Running head: M4: Interview Paper 1

M4: Interview Paper

Rebecca L. Lopez
University of Kansas

M4: Interview Paper 2

M4: Interview Paper
Teachers Name: Micaela Tillis
Current Position: LD/Resource Teacher
School Name: Ocotillo Learning Center
Age of Students & / or Grade: K 1st
Grades Previously Taught: K/1 ED from 2003 - 2012
Number of Years Teaching: 13 years
E-mail: micaelat@susd12.org

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Micaela Tillis, or Misha, is the Learning Disability and Resource teacher at Ocotillo
Learning Center. She works with students in Kindergarten and 1st grade. Misha grew up in
Tucson, AZ, graduated from the University of Arizona, and has been teaching in the Sunnyside
Unified School District ever since. She is someone that I look up to highly at Ocotillo, and I felt
fortunate to be able to interview her as deeply as I did this week.
Universal Design for Learning
Not only do I look up to Misha as an educator, I have developed a close friendship with
her that made this interview run much more smoothly than I imagined it would! We spoke about
a variety of topics, including topics relating to the three principles of Universal Design for
Learning (CAST, 2015). She shared many stories with me about how she is able to utilize the
principles of UDL (CAST, 2015) to help students be successful academically. The UDL (CAST,
2015) principle of representation is used in Mishas classroom by giving students an opportunity
to go outside and experience learning in a different environment. While outside, the student is
able to use his/her hands to manipulate different objects like the sand to represent a different way
of guiding information, processing and visualization for students. Misha uses the UDL (CAST,
2015) principle of expression by allowing students different forms of media to work with. She
lets them use crayons and markers to write with, instead of just pencil and paper. She also
provides many kinds of manipulatives for students to use, especially while working with math.
She will give students fun and exciting counters, like teddy bears and jewels, to help them keep
track of their work. Another way the UDL (CAST, 2015) principle of expression is used is
through the way she supports students with their reading fluency. She talked about how
important it is to provide graduated, differentiated support for students as they grow and make

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progress. Misha is able to find resources through Reading A to Z (Reading A-Z, 2002), which
she described as a place where she can find different leveled books about the same topic. This
helps her be able to support students with their individual skill level with efficiency.
Furthermore, Misha uses the third principle, engagement, by ensuring that students who she
works with know what is expected of them, which helps optimize motivation for students. She
says that when students know that teachers and parents are talking and working together, those
students work harder at meeting the expectations that are set in place for them. Listening to
Misha share all of the ways she is able to incorporate the principles into her classroom really
helped me to see just how important UDL is. Misha seems to use them all so seamlessly, as if it
is a natural part of her teaching. I am looking forward to designing lessons and also effortlessly
intertwine the principles of UDL into each of my lessons.
Educational Background
The most interesting part of the interview with Misha, in my opinion, was hearing her
talk about her 9 years of experience as an educator in an Emotionally Disturbed, or ED,
classroom. Here is where we were able to talk deeply about the importance of finding a way to
connect with students. Misha told me that working as a teacher in an ED classroom was
difficult. She felt like she was constantly trying to prove to her students that she cared for them.
Most students in her classroom were in a foster home of some sort, and did not have much
consistency in their lives. Misha made it her goal to provide that constant and consistency that
her students were so deeply lacking. Hearing Misha talk about how important it is to support
students in the classroom reminded me of the article we read in Module 3 of SPED 775 about
different ways teachers can support students motivation (Anderman, Andrzejewski, & Allen,
2011). Specifically, the article talked about how great teachers support students emotional needs

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through interpersonal warmth, respect and care for students, and enthusiasm for lesson content.
This is a perfect description of Misha. She truly cares for her students, which makes me feel so
lucky to have her support while I am growing as an educator.
Building Relationships
Continuing on the care that Misha provides to her students, I noticed that with each
question I asked, she would somehow always bring the conversation back around to how
important building relationships is for educators. She talked about how collaboration goes so
much further than just parents, teachers and students. She mentioned the office staff,
administrators, and other support staff as well. I was told, you will be most successful when
you have the respect and support from those youre working with, which is significant for me to
hear as a new educator because I am constantly trying to figure out how to be successful in my
career and with my students. With respect will come relationships that are essential in helping
students meet their goals. Although respect is not required in helping students be successful, it is
helpful to have relationships within the school building, as well as the educational community.
In SPED 730, we learned all about the MAP process and how a team of support can become so
strong just by collaborating with families and other school staff about strengths and challenges,
hopes and dreams. To me, this is the ultimate form of collaboration and respect-building in a
school setting. I wish there was a way to incorporate this process into the general education
classroom with every student and family member.
IEP Process
Misha shared about her role in the IEP process, and offered me insight about what makes
IEP meetings run smoothly. She talked about how she has a feedback form for general education
teachers that she finds vital to the IEP process. This feedback form has spaces where teachers

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can reflect on students strengths and weaknesses in the academic areas of reading, writing and
math, which I will definitely keep as a resource to inform my practice in the future. She talked
about the importance of collaboration between the general education teacher and the special
education teacher, which reminded me of our reading from module 2 by Jitendra, A. K.,
Edwards, L. L., Choutka, C. M., & Treadway, P. S., (2002) which talked about planning and
preparation and the effectiveness that educators have when they collaborate together. The idea is
that general educators have strength in content knowledge and special educators have strength in
strategies and ways to make the curriculum more accessible to students with learning disabilities.
It is with working together that general and special educators will be most successful in the
classroom.
Insights and Take-Aways
Throughout my experiences with graduate school over the last year, I can say that within
special education, diversity is massive. Misha talked a lot about her experiences in her resource
classroom, and also her ED classroom during the interview. She talked about academic levels,
and the challenge of finding resources that help each student at their own level. Because of her
praise about the Reading A to Z program, I have found a way to gain access to that content in my
classroom for the upcoming year. I am excited about this, because it will help me differentiate
my curriculum. She also talked about understanding that some strategies work with some
students, but not all strategies work with every student. As educators, we need to feel
comfortable and confident enough to find what motivates and works with each student. Misha
talked about how although the majority of students that we work with are Hispanic, and we are
not, the culture is not that different from ours. We both grew up on the same side of town where
Ocotillo Learning Center is located, participating in some of the same events and activities that

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our students participate in now. Students in our classrooms talk a lot about riding the city bus or
walking to get to places they need to go to, living in apartments and trailers, and shopping at the
Tanque Verde Swap Meet. I feel fortunate because I grew up living in poverty, and experiencing
much of what my students are experiencing now. This gives me a perspective that helps me
relate to my students and families on a deep level, where there is a reciprocated sense of respect
from myself and from the families in my classroom each year. This also helps build trust with
families that enter my classroom, because they know that they are leaving their students with a
teacher who understands them on a deeper level than just the fact that they are parents of my
students.
The interview gave me so much insight about ways I can alter and improve my practice
as an educator. Firstly, it is important to remember that not all strategies work with every kiddo.
I have to be open to trying out new strategies with every student each year. With that being said,
it is also important for me to be open to feedback. Misha told me that suggestions from other,
more experienced educators will offer insight that maybe I wouldnt have noticed otherwise.
And it is important to be open to those suggestions. She complimented me by telling me this is
actually a quality that she loves about me! She told me that she has noticed I will ask for advice
from another staff member, and that next day if she walks into my room, I will be trying the idea
out. It definitely was a confidence boost, hearing that Misha notices a strength of mine. Another
take-away from the interview with Misha is that finding a way to effectively manage time is not
easy, but it is important. Each student on her case load requires something different and unique
from her, and although it can be stressful to provide for each student, time management is what
helps her achieve all that she needs to achieve. The fourth idea that I plan to incorporate from
the interview is to continue to communicate with parents and other staff members the way that I

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do. Relationships are so vital in the field of education, and I need to always make a point to
maintain conversations and collaborate with the many different people involved in supporting
my students. Finally, I will take away the significance of loving kids! Misha mentioned multiple
times how invaluable it is to really love the students that you are working with, because that is
the ultimate key in helping them make progress!
This interview with Misha was eye-opening in many ways. It showed me how
effortlessly I can use the principles of UDI (CAST, 2015) while teaching lessons. It also helped
me see another perspective about the importance of finding ways to motivate students.
Discovering what motivates students will help me engage them academically. Building
relationships with students is fundamental, but Misha also helped me see the power of
maintaining those relationships beyond just with students. They must also be built between
coworkers and family members. A student is so much more than just who they are academically,
and knowing their family will help me learn so much more about students than just what I see in
the classroom. I was able to gain insight about the power of IEPs, and what in particular works
for Misha while she runs IEP meetings. Finally, I took away how delving into students culture
can help make me a better educator. I already thought very highly of Mrs. Tillis, and after this
interview I feel so privileged to be able to continually grow academically with her by my side!

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References
Anderman, L. H., Andrzejewski, C. E., & Allen, J. (2011). How do teachers support students
motivation and learning in their classrooms. Teachers College Record, 113(5), 969-1003.
CAST. (2015). About Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.VxLD8FQrLDd
Jitendra, A. K., Edwards, L. L., Choutka, C. M., & Treadway, P. S. (2002). A collaborative
approach to planning in the content areas for students with learning disabilities:

Accessing the general curriculum. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 17(4), 252267.
Reading A-Z. (2002). Reading A-Z. Retrieved from https://www.readinga-z.com/