Arianna Pownall is a self-contained special education teacher in Capon Bridge, WV. She first started as a substitute teacher in this classroom before enrolling in iteach.
“There is real learning going on in my classroom,” she says. “There are real educational interests being made.”
Arianna has some unique challenges in her classroom. She teaches English Language Arts, Math, Science, and History to a small group of 6th through 8th grade students. These students have behavioral challenges, and Arianna’s class is the last chance for them to be successful before there is no longer a Least Restrictive Environment for them at the school.
And she’s clearly making a big difference. “My students are moving out of my room for [mainstream] classes, have stopped getting suspended, and are raising their test scores.”
Her favorite thing about being a teacher is getting students excited about learning and when they have success at something they didn’t think they could do. She sees kids with frequent absences who don’t want to miss a science experiment or some reward they’ve earned. Reluctant readers keep reading because they just have to know what happens next.
“That’s when I know I’m making a difference,” she says.
You definitely are, Arianna. We’re so glad we have you in the classroom helping this population of students.
