When you are a senior in high school or even a junior, you always get asked the same question: “What are you planning to do after high school”. What we do after high school is not necessarily what we will do for the rest of our lives. Special Education teacher Lynn Butkus and Para Educator Shannon Maxwell shared their previous job experiences before finding the right fit.

Special Education Teacher Lynn Butkus told me about two jobs she had before becoming a special education teacher. She worked in a group home for women. She was in charge of managing a house with six mentally challenged women. She also worked in the juvenile system, learning about the law and working with kids. Mrs. Butkus said she would find bullets on the floor, and she even got hurt by one of the kids.

Mrs, Butkus said she didn’t really know what she wanted to do. She ended up going to Middlesex Community College, majoring in human services. By doing this, she ended up getting to do student teaching every year. When she did student teaching, she went into a special education class, and then she knew she wanted to be a Special education teacher.

Mrs, Butkus had decided to become a Special Education Teacher, when she was younger, she had always known that she wanted to be a teacher. She knew she wanted to do something to help people, but she didn’t want to just be a regular teacher. She wanted to help people who were struggling. She loves figuring out puzzles, and she feels she can use her puzzle solving skills with all the different students she has.

Some skills from her past jobs that have helped her with her current job are lesson planning. When working in a behavioral school, she had to do behavior management, which is lesson planning and breaking down tasks to be able to manage parts and try to modify lessons to help students learn how they learn best.

Before becoming a Para Educator. Para Ed Shannon Maxwell said she was working in a group home with mentally disabled adults. She said she got her teaching certificate while starting a family at the same time, but she realized she wanted to be at home with her kids. While being a para, she was still able to be home and teach because the hours are less than a regular teacher.

Mrs. Maxwell said she prefers to be a special education teacher because she feels she can help and support her students better. Mrs. Maxwell uses the patience she learned when working with adults from her previous to her current position. She also understands what the students are going through. Mrs. Maxwell explained that as a special education teacher, she will be able to help students more. Her personality allows her to bond with the children she works with, and being a teacher will allow her to get closer with the students. Overall, she wants to further her degree because, for her, it’s all about helping the kids.