Ms. Emma Polly was hired this school year as the new Special Education teacher at MMS.

At 26 years old, she has been a teacher for four years, focusing on language arts and social studies. Ms. Polly attended Olmsted Falls Schools and then went on to earn a degree in Special Education from Kent State University.

As described by her students, she is very outgoing and comforting.

Ms. Polly says that her love of teaching goes back to her early years. “I would set my basement up like a classroom and invite the neighborhood kids over,” she says.

Ms. Polly works with another teacher, Mrs. Gnjatic, to educate students with multiple disabilities. Their class sizes are small– their smallest at seven students and their largest at nine. Students in this class work on content while also building their motor skills and life skills. They also spend time on social and emotional development.

Ms. Polly says that the greatest reward of working with her group of students is that majority of them stay with her through their middle school years, so she gets to work with them over time, see them grow up, and make astonishing improvement.

Ms. Polly identified some challenges of her job as well.  “Being a teacher of  students with several different disabilities, often times, we have to take on multiple roles. Sometimes I’m a nurse; sometimes I’m a counselor; it all depends,” she joked.

Outside of her role as teacher, Ms. Polly enjoys several activities in her free time. Ms. Polly’s favorite hobby is traveling; she’s traveled to Ireland and this summer will be going to Italy.

Ben fatto, Ms. Polly!