My name is Melissa Waldon. I have been teaching for the past five years as a special education teacher, teaching students with varying abilities and disabilities. I have recently completed my Masters of Science in Counseling and this is my first year as a School Counselor. As a special education teacher, I have been teaching students in grades kindergarten through 8^th grade. I have taught students with severe disabilities that required they be in a special self-contained class as well as students with mild disabilities requiring minimal amounts of pull out from the general education classroom. I have taught students with such disabilities as auditory impairment, visual impairment, multiple disabilities, autism, learning disabilities, emotionally disturbed, other health impairments, orthopedic impairments, speech impairments and mental retardation. I have gained extensive experience on formulating individual education plans for these students as well as developing and implementing behavior intervention plans. I have knowledge on how to provide accommodations and modifications for lessons in order to meet the varying needs of these students. It has been my pleasure over the past five years to impact the lives of my students while learning far more from them myself than I ever could have imagined. I truly believe that every child can learn and I hold the highest expectations for them that I know they can accomplish.

As a school counselor now, I am providing guidance lessons to early childhood students ages 3-5, teaching them how to be a good listener, be a good friend, how to share, how to have appropriate school behavior, positive self-esteem, and college and career awareness. I also conduct parent education classes using Love and Logic techniques as well as offer tips to teachers using the same behavioral methodology. This first year as a school counselor has taught me a lot about the dynamics of the family and its impact on student learning.

 

My experience extends outside of the classroom as I have 4 personal children of my own. I have two boys and two girls. They range in age from 8 to 16. I have the blessing of having my own child with special needs who is on the Autism spectrum. Through my personal experience, I have gained knowledge and understanding of this disability and have been the recipient of some of the best trainings in Texas both private and public. As this disorder is developmental in nature, I am constantly learning new information and am always looking for innovative ways to directly teach social skills, organizational skills, and interpersonal skills in order to enhance my child’s quality of life.

 

I have been married for 18 years to my college sweetheart and together we enjoy camping with our children, watching movies, going to church, cooking and just being together. We are both educators and ultimately our greatest mission in life is to serve others with a grateful heart.