My name is Maureen Howard and I am the creator of Spoonful of Sped. Currently, I am a Special Education Department Chair at a public high school in Virginia and have been for 3 years. Before that, I was an Intellectual Disabilities teacher for 3 years and taught in a self-contained setting for high school students with significant support needs. I create resources and share ideas to support special education professionals and teachers in life skills and vocational instruction as well as home school communication and best practices in case management.
I’ve always had an interest in working with individuals with disabilities. In middle and high school, I sought out opportunities to interact with the self-contained special education classes and working with those students always brought me immense joy! I went on to study at William and Mary, earning my Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies.
Throughout college, I volunteered with the Arc of Northern VA and on my summer breaks got the best summer job EVER as a Camp Counselor through therapeutic recreation. Peep the goofy staff uniform with paint stains and all!
After college, I decided if I loved it that much, I better go all in. I applied and completed my Master’s in Special Education and landed an amazing job as an Intellectual Disabilities teacher. I didn’t know much when I started out provisionally licensed but with each day, I gained more knowledge and experience through my graduate coursework and the support of my colleagues. Over the past few years, I have taken on the leadership role at my school supporting teachers, families, and students in programming individualized education for each student in our special education department. I started Spoonful of Sped to create a space where I can share with you all the things that have worked well and the things that haven’t in an effort to hopefully help find ways to make our jobs easier in the field of Special Education!
In my free time, I tend to keep the passion for SPED going. Right now, I’m pursuing my PhD in special education and I teach an undergraduate class on Severe Disabilities. Things I like that are unrelated to SPED: watching TV (current favs include Criminal Minds, Survivor, Grey’s, This is Us, Law and Order: SVU, Handmaid’s Tale), ordering takeout (I’m a bad cook!), shopping at Target and Homegoods, and spending time with my pup Rico Suave.
I’m dying to know more about you. What are your passions? What is one topic related to SPED you wish you had someone to chat with about? DM me on Instagram, email me at [email protected] or comment below!
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