Let’s get to know me Full SPED Ahead! My name is Heather and I am the owner and author behind Full SPED Ahead. I am a special education teacher in Illinois and have been for 8 years! My teaching experience is in mostly self-contained classroom settings for middle school and high school students.

I fell in love with working with students with disabilities when I was in 6th grade. Yes, I am one of those teachers that always knew they knew they would go into education. I told my parents in 3rd grade that I wanted to be a teacher and here I am!

My passion in supporting other educators is what has led me to start this website, blog and TeachersPayTeachers store.

I attended Illinois State University and earned my Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. Through my experiences, I learned that I have such a passion for helping other special educators. Soon after, I obtained my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Teacher Leadership. With this focus, I want to be able to support other educators to not feel like they’re on #specialeducationisland 

In my first 4 years of teaching, I felt so alone. The lack of curriculum, administration support and daily tasks really had me worn down. I turned to social media and found inspiration to continue to grow and learn as an educator. This is when the idea for Full SPED Ahead was born! Welcome to my journey!

Outside of the Classroom

When I’m not teaching, you can find me with my husband and best friend, Lee. We started dating in February 2011 and got married on July 29, 2017. Lee and I really enjoy craft beer and Chicago Blackhawks hockey, you can typically find us at these events on the weekends. 

If you follow me on social media, you may also see my dog, Blue.  Blue is a Beagador – Beagle Labrador. We got Blue from a rescue during the pandemic in 2020. During that time, I took the “stay at home dog mom” title very seriously. He follows me around and is definitely my shadow.

I also love to read in my free time. I have been known to hoard books during the school year, just to binge read in the summer. Ask my husband, I can not put books down in the summer.

Want to know why I teach? Read more here!

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