By Crystal Hayduk
Marijane Nelson doesn’t worry about her son, Jacob, when he’s in school, thanks to teacher consultant Tara Thorburn and the staff of South Meadows Elementary School.
“Tara is on top of each child’s need, condition, and plan,” said Nelson. “She is an encourager and motivator.”
Crediting Thorburn with Jacob’s success at South, she added, “With all of his medical needs, she doesn’t let it stop the fact that he can learn.”
Thorburn is part of a team of five teacher consultants, two speech therapists, and five paraprofessionals (para-pros) who work with students who have special learning needs. Her position exists to meet the unique challenges and needs of many students as well as the district at large. As a result, “typical” is not in her job description.
Thorburn majored in special education K-12 and elementary education K-8, with a minor in psychology from Western Michigan University, where she met her husband, Loren, who teaches at Beach Middle School. She also earned a master’s degree in administration from Wayne State University.
Hired in 1997 to teach the regional cognitively impaired class (serving children from Chelsea, Manchester, Dexter, and Whitmore Lake), the only thing about Thorburn’s job that hasn’t changed over the years is her location at South Meadows.
“That class disbanded when the districts decided to keep their own children – and the funding that goes with them,” Thorburn said.
This year, Thorburn’s job keeps her primarily in her classroom, where she plans for and teaches eight students at different grade levels. Because each one has distinctive educational needs, she is an expert multitasker, moving from one student to another, teaching and evaluating as she goes.
“It’s an everyday challenge to teach the same concept seven different ways to the same student if that’s what it takes for a child to learn it,” she said. “It can be emotionally draining, because the gains they make may seem to be very small when they are evaluated on standardized tests. But they are making so many gains in how they function overall, and those things aren’t tested.”
Thorburn’s personal philosophy is illustrated with a quote by Ignacio Estrada that hangs on the wall in her classroom: “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” She said that it often feels like a “… daily dance to create lessons and activities that keep a student engaged while still trying to reinforce a particular skill.”
Although altering lessons to allow children with special cognitive needs to learn is an important aspect of her job, Thorburn described the struggle of determining where to draw the line against excessive modification. “We want them to have a realistic feel for the grade level expectations when they are participating with their peers,” she said.
Thorburn considers her work to be part of a team effort, which includes the school’s social worker, psychologist, and speech therapists, as well as para-pros, who spend a great deal of time directly with students. “I can’t say enough about my para-pros,” she said. “They are emotionally invested in the kids, and very talented. I’m always asking my support staff for input and ideas. I respect them, and they are a huge piece of how I can do my job.”
The team communicates with walkie-talkies at school to permit quick response for students who have an emotional need or medical emergency.
Thorburn said that the special education teachers are also servicing the lowest 30 percent of students, even though they may not be included in their regular caseload.
The amount of time Thorburn puts into teaching, lesson planning, weekly meetings with both the full special education team and with her small team, and communicating with parents adds up to well over 40 hours a week. But she is also on the school’s technology team, serves on the executive council for the teacher’s union, and is vice president of the Chelsea Education Foundation.
When she’s not working, Thorburn supports her husband as the coach of the middle school cross country and high school track and field teams. Together they have three children who are involved in running and music, which keeps them busy as a family.
Steve Hinz and his wife Lisa, parents of one of Thorburn’s students, summed up their gratitude for her in a written statement: “Tara Thorburn regularly goes above and beyond for our daughter, who has special academic needs and serious medical conditions, and I know that she does this for every child in her program. Her sense of humor and warmth are so appreciated by our family. She is an advocate in every sense of the word, and has helped our daughter to feel empowered and capable in a world that frequently tells her that she is not. Her frequent contacts with us outside of the school day show her incredible dedication to our children. She is one in a million and we are so fortunate to have her in our school system.”
Mrs. Thorburn is a positive and dedicated teacher. I have nothing but good things to say about her!