As a first-grader, Lauren Puglia lined up stuffed animals in front of a toy easel in a pretend classroom in her basement. Today, the multiple-disabilities teacher is living her childhood fantasy of teaching, while pursuing a master’s degree in education at UMW. A wooden easel with a white dry erase board sits at the front of Puglia’s Mountain View High School classroom in Stafford County, Va. Colorful pictures, ABCs, and crafts adorn the room where she works with four teenagers. She is equipped to teach students with a variety of disabilities - autism, Angelman syndrome, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and more. “My goal is for my students to be as independent as possible when they leave Mountain View,” Puglia said. “I want to give them the social skills that they need to be productive members of society and make them feel like they are part of a community.” When Puglia took the teaching position two years ago, she started the Buddy Club to match students from the … [Read more...]