Okay, so I have now pressed the record button.
It's official.
It is official, we are in episode one. So here we are for the Post Secondary Transition, episode one of a brand new podcast. My name is Patrick Cadigan. And I work in for Howard County Public Schools. And the goal. Actually, I'm not even gonna go there. Meghan, you want to introduce yourself as my co-host?
Sure. I am Meghan Smallwood. And I also work for Howard County Public Schools. Happy to be doing this podcast to hopefully help all you listening and prepare as much as possible for the future.
Yeah, it took us a while to get here. But we finally got here. Didn't we?
Lots of, lots of planning? But I mean, that's it, you got to deal with post secondary transition. So...
All right. So yeah, so it's like the the, the planning is all encompassing. All right. So our initial ideas for this podcast is to...we're figuring about 15 minutes of quick conversations on specific topics. Probably not more than 30 minutes, and we're going to try to post about every two weeks or so. So we'll see how
that works out. Eventually, the idea is to introduce families, and if things work out to also include service providers, so and then along those service providers, if we can actually get some teachers that would be interested in talking about this as well. But to open this up, Meghan, why don't you tell us, what is Post Secondary Transition? Like if you were to define it...
That is a loaded question. Well, I think the biggest thing is recognizing, there's so many different transitions, as you move through the school timeline. So post secondary is focused more on like, ages 14 through 21, in preparation for after 21, which can be a scary thought at age 14, because you're just thinking about high school, but in reality, you know, it's just such a small portion of that timeline, when post secondary is just, you
know, the rest of your life. So, the time spent planning for that, you know, with the help from the school system, while you have it is really important. So there's just so many milestones within post-secondary transition. And I know we have a lot of feedback and, you know, suggestions moving forward with that, but it's just a major part of planning. As we said...
Now, when you, so I heard you mentioned feedback, and we might as well jump right into it. Where does your, where does the primary feedback come from?
I think just from talking with parents, not being scared to think about that future. I mean, a lot of times, there's parents who, you know, when I show up an IEP meeting, they're like, "Oh, no, no, I got time. I don't want to think about this. I don't, I don't have to worry about this, you know. We're in our bubble with school, they're at home with me." But I think just preparing for 18 when they're technically seen as an adult, and what do
you want them to do? Like, I think the biggest question I like to ask parents is, "What, what is your, you know, goal for the future? What do you see them in doing in 10 years, 20 years?" You know what, and that, that kind of leads conversation because every family has a different view on that some are happy just having them at home, whereas others, like want them to be employed. So...
Gotcha.
...it's kind of family driven, although, you know, on the school lens, our focus is to make sure everyone's included in their community. And the goal for Maryland is everyone's gonna be employed. But you know, realistically, when you're talking to some of the parents, we know there's, there's, it's individualized.
There's going to be challenges and...
Yeah.
Okay. All right. Well, then, why don't we segue into, so that we can set this up, Meghan, tell, tell us who you are. Where we, where do you come, where like, where did where did your start in life come from?
I was born on a fall day; no. So I'm originally from New York, Long Island area. And I grew up with an older sister with a severe intellectual disability. So special ed has always been ingrained in me. You know, I lived my mother's experience fighting for her to be included and go to our home school because she was sent off to a separate day school, which is nothing wrong with that. But for my sister, you know, she was she would have thrived from being at our homeschool. So I experienced
all that. And then I experienced the whole transition journey as she turned 21. So that kind of fueled the fire in me, you know, when I went to get my bachelor's in Special Ed, and Elementary Ed at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. And from there, I came down here to Maryland and ended up getting my masters at the University of Maryland College Park in severe disabilities, and I started teaching in Howard County in 2005. And yeah, so I'm going on
eight year 18 coming up. And I started as an ALS teacher at Clarksville middle school. So I was there for six years. And then I was getting my master's at the same time. So I realized that transition was really what I wanted to do and work with those who are leaving the school system. So I went over to Marriott's Ridge, high school, and I was there for six years.
And then every year I was nagging our transition lead teacher for the county asking if there were any openings or transfer positions available, because I really wanted to focus, you know, more out of the classroom and work with the parents preparing for that transition. And finally, my my time came and some you're going on your six now as a transition specialist.
And then one of the things that I heard you say was is that your sister was to talk a little bit more about that where so she was in a separate day school. So what does that mean?
So on Long Island, they do it by districts. So, our district for our town had, you know, the high school and middle school, the elementary school, they didn't have a life skills class, they didn't really meet the needs of that time of those who required more on basically on the certificate track. So she would get a bus and have to go few towns over to where they had a separate day school. And that's where most of the students from, you know, the area we're in
Nassau County would attend. But by middle school, my mom was really fighting to get her to be at our middle school and be in our high school. And she was one of the first in the middle school to have like a life skills class. And same with the high school. So she was able to exit at 21 at the high school that I exited from, and actually worked out she exited the year I graduated. So we both walked at the same time.
Very cool. All right. And then so refresh my memory, how many years have you been in the system? And when I...
I'm on 18.
And that makes it sound like we're in prison or something. But so you have been in the public school sphere for 18 years? Yep. In that time, what's your biggest reward as a teacher.
Umm, I have built relationships with the families that I've worked with and had on my caseload where, you know, I still keep in touch. I mean, a couple weeks ago, I was just having breakfast with one of my former students and his mom, like, that's what I love, just, especially as a life skills teacher, you know, you have them for so long in high school, you might have him for
six or seven years. And it to me, they'd be almost become family, you know, and I just like continuing that relationship on and seeing them thrive. So that's been the biggest reward for me.
Very cool. Now, and then the inevitable question becomes, if you wouldn't, you would be able to identify your reward. What's the, what's the biggest challenge?
So I was really thinking about this, and, you know, all those frustrating moments, especially back in the classroom. I think, for me, you know, you work for school system, you have to follow procedures, and things that you're supposed to do. And it can be tough when you just want to skip all that because you have those close relationships with families and students, and you just want to do what you know, is best for the student and the family. But in the eyes of the school system, it may not
be the right path. That makes sense. So it's, it's it can be very frustrating, you know, because you get so close and inevitably kind of can you know, blow up in your face because you can't do what you want to do.
And then, but it sounds like you're interested in transition started because you had to watch what your sister was going through in mind.
Yeah, I think that was always kind of in the back of my mind. And, you know, as I was home for the summers from college, I worked at a group home, and, you know, got to really bond with some of the individuals who were in their 20s, 30s and lived in a group home. And I got another view of
life after 21. So when I went back for my masters and had to take the class on transition, you know, I really was interested in all those the nitty gritty and the specifics about it and was like, I that's what I want to focus on.
Very cool. All right. Well, I'll tell you what, that sounds like a good place to stop. This is again, episode one. What we've covered is, is a start.
Yeah.
So we're gonna go ahead and sign off on episode one. And hopefully we'll get some listeners who come back and listen to episode two. Thanks, everyone.
Thanks.