Nancy Templeton believes there is a huge need for more highly qualified teachers that can instruct students with special needs.
Templeton, a single mom who raised three children with disabilities, including one with cerebral palsy, has seen firsthand the need for teachers who can create a positive, rigorous learning atmosphere for students with exceptionalities.
麻豆精品 S淎 lot of teachers aren 麻豆精品 S檛 prepared to deal with special needs children, so having more specialized teachers in the field is invaluable for these kids. 麻豆精品 S� Templeton said.
But she isn 麻豆精品 S檛 sitting on the sidelines and complaining about the problem; she 麻豆精品 S檚 working to be a part of the solution.
Templeton, who spent most of her life working in sales, was just a few years into her second career as an educator when she discovered the University of Central Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 graduate certificate in autism spectrum disorders, a program that is part of the College of Education and Human Performance.
The program, which ranks 16th in the nation in special education graduate programs, recently received a five-year renewal of its $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is used to fund the tuition of students who are seeking to gain special education credentials geared at instructing those with autism.
Professor Eleazer Vasquez, the program 麻豆精品 S檚 director, said the grant is highly competitive and helps remove the cost burden for teachers-in-training.
麻豆精品 S淭his is one of a select few programs in the country that has actually been rewarded this particular DoE grant, so we 麻豆精品 S檝e been fortunate to be successful with this particular research program, 麻豆精品 S� Vasquez said. 麻豆精品 S淲e fund students throughout their entire certification program, and the grant allows students to get half of their entire graduate degree paid for. 麻豆精品 S�
Many of the program 麻豆精品 S檚 courses are available online, allowing students like Templeton, who lives in Cocoa, to earn most of the certificate on her own time and without a commute.
The students also have access to outside-the-classroom learning through field experiences in which they visit local schools to observe and volunteer in special needs classrooms.
Templeton will complete her certificate in May and return to teaching full-time with a better capability of helping students with special needs, and she encourages other teachers to pursue the sort of training and education she 麻豆精品 S檚 receiving.
麻豆精品 S淯nfortunately, there are not enough highly qualified special education teachers, 麻豆精品 S� she said. 麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 what makes this program so important. It encourages teachers to get the special education training that they need to help the students that often fall through the cracks. 麻豆精品 S�
To learn more about UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 autism spectrum disorders program, contact Vasquez at eleazar.vasquez@ucf.edu.