Students who need a special teacher get an amazing one instead

Holding a spoon. Sitting in a group of peers without hitting. Finally reading a word. These are simple things, most of us would agree, and as a high school teacher, I ashamedly confess I don’t often think much about these simple things. I’ve never had a student who was unable to feed himself, or control his behavior, or read a word. Granted, I’ve seen my fair share of poor choices and lagging academics in my students, but my experiences have caused me to take for granted many of the minimal skills some teacher at some point along the way has already taught my kids to do. I have assuredly reaped the benefit of their efforts and been spoiled by the fruits of their labor.

But not all teachers are lucky enough to enjoy the in-depth conversations about Thoreau or read the beautiful, poetic musings of a young mind. In fact, there is an often overlooked special collection of teachers who never even hear their students speak a word. They are a chosen, ordained few of our most prized teachers who may willingly spend an entire school year focused on those simple things for one reason: their heart longs to see every child learn and grow.

These teachers are the unsung heroes of the education profession, teaching the skills we so often take for granted to be both natural and easily perfected. Heroes like Debra Overby, who has dedicated her life to the service of the children who most need a special woman like her, a woman who has such a heart.

From a sixth grade class in Honduras to a language institute in Costa Rica to a classroom of Moderately Intellectually Disabled primary students at Davis Elementary, Mrs. Overby holds fast to the Golden Rule of education: every student can reach their greatest potential if they are loved and given an appropriate education.

For Mrs. Overby’s students, the learning targets might not be sight words or addition problems, but saying their names or drinking from a glass. Whatever the variant levels of learning may be in her classroom, Mrs. Overby meets her students where they are and takes them to where she knows they can be, and effectively doing so requires a mastery of what all kids need from their teachers. Love and Appropriateness. Love to compensate for the mishaps and the mistakes and appropriateness for spotting what each individual child needs and meeting those needs.

And teetering her expectations between what her students currently can do and what she knows they potentially can do requires a keen awareness that is nothing short of impressive. It means she knows each student’s deficiencies and abilities so well that she can morph her teaching on a case by case basis. Whoa! I can’t say I’ve stood before every student I’ve ever taught with such focused awareness. I’ve skirted by with a broad knowledge of my students, but never have I done what Mrs. Overby makes look so easy. She operates seamlessly with the notion that a student’s progress is relative to his or her individual need; therefore, failing to teach to that need would be a grave injustice.

More importantly, Mrs. Overby believes in what I call the One Day, Some Day philosophy. The idea that one day, some day the education of all of our students will be complete. But until that day, it is a teacher’s sole responsibility to promote the progression towards that completion for as long as the student is in her charge. What a massive, but thrilling responsibility.

I have a renewed sense of awe for the many teachers like Mrs. Overby who pave the way for so many of our children to live functioning, productive lives, and I pray I can have half the love and awareness she possesses.

Sheryl Green is a secondary educator in Columbus, Georgia and can be reached at sherylkgreen14@yahoo.com.