42yrs

male

Speaks English

I am a younger sibling of an older special needs brother (presently 39 years old) and have been working at the elementary and middle school level in the special education department for the West Orange Board of Education as a 1-on-1 Instructional Aide Assistant for the past 7 years. My whole life I have dealt with the challenges a family faces with caring for a special needs child/adult, in the comforts of home and outside the comfort zone, along with working in a school setting. My passion, desire and drive to care for special needs individuals comes from my own personal experiences I've had with my special needs brother and the students I have and currently care for. In my eyes their challenges are not draw backs in life, but gifts that must be noticed in all and channeled through various mediums, such as, the arts, sports, and entertainment. I enjoy working with such loving and challenging individuals, because of how fulfilling it is to help and watch them grow into, not only better human beings, but also independent people who can face the challenges of life on their own. I have played soccer at the college level and currently coach full-time at the youth and high school level for both boys/girls. I am also an independent artist who writes, paints and does photography. As both an athlete and an artist my talents and interests are very wide and vast. I enjoy soccer and all sports, the arts, music and movies and will be able to use my interests and talents in an educational and entertaining manner. 2008-present Full-Time Instructional Aide Assistant, for the West Orange Board of Education at Redwood Elementary School (2008-2009) Thomas A. Edison Central Six Middle School (2009-2014) Roosevelt Middle School (2014-present) instructing and assisting individual spec. ed. students, with various disorders such as ADD, ADHD, auditory processing disorder, Asperger's syndrome, autism, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, behavioral problems and low self-esteem, along with assisting the teacher and students within the classroom with daily assignments and activities.