An Interview with Mrs.Lofland
By: Elizabeth Hopkins
Special Needs Teacher of Years 26 Years
Mrs.Shelley Lofland has been teaching special education for 26 years! She works at Birdville High School and teachers grades 9th-12th students. She got her bachelor degree in education at North Texas State University.
Sensory Section
This is the sensory section. There are sensory toys up on the wall and a mat so they can sit and just play!
Emily's Schedule
This is one type of schedule for the kids. It is a touch schedule that you build everyday because everyday is different tasks.When she finishes one thing she puts it back in the basket.
Object Schedule
Each kid is different and some like when they see what they're doing at that moment vs seeing the whole days plans.
Mrs.Shelley Lofland is an awesome teacher!
- Mrs.Shelley teaches all High school grades from 9th-12th at Birdville High School.
- She teaches special education and teaches them living skills.
- The classroom is all purple and very bright! Very welcoming. There is a couch area they can hang out after a long day. There is a kitchen so that Mrs. Shelley can work with them and teach them how to cook things like cookies and other fun things!Also she works with them to wash dishes and to fold clothes. There is a Sensory section for all the students to work at.Every student has their own work area/table that the teacher works one on one with them.
- Right when the day starts Mrs.Shelley gets every kid into their desks.Checks schedules to see what the day brings each kid! Everything is mostly one on one but sometimes the students will work with partners.
- Mrs.Shelley works 50 plus hours a week! Being a special needs teacher is a very demanding job.
- Mrs.Shelley expresses how hard it is to find things to motivate each student.
- One of the biggest rewards with teaching special needs students is when they understand something after doing it so many times. Studies show that it takes a special needs student at least 75 times of doing the same thing over and over again before getting it and being able to do it by them selves.
- Self-motivation needed for this job is easily a ten! Some of the students aren't very motivated so she has to be motivated to keep them going.