Jared Drew
Q: How did you decide that this was the right job for you?
A: I moved away from my hometown; I used to live in Iowa for 20 years. I worked at a Buffalo Wild Wings for three years there. My mom works at Blue Valley North, she’s a transition specialist, and she told me that they were hiring. I took a job at the Extended School Year summer program. I did that two summers ago. Southwest asked me if I’d want to come out and work at the new school and I realized I didn’t want to wait tables for the whole year, and I figured I’d come out here and see what it’s like, and I love it. I signed on for another year after that, and I’m thinking about it again for next year. It’s fun and rewarding and pretty adventurous with some of these kids.
Q: What does a typical day on the job look like for you?
A: It just depends – we go from art class to P.E. class to just working with the kids one-on-one and guiding them throughout the day. I have seven or eight different kids throughout the day, so there’s different personalities, different disabilities and different outcomes.
Q: Do you find that you form connections with the kids?
A: Yes, I do. You do get attached to them. You get attached to every little thing about them. If it’s Ben’s quirky remarks or Ryan looking for praise every once in a while, they make your day just fly by. The first few weeks, I’d say that 3:15 has never come as fast as it does when I’m working with these kids. It’s enjoyable for me; I love it.
Q: Who do you specifically work with?
A: I work with kids with Down Syndrome and Autism. Our spectrum lies in the FOCUS room.
Q: What is your favorite part about being here with these kids?
A: I would say art class with Mrs. Stelter. She’s an amazing teacher and she does this class called an Exceptional Art Class, so we have all of the lift kids in there and she brings art to them. And just to see their faces when they’re working on art is enjoyable.
Robin Wheatley
Q: When did you decide that this was the right job for you?
A: Well, I started in 2001 in Bettendorf, Iowa. I was a substitute at first and then a full time position became available, so I thought I’d try it and I absolutely love it. It’s like a calling to work with these kids. I feel very blessed. I love my job. I come to school every day with a smile on my face because I know it’s going to be a different day every day and I am making a difference, there’s no doubt about that.
Q: What does a typical day on the job look like for you?
A: Starting from the time we get them off the bus in the morning, we do more one-on-one with our kids – teaching them eye to hand movements, we have a speech pathologist that comes in and works with them and we work on physical therapy. On our higher functioning kids, which are usually our autistic kids, we work on vocational training for job skills after they get out of school.
Q: Who do you specifically work with?
A: I work with the SMD, which are the Severe Multiple Disordered. They have different disorders in our room – everywhere from low to high functioning.
Q: What is your favorite part about your job?
A: Absolutely the fact that I know I’m making a difference. I think these kids deserve every chance that the general ed kids have and I think we’re making them more independent and ready for life once they graduate. It’s good to teach them independence skills so that they can do more on their own.
Q: Have you made a strong connection with these kids?
A: I have. They almost become one of your own, because you get so close with them working with them eight hours a day.
Q: Do you like the facilities and environment here at Southwest?
A: Yes, I specifically love the peer tutoring program they have started. Students get to be shown what our kids do every day. They work one-on-one with our kids and they can teach them things that we can’t at their level, while our kids get to spend time with their peers.
