Professional Development

Sanchita Banerjee - The Walker School
Sanchita Banerjee works at The Walker School, a non-profit agency serving as a residential and day treatment center for children with emotional, behavioral, and learning disabilities. She is currently the lead teacher in charge of designing, teaching, and evaluating curriculum for ten students whose academic functioning ranges from grades 1 – 5 who present extremely complex profiles of needs. Many of her students have been treated unsuccessfully in school and home settings and have had multiple psychiatric hospitalizations. Students often act out in ways that are violent and antisocial, and frequently require physical restraint to prevent injury to themselves and others.

Ms. Banerjee employs a variety of effective techniques in her classroom, including standardized assessment for placement and curricular purposes and implementation of behavior modification and social skills programs. She also utilizes ongoing formal and informal assessments that allow her to create detailed portfolios to show student progress that may not be evident in quantitative data alone.

Ms. Banerjee obtained her Bachelor's degree from the University of Delhi in Indi and received her Master's degree from Boston University, where she was awarded a full merit scholarship.

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Kimberly Fisher - Glenbrook, IL
Kimberly Fisher works at Glenbrook North High School in Glenbrook, IL, teaching a self-contained classroom of eight students. Her students range in age from 14 – 21 and have mild to severe disabilities. She employs a variety of innovative techniques to teach her students life skills within a Community-based Curriculum.

One of the programs developed by Ms. Fisher is her Peer Mentoring program, where non-disabled students sign up to mentor students in her classroom. This program allows students with disabilities a chance to interact with non-disabled peers and have their friends help them with their work instead of a teacher. It also allows the non-disabled peers insight into the lives of people with disabilities.

Ms. Fisher received her Bachelor of Science in Special Education in 1986 from Illinois State University. She has received numerous awards for her exceptional abilities as a teacher of children with disabilities, including "Women of Achievement Award in Education" from the YMCA and Glenbrook North's Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award.

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Julia Roxanne Grider - Sheperdsville, KY
Julia Roxanne Grider currently teaches at Bullitt Central High School in Sheperdsville, KY. Students in her classroom range in age from 15 – 19 and have mild mental disabilities, autism, or emotional/behavior disorders. Her classroom instruction focuses on basic academic skills, daily living tasks, job training, and other skills that contribute to her students' independence. In addition, her students are involved in Community Based Instruction to prepare them for upcoming real world experiences.

Ms. Grider received a Bachelor's Degree from Centre College in Danville, KY and a Master's Degree in Special Education from the University of Louisville. She currently serves on the board of Career Visions, a post-secondary transition service for people with disabilities and is a coach for the Special Olympics.

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Patricia Hardison - West Hartford, CT
Patricia Hardison is currently a preschool teacher at the Early Learning Center in West Hartford, CT. Located at Whiting Lane Elementary School, the program serves children ages 3 – 5, with and without special education needs. Ms. Hardison's class consists of seven children with autism who require an intensive educational program utilizing Applied Behavior Analysis. Ms. Hardison was instrumental in the development of this highly effective model, which has received support for continuation at the elementary level.

Ms. Hardison received her Bachelor's Degree from St. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT, and her Master's in Special Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

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Patrick Kelly- Newton, KS
Patrick Kelly has been a teacher at Eby Learning Center in Newton, KS since 1997. Eby Learning Center is located on the campus of Youthville, a residential facility for children deemed "in need of care" by the state of Kansas. The students Mr. Kelly serves have been in home situations or have exhibited behaviors that require residential placement. Mr. Kelly is responsible for implementation of the social skills program and teaches a variety of subjects, including Language Arts, Computer Basics, Speech, and Remedial Math.

One innovative approach that Mr. Kelly has implemented in his classroom is the use of film editing technology that allows students to make short documentaries on specific areas of study. His focus on guidance and supervision, rather than overt direction is one of the many ways Mr. Kelly helps teach students cooperation and problem solving for "real world" experiences.

Patrick Kelly attended the University of Nebraska – Omaha, where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education and his Masters Degree in Mild-Moderate Disabilities. He is also certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in the area of Early Childhood through Young Adulthood/Exceptional Needs.

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Cherie Love - Las Cruces, NM
Cherie Love currently works at Valley View Elementary School in Las Cruces, NM, where she teaches students in the 4th and 5th grade who have communication disorders, learning disabilities or emotional/behavior disorders. Instruction in her self-contained classroom is student centered, hands-on, practical, and is enhanced by a collaborative team approach and ongoing assessment.

Ms. Love attended New Mexico State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Special Education. She was the recipient of the 2000 and 2001 Phi Delta Kappa/Edgar M. Kugler Excellence in Education Awards, and was a finalist for the New Mexico Teacher of the Year in 2002.

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Heidi Ricker - St. Augustine, Florida
Heidi Ricker has worked for the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, Florida since 1995. She currently teaches in a kindergarten classroom that serves students who are deaf or hearing impaired. Because of the language delays experienced by her students, Ms. Ricker gives specific attention to language development and acquisition activities in her classroom. She is known throughout her school for employing innovative teaching techniques that are child-centered, developmentally appropriate, and that actively engage each student at his or her own level and pace.

Ms. Ricker received a B.A. in Elementary Education from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL in 1994. She received her Masters in Early Childhood Deaf Education from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC in 2000. In 2001, she was selected as Teacher of the Year by her colleagues at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind for consistently demonstrating a superior ability to foster excellence in education.

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Janice Stetzel - Indianapolis, IN
Janice Stetzel is currently employed by Fishback Creek Public Academy in Indianapolis, IN. She works with children grades 3 – 5 who have a variety of special needs, including autism, mild to moderate handicaps, and learning and emotional disabilities. Much of the work in her classroom focuses on providing meaningful instruction that her students can apply in their everyday lives. She uses several effective methods to track student progress, including a program call ICAN (Individualized Curriculum and Assessment Notebook) developed by staff at Fishback Academy that allows staff to teach students in the most effective way and be able to report individual progress for Indiana State Standards.

Ms. Stetzel received a B.S. in Education from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, IN and her Masters degree in Special Education from Indiana University in Bloomington. She was selected Teacher of the Year for Washington Township in 1993 and received certification as a Professional Recognized Special Educator from the Council for Exceptional Children in 1997. In addition, she received the Shirley Luhn Steele "Excellence in Education" award from the Indiana Branch of the International Dyslexia Association in 1999.

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Dr. Wanda Waldrop - Pontotoc, MS
Dr. Wanda Waldrop currently works at Pontotoc High School in Pontotoc, MS. She teaches Learning Strategies classes to special education students with learning disabilities who are pursuing regular diplomas. She collaborates closely with each student's general education teacher to help students learn the skills they need in order to be successful, both in the classroom environment and in "real world" experiences after graduation. In addition, she serves as Chairman of Pontotoc High School's special education department.

Dr. Waldrop received her Bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University, her Masters degree in Special Education and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi. She received certification as a Professionally Recognized Special Educator from the Council for Exceptional Children in 2000 and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Exceptional Needs (K-12).