Being that it is a college radio station, WGLZ has a passionate interest in education. WGLZ DJ Paul McKay chose to honor this noble profession and spoke with Pittsburgh Special Needs Educator, Molly Bahntge.
Molly is originally from the Wheeling area, but now currently resides just outside of Pittsburgh in the popular suburb of Mt. Lebanon. Molly graduated from Mercyhurst University in 2015 with a degree in special education. When speaking with Paul, he says that the reason she wanted to become a teacher was that helping kids is a very rewarding. When asked what unique challenges she faces in an intellectually disabled classroom, she said one of the hardest challenges is that some of the students are nonverbal, so they get very frustrated easily, which she went on to say you just need a little patience and to go slow with them. One of the nicer aspects of teaching in special needs is that she is in a classroom with multiple other teachers, so that they can give the students more one-on-one time, which is necessary in educating them.
While special needs education is not the easiest job, it is very rewarding. Everybody deserves a good education, and a good teacher goes a long way. Molly said that for any education majors currently getting their degree, you just have to stay focused and remember how rewarding it will be in the end.