Patricia Barnes

Why I teach

Like many teachers, I became interested in teaching because I like to work with children. I have been told that I am amazingly patient with the students I work with. I want to help them unlock the mystery of how they learn best. I like the word mystery because I am a special education teacher and the students I work with often do not learn as a conventional student does. I would like to think that some of these students could become a great contributor to our society maybe an Edison who was deemed uneducable in the public school setting. I believe in these students when many times they have forgotten how to believe in themselves.

I have found that I enjoy the challenge of finding out about differing abilities, brain research, and techniques for teaching differently. I found out in high school that I loved to work with special needs children and was a special education teaching assistant for a semester. I also worked as a paraprofessional in a Resource Room and general education classroom. I have worked with children that have a wide variety of disabilities or alternate abilities. I try to create a highly sensory-enriched environment to reach multiple intelligences, using visual displays, scents, alternate seating and techniques that help these students to learn. I love my job and the challenges it provides me.

I have a Bachelor of Arts from Boise State University and I am certified to teach K-8 general education. I also have a Generalist Special Education Endorsement which allows me to teach Special Education K-12. I have over thirty years of experience in classrooms as a parent volunteer, paraprofessional and special education teacher. I recently got a Master's in Education with an emphasis on special education leadership from Northcentral University.

I am a mother of three grown children and grandmother of seven; six are boys and one girl.  I live with 3 of my grandchildren all boys age 8, 10, and 17. They help me to stay current with the trends; Dragon Ball Z, Ninjago, X-men, You tube trends, etc.