Angela Wiman James, '93, an inclusion teacher at Alexander Elementary School in Jackson, teaches learning-disabled students in a general classroom setting. Last year, the Coucil for Learning Disabilities recognized her as one of the nation's ten most outstanding learning disabilities teachers.
Angela came to Union in the fall of 1989 as a communications major, but her ambitions changed when she took an education course titled "Survey of the Exceptional Child."
The course, which examines children with special needs, sparked Angela's interest in becoming an educator.
"In high school, I'd given swimming lessons to a down's syndrome child, and the course renewed my interest in children with disabilities," Angela says. "I discovered learning disabled children were no better or worse than other children, only different."
After completing a bachelor of science in elementary education with a special education minor, Angela began her career as a resource teacher in Humboldt, Tennessee. The resource classroom, which separated students with special needs from those in general education classrooms, proved an interesting challenge for a young teacher.
"Each of the children were on different academic levels, which made teaching 25 students very challenging," Angela says. "Each of them needed special attention, so sometimes it was difficult to get through."
Despite the demands of her position, Angela became an effective teacher through relationships she'd built with coworkers and her former professors at Union.
"I was given a lot of support by established teachers who helped me through those tough moments," Angela says.
The ideas and experiences she gained as a resource teacher prepared Angela for her next assignment-- as an inclusion teacher at Jackson's Alexander Elementary School. Inclusion, a special education technique gaining popularity across the country, enables learning-disabled students to remain in general classrooms while supportive services come to them.
"As a result, I bounce from classroom to classroom every day," Angela says. "I come to other teachers' classes and collaborate with them to find the most effective way to teach. They are the curriculum specialists, and I am the learning disability specialist."
"In each class, my goal is to focus on students' disabilities and make sure their individualized education plans are fulfilled," Angela says. "Each deficit area should be addressed in the classroom. The great thing about inclusion is that it takes the emphasis off special education and places it on more teachers in the classroom."
The only times students are separated from their classmates are afternoon laboratories, when Angela meets with small groups for 20-30 minutes to reinforce problem areas.
"Inclusion has created a community of learning among both students and teachers," Angela says. "Students have become eager to help their peers, and teachers are working together to meet studentsŐ needs."
"Inclusion helps children who've been told they're not as smart as others to find their strengths," Angela explains. "If you want children to learn, you have to love them; their response to me is in response to how I treat them."
If Angela's fifth graders are any indication, response is good.
"Mrs. James is funner than the other teachers," Sidney Lawrence says. "She helps us understand by letting us play games and stuff."
According to Andre Shain, another fifth grader, Angela constantly says "don't give up" and "doesn't let people put themselves down."
Angela's teaching made such an impact on her school that the Council for Learning Disabilities named her one of the nation's ten most outstanding learning disabilities teachers.
"The recognition was an honor, but I feel everything I have been able to do is because of my coworkers," Angela says. "They are extremely supportive, and I feel blessed to have Christian coworkers who feel called to do the same thing I do-- teach children.
Last October, Angela travelled to Chicago with two of her Union mentors, Terry Weaver and Ann Haltom Singleton, '74, to accept the award at the Council for Learning Disabilities 17th annual meeting.
"Besides the award, it was exciting to meet and hear speakers I've researched and studied while pursuing my master's degree," Angela says.
"Angela continues her quest for excellence in the classroom regardless of how good or bad things are going," Singleton says. "Even after being recognized as one of the nation's top special education teachers, she still calls for help in certain situations."
Although she only recently completed the third year of her teaching career, Angela feels she has already experienced many unforgettable moments as a teacher. Having recently completed a master of instructional curriculum and leadership with a special education emphasis, she looks forward to helping more disadvantaged children in the years to come.
"I don't know if any of my students will ever be doctors or lawyers, but my goal is to prepare them be happy participants in their communities and to provide them with some self-worth."
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Last updated on June 14, 1996.
