SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Ruth Powell is the Interrelated Teacher at South Hutch Elementary and she loves her kids.
"We don't have the handicapped children or the kids that are very medically needy, those are in a different school," Powell said. "We have the kids that, some of them just need a boost, some of them will have special ed all their school year, but they are not so low that they can't be in the classroom most of the day."
Powell is relatively late in her working years, but still fairly fresh in her teaching career.
"I am very odd," Powell said. "I'll be 62 this month. I always wanted to be a special ed teacher, just didn't do it, life took a different turn, I had kids. I decided I was really going to go back and do it, so I did. This is my seventh year of teaching."
Teachers who work with Individualized Education Program requirements have all sorts of documentation and paperwork. A lot of teachers have trouble with that part of the job.
"It's a legal document," Powell said. "Sometimes, it's kind of unnerving to make sure you've got it all right and they get their services like they should, but I love it. I like the underdog. I want to help them be better."
Powell has a special place in her heart for kids with Autism, as well.
"I think most of them are really pretty smart," Powell said. "It's just getting it out of them that's hard. A lot of people just don't understand that and they think, well, they are just being brats. They're not. That's how their world is."
Keeping routine and helping them emotionally regulate is one of the parts of Powell's job that she sees as positive. She makes her room a safe place for her kids to leave the classroom, come down, get back to calm and move on with their day.
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