Deidra Reed has been a special education teacher for 25 years, 22 of those years being in Irving ISD.
“I always knew that I would teach, and once in my master’s program, I knew that I wanted to work with students who have special needs,” she says. “I wanted to be an advocate for them and help bridge the gap in their learning.”
Reed is currently a special education teacher at Farine Elementary and says the classroom atmosphere has been a different, yet positive change this year. With students being either remote or in-person learners, this makes her focus groups more intimate and allows her to get a better feel for her students. Special education classroom sizes can range anywhere from two to eight students at the elementary level. 
Over the course of her 25-year career, Reed not only teaches students in the classroom, she also builds lasting relationships with them – whether it’s getting invited to their high school graduations, keeping in touch via email or cheering them on as they enter the workforce. Preparing students for middle school and beyond is one of her proudest contributions. These students grow up to be productive members of the community, and many are college or trade school graduates.
In honor of Special Education Day (celebrated annually on December 2), Irving ISD honors educators like Reed and the students she serves.
“Children with special needs bring such an amazing perspective to the classroom,” she says. “Setting the foundation early is the main goal of any special educator to help students learn necessary social, emotional, academic and functional skills in order to become independent learners and contributing citizens to the world around them.”
To learn more about Irving ISD special education services, visit IrvingISD.net/SpecialEducation.
