All right. Welcome back, we're going to try episode two for Post-Secondary Transition. I am going to introduce the hosts. My name is Patrick Cadigan. I am a teacher in the Howard County public school systems in Maryland, and who was my co host?
I'm Meghan Smallwood. And I'm the transition specialist, one of many, in Howard County public school systems.
Excellent. Alright. So once again, the the idea behind this podcast, and it has been something that we've been working towards for a while, we're going to start initially, probably around 15 minutes every two weeks, definitely not more than 30 minutes. Eventually, we're planning on introducing families, because that's the meat of transitions, right? It's being able to help out families.
But we're also planning if it works out to have service providers and other teachers, because everybody's experiences are really unique, aren't they? Right? So, um, to start us off with Megan, can you? What is post-secondary transition mean? Let's give the families a definition.
Sure. So transition happens a lot throughout the years post-secondary transition is the focus mostly between ages 14 through 21. When you're really looking at that long term goal, what do you want them to be doing after 21, which is
different for everybody. And it's completely individualized, but focusing on the milestones to help prepare for that time frame, doing the research, using the resources at your expense, including the Transition Specialists and other teachers in Howard County, or wherever you may be. And just thinking about what you want for the future once the school bus stops coming. So that's, that's our focus.
Good, good, good. Well, thank you. I think that, that'll be I think that'll be helpful.
There's a lot of information within that. But yeah...
Yes. And that is, that is something that I am discovering, as well. So all of this is predicated around a website that Meghan put together...
Patrick put together.
I have together I've only been helping with the visual. But if at any time you have any questions or things that you're interested in around transition, please go visit www.postsecondarytransition.com. The site is designed and intended around families and trying to give them the information that they need.
Right.
And it is, it is definitely a work in progress. But I think we've done pretty well.
Yeah, and I think we're constantly adding and updating information as it comes out, or as new resources come up, so that you have the most current information.
And please, when you look at the site, if there's something that you're interested in, or some challenge or problem that you found, please let us know.
Yeah.
All right. So I have been dreading this part, because now I get to...
talk about yourself. Yeah,
But boy, I don't know what questions to ask Meghan, what questions do I ask?
Well, how did you get interested in special ed, or how did you start out?
So I would say that from a very early age, I was always anytime I would come across people who were unique or different from me, I was always interested in that. And I never shied away from people who had unique needs. In fact, if anything, I probably gravitated towards them more than anybody else. So that was just something
something that I always did. And this is gonna sound utterly ridiculous but I've one of my favorite shows when I was growing up was Highway to Heaven and Michael Landon, walking across America like helping people out. But that that notion of helping people and being able to, to help, and I always love the episodes again, we're you know, he was where people were being helped out that needed
extra help. So and then as I was getting older, I started to find volunteer programs or like, basically opportunities to work with kids with special needs. So I remember when I was in my early 20s, I went to a camp for kids with cancer. And then I started working, I found another camp for students or kids with muscular dystrophy and did that for a couple years. I really
enjoyed that. And then I transitioned into the "working world," so to speak, right, so I went to work for a friend of mine and became a construction site safety consultant did that for a really long time. But even when I was doing classes for that I was finding that I was always gravitating towards, again, people that needed extra
help. So like even, you know, in those classes, so I guess at some point, I kind of hit that plateau, where my wife and I had a conversation and I was like, Well, you know, I really like working with kids, and specifically kids with needs. But if I'm going to do that I need a college degree, because I didn't have one. So we made that. We had that discussion, and I ended up going to Towson for my undergrad. Boy, that was a lot of fun.
Yeah. I bet.
So that was that was four and a half years. And the reason that I say that is because I went into it. Oh, my gosh, let me think that was I was probably in, what, my late 30s. So this, I mean, this was a second, essentially, like a second or third career for me, because I was also an actor in the early 2000s.
No kidding.
And yeah, I didn't do much with it, which is to say that I did a lot of theater. I did a lot of touring companies, which I enjoyed. But I have always kind of like my main job was when I went to work in construction site safety, which is to say that that had that structure that someone like me needs. Acting is a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed it, but you intrinsically have to be disciplined and motivated and like, and a good business person. And in my early 20s, I
really struggled with that. So and again, going into the school system. And I think it was interesting, because when we were on the opposite side of this, and you were doing the interview, you had talked about how, you know, sometimes the challenges within the school system is following along in that structure, which I also tend to balk at, but for myself kind of going back and recognizing that I probably need that structure, if only a little
bit. But I finished out my undergrad in elementary and special education at Towson came into the work in the school
system. And then went back to Towson and got my master's in special education with a focus on autism studies, which I always find really interesting because being as that my focus was on autism, but I've actually struggled to work with students with autism, which is to say that since getting my degree, I haven't had too many students on my caseload with autism, so, but that community has always been I again, I've just always gravitated towards that community.
Yeah.
So it's interesting how that works out.
So how many years have you been in Howard County?
Oh, man, what am I think I'm, I think I'm working on six now. I think I think I'm going into my sixth year.
So you started at Cedar Lane in Howard County?
I did. I did. I was there for the first two years and then transitioned out and then went to Glenwood middle. And that's where I am currently. And so we'll see. You know, we'll see how that how that continues to work out. So...
So did your interest in transition coming from the master's program because I know that's where you took a class.
So that's right. And we kind of talked about that, didn't we?
Yeah, yeah.
Alright, so what I want to say on my third, in my third year, not even my third year, no, no, yeah, third year and master's program, because it was a three year program. right towards the end there. There was a transition class. And it was an excellent teacher, actually, he, Doug DeHaan, he works at the Hussman Center in Towson.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I know the Hussman's.
Oh, man. And that that whole program, but again, you want to talk about intimidating because Doug, if I remember correctly, he was in the year before us. And but in from the time that he graduated, he went to work at Hussman Center. And I mean, he just kind of, the guy just knew everything. So he was really intimidating. But during that class, we were working on. I was struck by how much information was out there, but it was all
over the place. And me being me, you know, I'm like, oh, no, no, no, this is too much information, it needs to be more simple. And so that was, that was kind of my interest in it. And there was always something new to learn.
Yeah.
And because you could dive into, let's say, DDA, you know, Department of Developmental Disabilities, and, or then you had DORS are always like, those avenues. It was like you were going down a rabbit hole. And so that interested me.
That's the on-going battle too, because I feel like every year we sit down to kind of map it out. Okay, how can we make this easier for parents? But there's so much information? It's, it's hard to, to make it simpler. You know, it's just, I think, organizing it the way that you've done on the site, you know, just, this
is DDA. And here's everything, because you also don't want to just exclude information for somebody because you don't think it could be relevant when it could be, you know, I don't want to say no, no, this doesn't pertain to you, when I don't I don't know, it could.
I think the other thing was that there's, because it's that rabbit hole. And, you know, making it easier. There's, it's like, the families are always going to be doing something new. And so like, hopefully, you know, hopefully, what we're doing will.
Yeah, I think that's why I love my job, too, because it feels like every year, you know, I'm going into my sixth year now, as Transition Specialists. Every year, I feel like I learned something new from one of the, you know, pathways a parent is taking or you know, what they're trying to do for their child. Something new comes up. And I'm like, Oh, I didn't know that. But now I can share it with another family who could benefit from it. So...
Yeah, so hopefully, hopefully, there will be nuggets of information kind of as we move along. Right?
Yeah.
Like...
Yeah.
One of the one of the things, though, and I think you and I have had this conversation before that struck me is that when I went to the internet, and tried to find out information about this, there really wasn't a lot there. And I found that curious, but I discovered, it's because everybody's in experiences are so unique. Like each, I'm sure that each family's experience is
going to be unique for them. And I think I came to that conclusion, because that was one of those things that I discovered about Cedar Lane, right when I was working there was that each individual classroom was essentially its own island, because each each classroom had its own unique needs. And it took me a while to understand that, but...
And it changes every year.
And it changes. Yes,
They're so unique, that when I do hear a family, you know, I'm like, wait, I don't have an exact, you know, replica of what you're going through, but I know a family that similarly have that, you know, issue or concern and this is what they did. So at least it gives them a path to
follow. Because I know a lot of times when the families do go to the internet, they don't even know what to search, or, you know, they search for something and it just brings up an overwhelming amount of information that has nothing to do with what they're actually looking for. So being able to help direct them gern to the right resource to at least start or the right person is, you know, part of my goal.
Is going to be a big step. So and hopefully, the information that we pass on, both in this cast, but then also from the website, you know, hopefully that'll facilitate. That'll facilitate something. Yeah. And that's why I look forward to the feedback. Because...
Yeah, absolutley.
Really...
And I think the feedback can also drive some of the podcasts too, if there's a burning question.
Oh, yeah.
You know, that. They want to know, or have us talk about, um, there's many people who probably could benefit from hearing that too.
Yeah, I agree. So with that being said, I think we're finished with Episode Two.
Look at that.
All right, well, good deal. Well, then, by the next episode, I think that we'll start to sit down and actually talk about the nitty gritty, so to speak, right, like, we're, we're going to cover as I'm pulling up what Secondary Transition means and what are some of the information that families can look forward to and, and how to get to it? Brilliant.
Awesome.
All right. So finishing out on Episode Two, thanks for listening. And hopefully, we'll hear you for episode three.
Yeah.
Thanks, guys.
Bye.