for you. You don't just have to sit back and not be involved because you may not fit the puzzle exactly right. Exactly. I love that you said excel at their talents because everybody has talents and it may just be unique and difficult to find, but everyone has them. I'm actually getting a point to say you, Lisa. Okay.

I know you are the director of Exceptional Student Services, but what made you want to take on this role as the director of Exceptional Student Services? Were you a teacher at first, or what's your story? Actually, I was a general education teacher first, and I worked with students with special needs, and that includes even our gifted students, just regular education classes, and I often strived...

Meaghan Paramore (16:06.476)
to differentiate for each of them and where they all felt like they had a part in the class. And that was always something that concerned me is that they knew that they could stand out in something and they could stand out in my class regardless. And from there, I decided I wanted to be a psychometrist. And not many people know what that is, but it's still, it's that nerd that likes to do the testing. So like I would,

give IQ tests and achievement tests and a test on behavior. I felt like that was an area of advocacy for identifying the students that might need those different types of strategies that teachers could use. From there, I went on to be a school psychologist and then into the administrative role within the special education office. think one of the stars in the sky for me that

just made me want to do this in administration is I felt like I could affect the most change and I could advocate for students, parents and teachers. And I have so much joy and love for Dothan City Schools and just the, just the, the, I'm stumbling all over the place, just the attention that they do give our students with special needs. I have never been to another school system that, that offered

the advocacy for students the way that Dothan City Schools does. And so it truly does mean more to be here. Well, that is great. I love that story. I've never actually asked you that, so that was great. I'm very varied in my skills. look at you. All right. Anna, let me ask you this. Can you share a memorable success story from your time in special education? I think this might be a roundtable question, because I've got one I know I've got and Barbie's got some. This is hard.

Since my husband's in the military and we moved schools, this is my third year teaching and also my third school, which is crazy, but it's actually been really nice because I've been able to be in so many different roles, even within special education. So my first year and a half teaching was in a resource classroom. My first year was like a typical resource classroom. And then my second year teaching, I got lots and lots of behaviors and kind of...

Meaghan Paramore (18:25.486)
turned into the behavior specialist that did all the walkie talkie calls and barely got to see any of my kids on my schedule because I was always dealing with behaviors. And then now I'm in a high needs resource room with kids with severe autism that stay with me almost every day. Although I've pushed out a lot of them already since I've been here. So I've been able to do so many different things. When I was in resource, I would say my most memorable and I know I've

spoken to you about the student before she came in her kindergarten year in September. We didn't know, we were not prepared for her. We did not know she was coming to our school because the district I was in, there were two different elementary schools that had the same abbreviation. So the school with the other abbreviation was preparing for her. And then our school, she was actually coming to us, but we didn't know she was coming to us. So it was like a surprise. And she was in, this happened a lot, her

Pre-K year, it was like a 50-50 classroom, 50 % gen ed, 50 % sped, and she was sped, and then she comes in this gen ed classroom, you know, just wrecking havoc. The very first day, she was verbal, but the very first day, she really was not speaking to us. We thought she was nonverbal. She was screaming and crying. We had no idea what was so, what was wrong with her, why she was so upset. She was also very, very loud and had a deep voice. So, you know, she's...

screaming and everyone in the school can hear her and we're just standing in front of her like what in the world do we do with her? We don't know how to help her. And then fast forward tons and tons of tears and victories and non victories later I left her when she was in first grade and we decreased her minutes and she wasn't even seeing me for academics anymore. The only goal she had was to complete a task without

getting upset and she was communicating more. Everyone in the school knew her and loved her. She wasn't screaming anymore at all, would not have any crying fits. She was using all of her strategies that we teach and we hope actually stick. So I think the most memorable is just thinking about the day she came in and the day I left her and just thinking two completely different people. So I think that's one student that I'll always remember until I retire.

Meaghan Paramore (20:48.174)
And then now in the high needs resource room, I've only been here since August. So it's been nine weeks plus a couple of weeks, which has felt like forever. But I would say, you know, we've talked a lot about inclusion and how important that is for our students, because even when you first started teaching Barbie and, you know, it was known as the basement, we're in 2024 and we may not have a basement, but

We still sometimes have that classroom and everyone knows that classroom. And so since I've come in, this classroom was the autism unit the past few years and now it's the high needs resource room and some of the same kids are in it. It still kind of looks the same, but since I've been in there, I have pushed out one, two, three, four out of 10 kids. Some of them go out by themselves. Some of them go out with a helper. Some of them go out the majority of the day, but

I just think that that's such a huge win for their parents, for the classroom, and also for the school to see these students that were locked up in a classroom come out and be like, I can be friends with these kids. Here I am, dancing to the music in music class, and they're also doing the same thing. They can do the same thing I'm doing. Anna, how do you feel that that has impacted those students by going out into more classes with their typical peers? I think it gives them a confidence boost, one.

It also increases their socialization. Like some of these students have never are in fifth grade and they've never been pushed out in classroom before, which is crazy. So one of the fifth graders, like he's able to have fifth grade friends now and be with kids that are his size and not little babies that are in kindergarten. Okay. I'm going to cry because that to me, that is really, the major goal.

is to let them know how they do fit in the puzzle. Yes, and if you start at young when they're in kindergarten and first grade pushing them out wherever possible, then they don't think that they're any different. They don't think that they're in a unit or in a special education classroom. They think they're just a typical student because they're with their typical students. So I think if you bring them up that way, then they won't know any different.

Meaghan Paramore (23:07.734)
Anna, that's an amazing success story. And really that all falls back on what you've done for your students and what you've given them and what you've believed in them. And you set the goal and I'm proud of you for saying that. You know, when you leave after being in a system for 43 years, you want to leave a legacy and you want to know that there are teachers who care. And like you said earlier, Alicia, think Dothan City Schools is so blessed to have the special education teachers that they do because

They're in it because they love it and they're in it because they're passionate. They're not in it just, you know, to have the summer off. They're not in it for the paperwork, are they Barbie? No, they're not. But that says a lot for you and thank you for doing that. And it makes me feel a little bit better about, you know, being gone from something that I was so passionate about. Well, Barbie, what's, what's your memorable success story? There's so many, know, when you've been there 43 years, you can write a book. Probably.

Like I said, it kind of goes back to the community question where you're being an advocate for them in the community. And I can just remember I always wanted, my mother taught me to be a giver all my life and our family, know, what little we had we were always sharing. And I wanted to do that with my students. I wanted them to be givers and to realize.

you know how kind they can be and how they, even though somebody probably told them earlier, you'll never make a difference, but how they could make a difference. And I can remember after the Oklahoma bombing, I was at Grandview Elementary and we raised over $2,000 in pennies to send to them. And we have artwork that hangs in the museum now where that happened and it's there forever. then...

Dear 9-11, we sent 2,000 beanie babies to New York to the firefighters, the paramedics, and the people there that just needed that. And then we got into the rocket venture and sent rocks all over the world, and Alicia will know about that because they kept calling us, you know, send more rocks, we're going out of the country, we're doing this. you know, that just teaches kindness. And we heard that from people from the Oklahoma bombing. Matter of fact, the firefighter that carried the little baby out.

Meaghan Paramore (25:21.868)
that the mother had lost that baby. They eventually came to Dothan and they came to my classroom and they met the students who from a little town in Alabama, you know, had meant something to them. I don't know, it's just amazing what you can do with the little things. And I was a big advocate like that, I think probably even more so sometimes than, know teaching was very important to me because I wanted them to be the best they can be, but probably

Well, there's a couple of success stories. I remember being at Grandview and it was my first year teaching and I was in a trailer, but they had just painted it and everything, you know, was kind of new and pretty. And I remember I had worked all year with this little girl on teaching her to write her name and it was simple. It was just N-E-S-H-A. I thought that was simple. And so one day and back in the day when we could have nap time, during nap time, she came and pulled on my pants leg and she said, I did it.

And I said, well, what did you do? And she came and showed me on that freshly painted wall where she had wrote E-E-F-H-A. So I just took a bookcase and slid it over. You know, after we let it shine for a little while, I took the bookcase and just moved it over in case anybody came in. And the other was a little bit more on a serious note. This was a young man that he had already graduated. He was out in the community, didn't have anything to do. And he had heard about our Special Olympics program and he was paralyzed on one side.

And he didn't drive or anything, but you know, he was, he was a young adult. And I remember one day he had, he said he had heard so much about Special Olympics. So he got on his bicycle and rode over, not to where we are now, but to where we used to be several years ago. And he said, I just want to be a part of that, that Special Olympics thing. And he said, I've always been told, he said, I love basketball and I love volleyball.

I always wanted to play in high school, but nobody would give me the opportunity because he said, look at me and I'm paralyzed arm, paralyzed leg. And he was on that volleyball team that stood on that field in front of the 300,000 people in Greece that won. And he said, thank you, because without you, I would not have had that opportunity. So, you know, those are everyday moments when you're in special education. They really are.

Meaghan Paramore (27:42.412)
You have something to go home and talk about. It's a funny story or it's a sweet story and you learn to laugh together. You learn to cry together. You even learn to pray together. And I think just every day going to school, I had a story to tell. That's really great. Well, speaking of stories to tell, I know this isn't on our paper, but I'm having these funny stories to tell when you go home. I have to tell you all funny thing that happened today.

One of my sweet boys came up to me and was giving me a hug and like big old, this is like, he's only in first grade, but he's a chunk. He's a cute little chunk. he came up to me and gave me a hug and I was like, Oh my gosh, you never hugged me. You're being so sweet. And then he reached his hand into my pocket to get out the pig that I took away from him. I was like, I saw you. Give me a hug.

Meaghan Paramore (28:37.358)
My first year was last year as a special education para, but I've been interested in special education. I changed my major in college to what I'm doing now for Dothan City, which I still always have the special education mindset. I mean, going to see Barbie some days, the Doug Tude Center. I worked one-on-one with a student and, you know, special needs. There's mental special needs and then there's physical special needs. The kid that I worked with, he was physical special needs, a genius.

So funny, so smart. He had a little power chair, but he was a senior in high school. And I kid you not, y'all, that kid was so funny. He would give it back to me. mean, and he, ooh, I remember one day we were sitting there and he loved Spider-Man, loved Mario. And I remember sitting there in class with him and we would always sit at the front and he turns his head he's, Miss Megan. I was like, what? He said, I am tired of this class. Can I please go watch Spider-Man? And I was like, yeah.

We just came into the class, what do you mean? And he's like, I'm bored. I was like, we've been here for 10 minutes. What do you mean you're bored? And he's like, I guess we'll stay in here for another five. I said, oh, really? We'll stay in here for another five, are you sure? And he's like, well, I guess it's until you tell me we're going. And I was like, yep, we're gonna wait till the bell. And he just sat there and I guarantee you he fell asleep because he pinned his head down. He's like snoring. I was like, can you wake up? And he's like, I'm awake. I was listening, what do you mean? Absolutely great. Do you have any memorable stories?

I have plenty memorable ones. I even have one that I was thinking about with Ms. Barbie earlier, but it's not made for the radio. Because we are talking, we are talking about, you know, kids that they many times are adolescents and they are trying to fit in with their peers and everything. And I am sure that Ms. Barbie can probably pick up on.

the situation I'm talking about. So I'm not going to talk about that one, but I will share one today that just, you know, just having an interaction with a student and it looks like he had been sent to the resource teacher who was in the library having a meeting with me. And I was catching some of the things that he was doing out of the corner of my eye and I was listening to her and just casually watching him.

Meaghan Paramore (31:01.418)
and he was taking books out of the bin and stacking them on the table and then just pushing one off at a time. You could tell he was mad. He was upset about something that had happened maybe in class. Anyway, I went over there afterwards when I was about to leave and I said, okay, I'm gonna need you to pick those up. And he said, mm-mm. And I said, I'll wait for you, man. Just pick them up. And so then I think that just...

threw him off a little bit so then he picked him up and I said, I'm gonna go ahead and put them into the bin the way that they were and of course he threw it into the bin and I said, well I don't really like it that when you do that because it tears up the binder. So just you know place them in there easily. So then he did. I could tell that he was thinking you're an enigma lady. I don't know why you know you're even talking to me right now but I said, so do you want to talk about anything? And he said, no.

but I like you. And I thought, okay, well, there you go. I'll see you later, buddy. And I think just taking the time to, you know, even just a few seconds of a relationship to let the kids know that you care. And when that goes for any child, you know, any person, just any human being, you know, treating them with compassion and, you know, hey, you having a hard day.

And I think sometimes, you know, we forget that relationships are the first way to start making a difference in a child's life. For sure, for sure. I love all the stories. They're so much fun. They really are. It's great. We will have to turn this off and have those stories. We and Anna were talking about one that happened. It was so funny. You get into this field and I mean, I haven't been in as long as y'all have. I mean, and even as long as you have, I mean, I'm a digital media specialist, not a...

special education pair which I would love to be in your class. mean, just for a day, just to see if I can get my little buddy back, you know. But I mean it's great the conversations we're having. A lot of people, feel like when like Barbie said earlier, when people think of special needs children, they kind of...

Meaghan Paramore (33:12.942)
It almost has like a negativity to it, but when you work with them, it's so positive. And I mean, yeah, you have your ups and your downs. You have your bad days. It's a typical day for anybody. Yeah. You have your battles that you face, but then like Anna said, there's days that are great and you rejoice with the students. know, when they, when they learn, Oh, I can write my name on the wall. just wrote my name. Look, you know, you find that that's why you're in this field. That's why you do this.

had a question on here for Barbie, because you've been in it for so long, 43 years, what career advice would you give Anna, since she's fresh and starting out, what career advice? Well first of all, I would like to thank her for the advice she's given me, even today. I really appreciate all that she does, and I can tell she's compassionate about it. But I think the first thing, when you go into special education, you're going into it because you're passionate about it, you love it, you care about it.

And you go into it knowing that you're going to have challenges. But that's true for anybody. But you're going to handle those challenges with love. And let your students know you have their back first. Be their biggest advocate. Be their biggest fighter. And sometimes when they're in the deepest of trouble, that's when you need to be their advocate the most and talk about the things that they can do. And so for you, I would just continue being who you are.

Continue blessing those lives because you may not realize it now, but you're making a difference not only in the lives of your students, but you're making a difference in the community because you care about what you're doing. You're giving kids an opportunity to be successful and to be success stories. And that's what we want. know, every child deserves to feel important. Every child deserves to feel loved. And so I thank you for that. And just be who you are. And I'm really glad I got to meet you.

I feel like it's been a blessing. know, God called us all to this profession for a reason, and it's because we love and we care. And I think that's one of the ways, like Alicia said earlier, that Dothan City is so blessed, is because we have teachers that are in special education because they care and they love their students and they're their biggest advocates and they're pushing students out of the classroom. They're pushing students.

Meaghan Paramore (35:32.14)
to excel no matter what level that they're on. They're pushing them to excel and giving them the opportunity just to feel great about coming to school that you know every day they want to get up and they want to come to school simply because they have a teacher like you. Thank you. Well I think you both have made a difference in my life today.

I do want to maybe define what push out means so that no one is thinking that we're talking about that they're pushing them out of their classroom because they dislike them or anything like that. it's more of an inclusive quality where you're helping them to join their general education peers in their regular classroom and the regular environment so that they're not separated or isolated. So.

We, it's like Anna said earlier, we get used to using these terms or these acronyms in special ed and often we need to stop and take a moment and help people really understand what we're trying to say. As we wrap up today's episode, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible guests, Barbie Nelson and Anna Buller. Your dedication to special education and just the impact that you've made on countless students' lives is truly inspiring.

I've been inspired today alone. I'm to cry over here. It's an emotional episode. So good though. So many good stories. Thank you both for sharing your experiences and your insights and your passions with us today. Your stories remind us of the profound difference that compassionate educators can make in the lives of their students. And thank you for the opportunity for us to get to share our experiences and for, you know, new teachers coming in or for parents that are new to the program or

or say a little baby that was born this morning that might've been, the family might've been told, your child's probably gonna be a little bit different, but in the long run, it's gonna be okay because the city schools is gonna take care of your child. We're thankful to have had you on our podcast, and we look forward to hearing more about your journeys in the future. Miss Barbie, I know that you are making memories every day, even after your retirement. That is so inspiring in itself, and I...

Meaghan Paramore (37:49.642)
I hang on to that for encouragement at times. I hope that you know that you're such a blessing as well. Thank you both for everything that you do. Anna, you know, I'm tickled plum silly to have you here at Dump and Zin schools. Thank you. And thank you, Barbie, because I feel like after meeting you, I think I could teach for 40 more years now after speaking with you. could. And then I would like to say that, you know, I thought, you know, that everything was going to be great when I retired.

and I remember that that was the darkest period of my life. I remember thinking so low during the time, you know, because all of a sudden I thought, you know, I'm not making a difference. I don't have those students in my life anymore and I'm not being able to help them. And I remember just, I don't know, it was a dark, dark period. So retirement is not all that's made up to be, but I'm so proud that we have a therapeutic program like we do here in Dothan.

who showcases the talents of our kids and gives them an opportunity, especially like when they graduate and they don't have anything to do, that they have a center that they can come to. we're very blessed. We've just added a pottery room. We opened a Christmas store last year for the first time because someone said, well, let's have a store. And so Angie asked me if I would come up with a name for it. And just right away, the term, the Misfits.

Christmas store came to mind because I thought about in Rudolph where all the broken toys were thrown on the side of the mountain because they weren't perfect. And so we named our store the Misfits store because not every ornament you're going to buy is going to be perfect, but it's going to be made with profound love. You ever want to go see the Misfits store? mean, it's going to be open. If you ever just want to go see Barbie, go to Doug too. I mean, she'll tell you stories. She'll sit down with you for two It's on my calendar already.

Well, today we've seen how Dothan City Schools isn't just about education. It's about nurturing, inspiring, and preparing each student for a bright future. Every teacher, every staff member, every partnership, and every student adds to the rich tapestry that makes our schools a place where it truly means more. To the community, we invite you to get involved, whether it's by supporting our schools, sharing your own stories, or simply spreading the word about the incredible work that's happening here.

Meaghan Paramore (40:11.95)
Join us on our mission to make education more meaningful for every student. Next time on It Means More, we'll be exploring how Dothan City Schools ensures the safety and security of students and staff by creating a secure learning environment. Until then, remember that at Dothan City Schools, it always means more. It always means more. It always means more.