Dunedin, Florida - Teacher Angie Corell starts the day by reading to her students. Today she’s reading them a story about a hungry caterpillar.
But it was Corell’s hunger for change that landed her at San Jose Elementary School in Dunedin.
She left her marketing job, which she admits was great financially, to become a teacher.
Corell has been teaching children with autism for one year.
While she left her corporate job behind she is able to use some of her marketing skills in the classroom.
- Angie Corell/San Jose Elementary
- “Autistic children need organization and most of all patience. Children with autism have a communication barrier. I am sure you have noticed around the room there are pictures and photographs of everything so if they don't recognize the word at least they have some kind of understanding of what they are trying to communicate for them.”
But Corell says there's one thing her students have no trouble communicating to her is how much love they have to share. She says they give her hugs and kisses and that can go a long way on a difficult day.
Corell says she wants to give some of that love back to her students. It’s her love for these students that keeps this remarkable teacher up late at night. She says she tries to come up with new ways to help these little ones learn.
What she has learned in the process is that her success isn’t determined by her salary but by the smiles she sees on their faces.
She even gets emotional when she talks about the change she’s seen in students others may have given up on.
- Angie Corell/San Jose Elementary
- “It's a challenge but it so rewarding. I absolutely adore these children. These kids deserve the same chance as any other child in this world and I am glad to be here.”
You can bet some parents are glad she is here too.
Ginger Gadsden, 10 News Anchor