A little bit about me...
(Image source 1) "When I looked back at all the people who made a difference in my life, I found that so many of my mentors were teachers."
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Who am I?
My name is Andy Dunning. I am a writer-turned-educator who spent 20+ years in journalism and communications. I live and grew up in the south/southwest suburbs and received my undergraduate degree from St. Xavier University. I enjoyed the various positions I've had over the years, but I felt a need to do something more meaningful. When I looked back at all the people who made a difference in my life, I found that so many of my mentors were teachers. Thus, I decided that the best way for me to give back was to 'pass it forward' in the classroom.
What do I do?
I'm working toward my Master of Special Education degree and only have two classes (including this one) left! In addition to my studies, I am working as a special education paraprofessional at Lockport Township High School (LTHS) in the far southwest suburbs. I am currently assigned to the district's alternative academy, working with emotionally disturbed/behaviorally disordered teens. It can be a real challenge.
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Getting inspired Teaching is a profession that I considered in high school. In fact, I enrolled as an English major when I started college, figuring I would teach. During the first semester, however, one of my professors encourage his students to write for the student newspaper. I took his advice and walked into the newspaper office for my first assignment: I had the honor of interviewing Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize. She had come to the university for a poetry reading and audience discussion.
Before long, I found myself switching my major to journalism. After graduation, I took a position as editor of The Beverly Review, a weekly newspaper covering Chicago's historic Beverly neighborhood. For most of my career, I have worked as a freelance writer, reporting for newspapers, photographing community events, and writing for websites.
More recently, I desired a career change, one that felt like I was making a contribution to my community. Around the same time, my nephew was making the transition from middle school to high school. He struggled with this transition, and I offered him as much support as I could. This was the most satisfying experience I had in years. I knew that I had to switch to teaching.
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With my nephew at graduation (Image source 4) |
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I joined my former colleagues from the Alternative Licensure program's 2019 cohort as they celebrated their graduation in May. Find me in the back row, on the right. (Image source 5) |
My journey moves forward With only two graduate classes left, and two undergraduate prerequisites) I plan to student teach in the fall 2022. After that I will look for a special education position that will allow me to use what I have learned -- at Dominican and in my previous career -- to help students with disabilities find their place in the classroom. I am particularly interested in working with teens who have emotional disturbances/behavioral disorders.
I am looking forward to this class. Although I am handy with online communication tools, I need to build up a library of education-related resources. And learn how to successfully integrate them into the classroom. As a special education teacher, I am especially interested in technology that helps people interact with and communicate to the classroom.
Hi Andy,
ReplyDeleteYour journalism background is so interesting! It is amazing that you got to interview Gwendolyn Brooks. I currently work with students with behavioral disorders. It's tough work, but I really enjoy making a difference. I've learned a lot working at a therapeutic school. There are so many other ways to help students change their behaviors than the negative consequences we often see given in schools. I've really enjoyed learning new interventions that truly help students work towards their goals. I think that you will really like teaching special education. Congrats on almost finishing your program! I'm looking forward to reading more.
-Kate
Hi Andy,
ReplyDeleteGreat work! Your blog looks very professional. Do you have prior experience with blogs?
I also have experience working in alternative placement programs. I worked 5 years at North Cook Young Adult Academy in Palatine, this was a Regional Safe school Program after this program became defunct, I worked at Joseph Academy for 7 years. Joseph Academy is a school for special education students with severe behavioral and learning disabilities. I truly love working with at risk youth and teaching them not only the academic skills they will need for life but coping and social skills they need to be a successful adult. I now teach LDI math at Morton East High School in Cicero, this is my 5th year. It's unfortunate I had to leave Joseph Academy however I had to think about my family as the private sector doesn't provide as much financial security as working at a large public high school.
Hi Andy! I want to say how much I really appreciated your transparency with this post. I'm sure starting with the Alt. Licensing program was great but recognizing that you were needing to take a step back to fulfill the requirements before it went over your head is so great. I know sometimes as people we get so caught up in checking the boxes in our internal timeline (I'm guilty of it) that taking a step back can be hard. I have had quite a few classes with you and never knew anything about your professional background, it was really great reading it and actually getting to know you a little more. - Jillian
ReplyDeleteHi Andy-
ReplyDeleteI too am a para and I get exactly where you are coming from when it comes to being overwhelmed so kudos to you for recognizing it and taking care of yourself first by switching your program.
I am also hoping to student teach in the fall of 2022-time is flying and it will be here before we know it. You have such a plethora of info in your blog and it really lets us get an insight into who you are-love it!
Hi Andy! I love how open and honest you are. It takes courage to admit that the alternative licensure program was just not the right fit for you. It was great that you could take a step back, evaluate your choice, and move forward. I am happy you found a more fitting opportunity for yourself. My husband recently decided he wants to change careers and start his journey to become a teacher. He comes from a family of teachers and has always regretted not being one. I have been helping him research different programs. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic journey, Andy. I can see why you were successful in journalism- your post is engaging and multimodal. Thank you for taking an interest in helping students that struggle. I taught a very difficult population of students for 21 years. It was both highly rewarding and traumatic at the same time. I'm sure you can relate. I'm excited to help you round out the last of your courses and look forward to learning with you.
ReplyDelete