Of the many lessons that Julie Herman teaches her students at Compton Elementary School in Canton, perhaps the most important is the inspiring lesson of her own life. Though she is quadriplegic and uses an electric wheelchair full-time, Ms. Herman has helped her students achieve significant academic growth, including those who have disabilities or have been classified as "at risk." An intervention specialist for students in kindergarten through third grade, Ms. Herman team-teaches in a total inclusion classroom that she and a colleague created several years ago, and which has since been awarded by the district with an Access to Knowledge grant. Combining traditional reading and math strategies with technology integration to engage students, Ms. Herman helped all of her third graders pass the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT) in 2005-2006. Most of her students also passed the fourth-grade proficiency test. Accompanied by her service dog Holly, Ms. Herman provides living proof to her students and colleagues that there is truly no limit to what they can achieve.
