School has new special education teacher

Mike Abrams took over the reins as the Sisters Elementary School's new special education teacher just after the holiday break.

Abrams has always enjoyed recreating in and around the Sisters area and he told The Nugget that the idea of moving here wasn't a hard sell.

"When I saw the job opening, I applied immediately," said Abrams. "Outside of the rain we've been getting lately, the sun has been nice. I'm very glad I'm here."

Abrams originally hails from Reynoldsburg, a small town approximately 30 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio. He got his B.A. in English, with honors, from Ohio State University and then moved out to Oregon and earned his master's in special education at the University of Oregon.

Before he got his master's, Abrams worked for three-and-a-half years as a paraprofessional in Lifeskills to get a feel for whether or not he'd like to pursue a teaching career in special education.

"That time cemented the fact that I did in fact want to teach in special education," said Abrams.

Two other factors contributed to Abrams' decision to pursue a career teaching special needs students.

"My experience growing up with kids in special education was that they were basically isolated and ostracized," said Abrams. "I didn't agree with that model and it was problematic for me, even as a kid. Then, when I moved to Oregon I worked at a group home that housed individuals with impacting disabilities. I enjoyed working with the clients being served, but I wanted to have more of an effect on their quality of life.

"I knew I wanted to work with kids, and at the earliest level. With kids you have much more room to shape behaviors and provide education."

Abrams was the resource teacher at a middle school in Eugene for two years and then taught for three years in Knappa School District in Astoria. He was the kindergarten through fourth-grade resource teacher at Hilda Lahti Elementary.

When asked what he loves best about working in special education, Mike replied, "Even though it's a struggle for the student, and for us at times, what we do makes such a significant impact on their life in a positive way."

Outside of school, Abrams has many outdoor interests including hiking, rock climbing, and cross-country skiing. Mike is also a rabid Ohio State sports fan, but is especially vocal about Buckeye football.

In addition, Abrams is an accomplished violin/fiddle player. He was trained classically from the age of 4 up until the time he turned 16. From there, Abrams focused mainly on American folk music, bluegrass, blues

and jazz. Most of his playing these days consists of informal bluegrass jam sessions.

Abrams moved to Sisters over Christmas break. Abrams' partner, Patricia, and their son, Col, are living in Eugene and will be there at least until the end of the school year.