Pratt teacher earns state honor

A Pratt teacher has received an award from a professional organization, but it is her students who win.

Kim Garrett was recently named Professional Educator of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children, a process that began with a nomination by her peers. She is a resource teacher at USD 382, employed by South Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative for more than 30 years.

In addition to classroom teaching, she has developed and initiated new curriculum, served as a facilitator for professional development, worked on district committees and written grants to enhance education — all of which “exemplify the bigger picture of what it means to be an educator,” she said.

Her students are identified by their weaknesses, but she encourages them to focus on their strengths. She starts by asking four questions:

Who am I, as a person and as a learner?

Where do I want to go, both personally and in terms of a career or job?

How am I going to get there?

What kind of help will I need?

Increasingly, technology is the answer to the fourth question. The goal is that the individual will be as independent as possible, both while in school and afterwards, relying on themselves and not Mrs. Garrett to supply all the answers. Computer software converts text to speech for people with reading difficulties. Voice-activated keyboards improve written communications for those who have severe spelling problems. Both are fairly new in terms of being accessible and affordable for public schools, Garrett said. They are loaded onto the school-provided laptops for students who need them, providing a “seamless accommodation” that is socially acceptable.

At a conference she recently attended, Garrett saw demonstrations of devices that make life easier for people with moderate disabilities — as well as for older people living on their own. Videos can be uploaded to an iPod to remind workers to do certain tasks. People can be electronically reminded to take their medication, helped to navigate within the community on public transportation, or alerted that the stove is on when they’re leaving the house.

“That’s good for baby boomers as they get older,” Garrett said with a smile. “It’s exciting to see how technology can empower people to live more independent and productive lives.”

Most of Garrett’s students are in general education classes for much of the day and come to her room for study skills during one block. Her job is not to monitor a study hall or help with homework, she emphasized. Her area of specialty is not English or history, but the “learning process and where things fall apart in that process.”

More than other teachers, her focus is on developing a relationship with the individual and challenging him or her to become self-directed.

“One of the worst things we can do is set the bar too low,” she said. “It lets students minimize their abilities.”

Very few of them drop out of school, although her real rewards may come some time after they graduate.

“Seeing the growth and development of the individual takes time, and doesn’t always go in a straight line,” Garrett said. “When you see those kids five or six years down the road and they’re making their own way, that’s rewarding.”

Much progress has been made on including individuals with disabilities within the school and the community and there are many programs for their benefit. There is still work to be done, however.

“Organizations provide a lot of support,” Garrett said. “The next step is welcoming all individuals to be a true part of their communities and members of those organizations.”