Three rooms that teach life

In C-hall, there are three classes that are all part of the same program: C-1, C-2, and C-6. That program is known as Functional Academics, or Special Education.

When school is physically in session, the class in C-1 is made up of freshmen students; in C-2 there are both freshmen and sophomores and Ms. Nicole Moulton teaches them; and C-6 is where the juniors and seniors spend the majority of their day.

The students in these three classrooms focus on four things: social skills, life skills, functional academics, and community-based learning. They work on everyday life essential skills and learn how to be more effective with their socialization.

The teachers sometimes take the students outside the Armijo campus so that they can learn how to do important things on their own, like pay for their own food, and use public transportation. “Everything a person should be independent with,” said Mr. Angel Dean in C-1, one of the teachers.

The classes have teachers and aides who assist in the teaching process. The students have fun in those classes because they don’t have to be at a desk all day, like General Education students. Mr. Dean explained how the students do these fun activities while also learning what they need to learn as well. Miss Bolton located in C-6 said that, if they had to explain the class in one word, it would be “survival.”

These classes are offered for students with different kinds of delays and learning challenges.

(This is a modified version of a story that originally ran in February 2020.)