Geraldine A. McGuire Honored Among Leading Special Educators
Special needs teacher and "second mom" Geraldine A. McGuire celebrated for over 42 years of invaluable contributions to special education

METHUEN, MA, September 27, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ --Demonstrating steadfast commitment, personalized care and an endless amount of patience, Geraldine A. McGuire is honored for her 42 years of professional dedication in the field of special education. Prior to her retirement, Mrs. McGuire served as a special needs teacher with the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative. There, she worked with a group of six special needs children at a time, evaluating their academic progress and preparing individual education plans. Her students included those with delayed developments, cerebral palsy and various multiple disabilities. "My specialty is both moderate and severe special needs," she said in an interview with Cambridge Who's Who. "I got into this field because I was drawn to the students [who] did not have success in school, [who] were not liked by other school students. I wanted to make their experience in school a lot more positive than it was."

At North Andover High, Mrs. McGuire was lovingly nicknamed "second mom" by her students with moderate special needs. She made it her responsibility to know absolutely everything that they did throughout the day including what accomplishments they had achieved and which mischievous acts they had committed. "I worked to watch them graduate and make something of themselves, which you don't expect to see," she said. "A lot of them went to junior colleges; some transferred to a four-year educational institution. I was there to help them succeed." When dealing with students suffering from more severe disabilities, Mrs. McGuire did her best to simply make them smile - sadly, she noted, many of them would never achieve self-sufficiency.

Mrs. McGuire recalls one such case in which a blind child who couldn't speak was being self-abusive. As this was one of her first experiences working with severe special education students, Mrs. McGuire delved into the world of applied behavior analysis in order to find a way to help him. She eventually settled on "bear" hugs, which would stop him from hurting himself. "After a year and a half, he would give himself a bear hug rather than hit himself," she said.

Each success that her students experienced, Mrs. McGuire celebrated as her own. She became their teacher, mentor, friend and "second mom," winning over each child with her enduring patience and caring nature. "I try to make them feel comfortable and safe. I feel I do that with my smile, my ease of working with the children, and I am very patient," she shared. "I think being able to relate to a person rather than [follow] what's written in a book is a lot more personal." Additionally, she noted, "I have a sense of humor and I have a willingness to listen to others." Today, Mrs. McGuire utilizes these attributes as a volunteer with Lawrence General Hospital and the Trauma Intervention Program. She is also a dedicated family member and loves spending time with her granddaughter.

Mrs. McGuire holds a master of education in counseling psychology from Cambridge College, a master of science in special education from Simmons College, and a bachelor of science in elementary education from Lowell State College. In 2002, she was nominated by the Special Olympics committee for the "Disney Teacher of the Year" award. More recently, she was selected for inclusion in "Cambridge Publishing's Top 101 Industry Experts" book - an honor reserved for the registry's most accomplished members in their chosen fields.

For more information about the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative, please visit http://www.glec.org.

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