Special education teacher believes school closures will lead to more resources
Tondra Williams has spent her entire career at Dorie Miller Elementary. She has taught at the East San Antonio school for 20 years. “I love this school. My kids went to school here and my kids are 25 and 28,” Williams said.
She’s constantly on the go, teaching special education as an inclusion resource teacher. “At 12:30 I’ll go up into the combined fourth- and fifth-grade classroom and then I’ll work with them just to see what they are doing,” Williams said.
While the school feels like a second home, Williams doesn’t mind that Dorie Miller is one of the 19 schools recommended by San Antonio ISD to be closed. The district cites declining enrollment for the closure and parents are upset.
Parents were left silent at a recent meeting when it was Williams’ turn to talk. She couldn’t even stand because her feet hurt from running around all day at work.
“We have two special needs classrooms without a teacher this year. I’ve had to send two students off my campus to be serviced because of that,” Williams said at the meeting. “I didn’t even know how to do the paperwork because we always keep our kids.”
She says right now, special education resources are spread thin. Students, she noted, are falling behind. Her understaffed school has also asked her to help with dual language. This is on top of doing paperwork to evaluate Tondra Williams has spent her entire career at Dorie Miller Elementary. She has taught at the East San Antonio school for 20 years. “I love this school. My kids went to school here and my kids are 25 and 28,” Williams said.
She’s constantly on the go, teaching special education as an inclusion resource teacher. “At 12:30 I’ll go up into the combined fourth- and fifth-grade classroom and then I’ll work with them just to see what they are doing,” Williams said.
While the school feels like a second home, Williams doesn’t mind that Dorie Miller is one of the 19 schools recommended by San Antonio ISD to be closed. The district cites declining enrollment for the closure and parents are upset.
Parents were left silent at a recent meeting when it was Williams’ turn to talk. She couldn’t even stand because her feet hurt from running around all day at work.
“We have two special needs classrooms without a teacher this year. I’ve had to send two students off my campus to be serviced because of that,” Williams said at the meeting. “I didn’t even know how to do the paperwork because we always keep our kids.”
She says right now, special education resources are spread thin. Students, she noted, are falling behind. Her understaffed school has also asked her to help with dual language. This is on top of doing paperwork to evaluate students.
“With my caseload, I’ll also handle their caseload. Literally for a week, I sat here all day long doing paperwork and my kids would come and I give them assignments that they have to do independently,” she said. students.
“With my caseload, I’ll also handle their caseload. Literally for a week, I sat here all day long doing paperwork and my kids would come and I give them assignments that they have to do independently,” she said.
