Sharon Hamilton has lived in Southern Ontario all her life. She is a twin and has one younger sister. Sharon is a single mother with two daughters; one is in college and the other is a senior in high school. Sharon received her E.A. diploma at college and works as an educational assistant, as well as, a child and youth worker. She is currently working on finishing her Psychology degree at university and works part time as a worker at a women's shelter in the evenings. Her full time job is an educational assistant, in a grade five/six classroom, at a small elementary school, in a city with a population of around sixty thousand. Sharon works very closely with three students in that class. One has spina bifida and is in a wheelchair, one is a slow learner, and the third has a behavioural problem. At the beginning of the year, she was intended to solely be an aid for the student with spina bifida. He requires medical attention (medication, cathorization) as well as many alternative activities to the regular class due to the fact that he is in a wheelchair. He also has a different curriculum because he has a slow comprehension rate. This requires extra attention and time that is not feasible to be spent by the classroom teacher. However, it is still considered beneficial for him to remain part of a regular classroom. She began working with the other two special needs students because they needed a different curriculum as well. This is her first year working at this school, however, she has worked as an educational assistant at many other schools in the surrounding area. When Sharon was asked why she decided to become an E.A., she stated, "I wanted to challenge my own skills on teaching methods and techniques that would be honed to each student's needs." She says she finds working with special needs students rewarding because, "I find it very rewarding inside when I have accomplished the task of modifying the lesson or program in order for a student to comprehend what task is required of them."
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Interview With Sharon
Interview With Sharon (Continued)
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