Melissa Sommer

I am a California middle school special education teacher, who has worked in inclusive and co-taught classrooms as well as in highly restrictive classrooms for students with significant emotional and behavioral disabilities. I have a Masters in Instructional Media from Discovery Education and Wilkes University, a Bachelors in Special Education from Cleveland State University, and an Associates degree from John Tyler Community College as a Physical Therapy Assistant. From my teaching and educational experience, I have learned that technology is a useful tool for helping students gain access to the curriculum both for learning and for productivity. In previous public school teaching experience I had the opportunity to serve on the district’s Teacher Technology Leadership Team and was able to participate in many exciting professional development opportunities. These opportunities strengthened my skills and I was encouraged to help my teaching partners integrate technology into the curriculum. In my most recent teaching position, the students were at different grade levels and entered and exited the program at different times during the school year. I planned individual and small group curricula for math, ELA, science, and social studies.

When I am not being a teacher, I am being a mom and a wife. I have 3 children and 1 husband☺ My oldest son has Down Syndrome and autism. He is 28 years old and attends a day program that allows him to work and participate in recreational activities with other adults who have developmental disabilities. My second oldest son is 27 and is in his 2nd year as a junior hockey coach with a team in Seattle. My daughter is 22, and is the education apprentice at Studio Theater in Washington DC. My husband is a professional hockey coach, and so we both get most of the summer off. This allows us to escape to western Montana for some fishing, kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, and just family fun for 2 months each summer.