Special-education teacher known as a 'child whisperer'
The mother of her 3-year-old student was going to have major surgery.
Becky Kelly knew she had to help preschooler Giancarlo Pietrasanta cope with his mom being away from home in the hospital.
"At that time, that change in the routine for him was very overwhelming," Adriana Pietrasanta said of her son, who has autism.
So his teacher at Arbor View Elementary School in Glen Ellyn created a spiral-bound book to relieve his anxiety. Through words and pictures, Kelly helped him understand that his mom would have to recover from the operation before they could get back to their normal routine.
"She took the time to do that," Pietrasanta said. "Becky is that kind of person."
Kelly is the kind of caring, thoughtful teacher who has a special rapport with her students, all of whom have significant needs. Many are on the autism spectrum. One 5-year-old has cerebral palsy and Angelman syndrome, a rare nervous system disorder.
Some kids in her classroom struggle with expressing their emotions. But David Bruno, the school's principal, calls Kelly the "child whisperer."
"She just knows how to connect with those kids," Bruno said. "And those kids, even though they can't show it, they know that she'll always be there for them."
Bruno and district leaders hand-picked Kelly about two years ago for a unique teaching position in the district that turned out to be so perfectly suited for her he can't imagine anyone else in the job.
'All kids can learn'
Kelly emerged as the natural choice to help establish a new program in the district: a full-day, specialized classroom for students with physical disabilities and cognitive impairments.
She previously had taught half-day preschool classes. And she was teaching first grade - her dream job since she was that age - when Bruno and Glen Ellyn Elementary District 89 Superintendent Emily Tammaru approached her with the offer in February 2016.
"Becky has really an unparalleled dedication to ensuring that our youngest learners can excel and succeed," Tammaru said.
In Kelly, Bruno saw an educator who holds her students to high standards, a "self-starter" who unassumingly makes a difference.
"She puts kids first," he said. "She believes all kids can learn."
Which is why the 30-year-old doesn't talk about the job as if it's some sort of steppingstone in her career.
For her, it was a chance to teach in a classroom that would allow students who were receiving full-day services in other districts to learn closer to home. In her second school year in the classroom, Kelly also has come to learn something about herself.
"I really kind of figured out that this is where I thrive," she said.
A 'maestro'
It's funny Kelly should say that because that's what she does for students: She helps them thrive.
She's seen kids take their first steps. She's heard them speak their first words.
"I love these children. I have a special place in my heart for these children who struggle and have a smile on their face every single day despite the challenges they face," she said.
"I just love being able to see their successes, because I know how hard it is for them to get to those successes."
But Kelly, one of 30 finalists this year for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, also celebrates the moments that someone who isn't a special-education teacher might take for granted.
"I feel like I can pick out at least one thing, if not more, for sure every single day that makes me tear up just for a second," Kelly said. "Even in the midst of all the chaos or the hard days or whatever, there's always a little something. This is why we're doing what we're doing. There are really good things going on in here."
Kelly has 10 students, three of whom are kindergartners. They each have their own individualized education plan, their own curriculum, their own schedule. Every student receives speech, language and occupational therapies.
"I think it's really hard for people that don't understand special education or special needs to walk in and truly see what's happening," Bruno said.
So Bruno says to think of Kelly this way: She's like a "maestro of music." Kelly conducts the inner workings of her classroom fluidly and seamlessly even though she's almost always problem solving, and her day is almost always unpredictable because of her preparations and thoughtfulness.
Kelly concedes it's overwhelming, but she gives an example of how she adjusts. One of her students would struggle with separation from Kelly and would break down in tears anytime she was pulled aside or left the classroom for a bathroom break.
So she introduced a social story - a tool often used for kids with autism - to help him identify his emotions and learn coping strategies.
"It says, 'Sometimes I feel upset or sad,'" Kelly said of the book she put together. "'It's OK to have these feelings and here are the things I can do to make myself feel better. I can take deep breaths. I can count to 10.'"
She also set aside a corner in the classroom as a safe spot, where he now independently goes on his own to address his anxiety.
"It may not look like traditional school sometimes," she said. "I sit kids in my lap. We hug, and I pick them up sometimes if they need a hug or they're sad. Some of these students, they have a lot of sensory needs, so things outside of their home make them very uncomfortable. Many of them can be very rigid in their routines, so doing something new or a change can be really hard for them."
Kelly builds in classroom routines and works to earn their trust early in the school year. And she's also quick to say it takes a group effort and the support of a team of therapists and aids.
"A lot of it is just having caring adults that truly make these kids feel like we love you and we want you to be here and it's OK," she said. "It's safe. If you're having a bad day, it's OK, and we're going to work through it."
She treats their classroom like their second home, so students who are learning social and behavioral skills are eager to come to school and engage with their peers.
"I have to be there for them," she said. "I hate missing school. I hate not being here because I know they rely on me."
'It's family'
Kelly also has earned the trust of parents who know they can rely on her.
"She takes her work home with her," Bruno said. "She's emailing parents, calling parents. It's nonstop for her. It's always on her mind. It's family to her."
Kelly goes above and beyond the responsibilities assigned to her. She helps arrange play dates. For Pietrasanta's son, a trip to the hair stylist in a noisy, bright environment was a stressful experience, but Kelly helped research and find an autism-friendly salon.
"She's really hardworking," Pietrasanta said. "She's constantly studying, learning more. She always wants to be on top of the latest resources to help all the kids."
Her son, who was nonverbal when he started preschool, now attends second grade in a general education classroom. Pietrasanta saw much of his progress when he was Kelly's student.
"He started talking more," she said. "He started self-regulating more. The foundation that he got those preschool years were key for where he is now."
Curriculum vitae
Name: Becky Kelly
Occupation: Teaches specialized classroom for preschool and kindergarten students at Arbor View Elementary School in Glen Ellyn
Residence: Wheaton
Age: 30
Education: Bachelor's in early childhood special education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; master's in specialized endorsements (ESL and special education) from National Louis University
Honors: One of 30 Chicago-area finalists for the 2018 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching out of more than 650 nominations