At Lucy Garrett Beckham High School in Mount Pleasant, one teacher is going above and beyond to ensure her special education students not only succeed academically but also master crucial life skills that will benefit them in the real world.
Caroline Spach: Bringing Harmony to Special Education
Caroline Spach, a special education teacher who works with low-incidence students, starts her classes with a unique approach—harmony and song. She believes that incorporating music into the daily routine helps her students in many ways. “We really try to incorporate music into our day,” Spach says, emphasizing how it supports her students’ learning.
Spach teaches students who need extra support and instruction, and she focuses on teaching them essential life skills. “I’m really big into teaching life skills, the functional ones, like typical laundry, knowing how to use a recipe, ordering things from a menu,” Spach explains. She sees these life skills as life-changing for her students, and helping them prepare for life outside the classroom is one of her primary goals.
Preparing Students for the Real World
For Spach, it’s not just about learning tasks—it’s about changing lives. She explains, “Even the smallest thing for us might be such a big deal for them. So that they master something like tying their shoes or being able to count or anything like that is just so incredible to watch them grow and progress throughout the school year.”
Her students gain practical experience through community tasks, where they perform jobs like pulling down chairs and wiping down menus. These tasks, while simple, build confidence and pride in the students as they complete their work and take pride in their achievements.
Request for Classroom Supplies
To help her students further develop essential job skills, Spach is seeking supplies for the upcoming school year. The supplies she needs include personal hygiene items like toothbrushes and hairbrushes, as well as cardboard boxes for students to practice packaging, sorting mail, and addressing envelopes. By using these supplies, Spach can create a controlled environment where students can practice the job skills they’ll need in the future.
“We have some students that already hold a job at Publix, and so some of them will get jobs also when they graduate. They’re going to be excited knowing that these items and these resources will help them get to that point,” Spach says.
Supporting the Classroom Champions Initiative
To help fund Spach’s classroom needs, the Live 5 Classroom Champions program allows community members to donate directly to her project. The program works with Donors Choose, which collects the funds, purchases the requested items, and delivers them directly to the teacher, ensuring donations are used properly and are tax-deductible.
For those interested in supporting Spach’s efforts or other teachers looking to make a difference, donations can be made through Donors Choose.
Get Involved
If you’re a teacher who would like to be featured as a Classroom Champion or want to learn more about how you can help, email [email protected].
