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I work at Bellcate School in Essex Junction Vermont, an approved special education school that exists to serve ������Դ��s on IEP (Individualized Education Plan for ������Դ��s with disabilities) and 504 Plan (developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment), for a wide variety of disability categories.

Bellcate utilizes a three-stage therapeutic model to support exploration, understanding, and positive action. My role is to teach religion to ������Դ��s with a wide array of cognitive and social abilities, with an emphasis placed on empathy.

For lower functioning ������Դ��s, I teach a basic, geographically driven, world religions curriculum that focuses on the great big world, filled with a multitude of cultures and belief systems. The goal is to drive feelings of empathy for the “other.”

For higher functioning ������Դ��s, I teach a more existential curriculum that focuses on one faith-based emotion at a time (faith, love, suffering, etc.), highlighting the words and rituals of religious individuals. With these ������Դ��s, the emphasis is placed on how religion encourages feelings, in order to promote emotional empathy.

My responsibilities also include driving ������Դ��s to and from school and after school care. As a result, I am able to see the ������Դ�� as a whole person and bring that knowledge into the classroom.