About Me

Hello!

My Background

My name is Maria Parks. I am a special education teacher in the great state of Wisconsin. I went to UW-Whitewater (Go Warhawks!!) and graduated in 2018 with my BSE in Special Education with an emphasis in intellectual disabilities.

What do I do Now?

I currently work at a middle school teaching a little bit of everything from self contained life skills and electives to literacy, math, social studies, and science. I am also a newly self proclaimed You-Tuber since virtual learning and the pandemic hit!

During summer, I enjoy doing something completely different and teach an Exploring MakerSpace summer school class that I have designed over the last couple of years!

What I Stand For

I consider myself an advocate for my students and their rights to have the same access as everyone else. I presume competence, celebrate differences, and overall believe everyone we meet has something to teach us.

What is she really like...?

I am a very happy and optimistic person! Do I have hard days? Yes. Who doesn't, right? But even in my hard days, I find myself saying "laugh so you don't cry" which usually helps me (and my coworkers).

That being said, I laugh more often from being happy– my students bring me SO. MUCH. JOY. In school you can usually find me dancing, singing, and generally making a fool of myself because of the first two on this list, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

I hope you will come on this learning journey with me– follow me on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date!

Maria