FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Julia Deakle, a special education teacher at Fairhope High School, has been honored with a Golden Apple award after the Golden Apple caravan stopped at the school this week to recognize her work with students who have special needs.
Deakle has spent the past three years teaching special education at Fairhope High. She was nominated for the recognition by Felicia Gardner, a counselor at the school, who said Deakle has made a significant difference in the lives of her students.
A counselor’s nomination
Gardner’s nomination highlighted the way Deakle works not only with students but also with the families who support them. In her written nomination, Gardner described a teacher who keeps parents informed and who pushes for her students to be full participants in campus life.
“Julia has established positive and professional relationships with her students’ families. She communicates regularly with parents and guardians and advocates for her students’ success and inclusion. She makes sure her students are actively involved in the school community.”
School counselors often see the full picture of a student’s school experience, from academics to friendships to future plans, which gives a counselor’s nomination particular weight. Gardner’s praise centered on three themes: communication with families, advocacy for students and inclusion in the broader life of the school.
‘A God thing that chose me’
For Deakle, teaching special education is not simply a career path. She describes it as a calling, one she recognized when she was still a teenager.
“It started at a really young age of 15 at my high school. It’s just kind of a God thing that chose me and said, ‘That’s why I do what I do.’ I love helping these students.”
That sense of purpose, combined with three years of work in Fairhope High’s special education program, is what earned her this week’s recognition.
Background: the work of a special education teacher
Special education teachers play a distinctive role in public schools. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, first enacted in 1975 and known widely as IDEA, students with qualifying disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education designed to meet their individual needs.
A cornerstone of that law is the Individualized Education Program, or IEP, a written plan developed by a team that includes teachers, school staff and the student’s parents or guardians. The IEP sets goals for the student and spells out the services and supports the school will provide. Special education teachers are typically central to writing those plans, tracking a student’s progress and adjusting instruction along the way.
IDEA also calls for students with disabilities to be educated in the “least restrictive environment” appropriate for them, meaning that, to the greatest extent that is suitable, they learn alongside their classmates without disabilities. That principle is why the inclusion Gardner described in her nomination — making sure students are active members of the school community — is such an important part of the job.
Strong communication with families is another hallmark of effective special education practice. Parents and guardians are legal partners in the IEP process, and regular contact between home and school helps make sure everyone is working toward the same goals. Gardner’s nomination specifically credited Deakle with communicating regularly with parents and guardians and building professional relationships with families.
Recognizing teachers in the community
The Golden Apple recognition shines a light on educators nominated by people who see their work up close. At Fairhope High School, part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system, this week’s honor went to a teacher whose colleague described her as an advocate who makes sure her students are seen and included.
For a teacher who traces her calling back to age 15, the recognition is a public thank-you for the daily work of helping students with special needs succeed — in the classroom and as part of the wider school community.
Congratulations to Julia Deakle of Fairhope High School.
