“Change is the Growth – Leslie Knutti-Butler”

My name is Leslie Knutti-Butler, and I am a Doctoral Candidate at Grand Canyon University. My research has to do with general education elementary teachers and their interactions with special needs students. It is imperative that educators have the knowledge and ability to teach all students in their classrooms. Remember that one size does not fit all. I have taught special needs students for 25 plus years, both in the Public and Private sectors. Most of this time was spent in Middle school, but the last four years were in Elementary.

My philosophy of teaching is twofold teaching and learning. As an educator, we are responsible for forwarding our knowledge to our students. This is accomplished through the ability that we have concerning our students. Knowing their different modes of learning and the means they use to achieve this knowledge opens the doors to success between educator and learner. Children are like sponges and will soak up all the knowledge presented, especially if the educator taps into their ability to absorb the information. Learners must desire success and be willing to work tirelessly to achieve their goals. Having an educator with these objectives combined with students who desire success is a win-win for both educator and learner. The recipe for success is the relationship and collaboration between educator and learner.

The ability to know the students in your classroom, how they learn, their skills, and what they need to achieve success is the basis for a working relationship between both. Every student learns differently, and it is the responsibility of all educators to acquire the knowledge to achieve success between themselves and their learners.

People talk about how technology and the world changes on a daily basis. They never mention that education is constantly changing. As educators, we must keep up with the times. We must be aware of the constant changes and be prepared to move into the next decade with the knowledge and tools to give all students a proper education. This will not be an easy mission. Taking on this new challenge will not be an easy one. General educators, in general, are not properly equipped to teach special needs students. Unfortunately, they lack the proper education through no fault of their own. They are not required to take an abundance of classes concerning these special students. My goal is to help them bridge the gap between general educators and special needs students. Secondly, I want all educators to have the ability to be able to give the students in their classroom a proper education.

Educating students properly from the beginning empowers them to be successful in life. You start by building a strong foundation, add different floors, and finally reach the top level of your education. Using this method allows the students to add to their knowledge on a continual basis. This is a true recipe for success. Setting goals and having a plan is important in a student’s education. It is important that they understand from the beginning that there might be road bumps along the way. This does not mean failure. We learn from our mistakes and failures and move on. Being successful in a student’s life has a dual purpose. They move upward on the ladder of success and share their knowledge with others. They become the educators. This not only increases their knowledge but builds their self-esteem.

Only a few challenges or limitations made my educational journey a little difficult. At the beginning of my teaching career, I had to take all of my education courses in a limited amount of time. This was due to the fact that I came in the back door of my teaching and had not taken the classes needed., I was a psychology major, and I was working as an instructional aide. The position came up, and I applied and received the position. I received a temporary certificate and was on a tight timeline to complete these courses and become fully certified. I took on the challenge and was successful. That was the beginning of my 25-plus years of teaching. This set up my goals and philosophies of teaching. Never give up and accept every challenge.

I went on to teach for the public system for over eleven years. I worked with all different kinds of special needs students. I found joy in their success. Every day was a new adventure, the years passed, and more students became wiser and filled with knowledge and accomplishments that were gained through my dedication to educating all students. Students came to class with a desire to learn to acquire all the knowledge available to them. What a spectacular gift this was to me as an educator. Being able to collaborate with these brilliant young minds on a daily basis. This is what education is about; it does not always come from books.

I have accomplished many milestones along my educational journey. I went on the earn two master’s degrees—one in special education and one in general education. I have taken many workshops and classes to gain knowledge about all the different types of students in a classroom. I have studied different individuals to acquire knowledge of how students learn, both special needs and regular. My greatest recognition is being able to walk into a classroom, assess the students, and through differentiated strategies, teach to the students. Recognition is not about awards and commendations; it is the Aha look on a student’s face when they understand the concept you are teaching.

One of my greatest accomplishments was to teach my special needs fifth graders the fifty states and their locations on a map. This was done through miming. The states were divided into sections on the map. Their first job was to be able to name the states in a particular section of the map. The section step was to be able to put the names in the proper section on the map. Before writing in the States, the students would mime their location using their hands. I would demonstrate to the students that we would do it together, and finally, they mimed independently. This was quite a site for visitors to the classroom. The final step was actually writing the names in the proper places on the map. This process continued until all fifty states were in the proper order. (Students were given a sheet of paper with state names on them). As an educator, this was one of my greatest accomplishments. The joy on their faces of achieving such a great accomplishment was worth all the tea in China.

I feel the impact of my success goes far beyond the classroom but also into the community. Students leave my classroom with the knowledge, skills, and tools to be successful not only in their education but also in their lives. They will go into the world and share this knowledge with others. Some may even become educators and use my techniques to teach a new generation of learners. Their success gives them self-esteem, which will help make them better individuals and leaders in the community. The second impact would be on the general elementary educators in our community as well as our country. These educators must be given the opportunity to teach to the whole child. They, too, must be given the knowledge, skills, and tools to be successful in their classroom. They must have the knowledge to differentiate each student’s lessons so that they can achieve their goals. My ultimate goal is to enable each of these educators to achieve these goals.

Over the years, I have learned many things. You can never have enough education or knowledge. These are gifts to be shared. I have learned not to expect respect from my students but to earn this. Every child is able to learn; as an educator, you need to find the correct approach for each student in your classroom. The more tools in your toolbox, the more success you and your students will learn. Patience is one of the most important things: Remember, Rome was not built in a day.