Ronica Walker

My professional goals over the past few years have continued to grow and expand, exposing my natural capabilities and my true calling in life. My goals went from a young twenty-one-year-old, working with the adults in the Special Needs department at CCAC, to an experienced thirty-six-year-old, working for Pittsburgh Public Schools at Pioneer Education Center. Pioneer is a special needs and multiple disabilities school and I’m currently a paraprofessional. This school, the students, and my coworkers has helped me sharpened my abilities in the classroom and my passion has become sensitive to my calling.
As I work with my students every day, my teacher began to really use my assets and allow me to see the possibilities of becoming a teacher. I began making lesson plans, creating activities specific to each individual students’ academic capabilities. I started using different software like boom cards and lesson pix and my teacher began allowing me to use the smart board. I help teach the students with one-on-one instruction and I also have the opportunity to bond with my students and get to know their individual needs academically and medically. I have the experience of working with a team that includes Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech, Vision, Activities of Daily Living, many teachers and organizations and programs that work with Pittsburgh public schools. I do more than what’s expected and I’m dependable when it comes to my professionalism and the advancement of my students. I read IEP’s often and help find different ways to improve our education system in our classroom. Education is a vital source and becoming a special education teacher is the next step in my professional goal.
When it comes to special education, research is always conducted when trying to find different ways to improve education. While being in a classroom every day I try to find ways to break barriers, patterns and find new ways to teach where it is enjoyable for the students. Doing trial and error of different ideas and techniques as a team and individually, we have become successful in many avenues from verbal cues to exceptional students learning to read, when they were told they couldn’t comprehend. Continuing to do professional development classes every year as well as reading updated books and articles on special needs and multiple disabilities is incorporated when I help to find answers or solutions. Being an undergrad student at IUP also helps with my research abilities. Completing different tasks for different classes, doing research papers, and learning as I go in school and at work make my research abilities better every day. I’m striving in school as an undergraduate at IUP and hope to have the opportunity to shine because of your program as well.