Award-winning Wagner special education director is advocate for lifelong learning

May 3—WAGNER, S.D. — Wagner educator Mischelle Slaba has a simple motivation every single day.

As the Special Education Director for the Wagner Community School, Slaba loves watching students grow individually and strives to meet the individual needs of all her students. She said she believes that educators are obligated to be lifelong learners and tries to pass that on to students.

Slaba was recently honored as the state's recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Special Education Administrator award. Slaba works with approximately 115 students with disabilities in the school district.

Slaba, who has served as the Special Education Director for Wagner since 2008, received the honor at the Associated School Boards of South Dakota convention held in Sioux Falls in 2023. She was also recognized at the School Administrators of South Dakota banquet in January.

The recipient is usually announced at the end of the school year and the winner holds the title for the following school year. Slaba was announced as the 2023 award winner last March at the South Dakota Special Educator conference; however, Slaba was not in attendance at the event.

"I was shocked when I was told I had won the award. The conference where I was to be announced the winner was full and I hadn't yet purchased a ticket to attend," Slaba said. "They had me Zoom in all day and they didn't announce the winner until 5 p.m. I had a sick son and it was my birthday. It is a funny story that will make me smile for years to come."

The award was established back in 1994 to recognize efforts made by those who hold a special education administrative or supervisory position within a South Dakota public school. Slaba was nominated for the award by a collaboration of the South Central Cooperative and the Wagner Community School District administrators and staff. From there, her nomination was selected by a committee of the South Dakota Council of Administrators of Special Education (SDCASE).

"These jobs can be incredibly rewarding but can also be very challenging, and they are such an important part of a school district, so recognizing the professionals in the field is a great thing" said Wendy Otheim, past president of SDCASE.

SDCASE is a group of professionals working together to raise awareness of special education and education-related issues with leaders and politicians. The group's goal is to grow our members and provide high quality professional development and resources to build strong advocating leaders.

Before moving into special education administration at Wagner, Slaba taught special education for several years in Fargo, North Dakota, first at the K-6 level from 2002 to 2006 and then in middle school from 2006 to 2008.

While Slaba misses the direct, daily interaction with students, it is her goal to be visible and support teachers and students.

"I try to be out in the hallways and cafeteria as much as I can," Slaba said "And if I'm feeling disconnected or stress is high, I do in-classroom observations."

Originally from Moorhead, Minnesota, Slaba earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and special education from Minnesota State University-Moorhead as well as her master's degree in emotional behavioral disorders. She got her specialist degree in administration from the University of South Dakota.

Slaba began her career in education with a simple yet profound mission: to be a positive role model for others. Slaba always knew growing up that she loved teaching. She worked for six summers as a paraprofessional at West Central Region Juvenile Detention Center in Minnesota and it was her goal to return to that facility to teach full time.

"I love kids and though I have a desk job now, I'm still helping kids just through a different lens," Slaba said.

She said the most challenging part about her role as a special education director is keeping up with all the ongoing changes in special education. According to Slaba, it is harder than ever to identify if a student truly has a disability.

The referral process can be hard and long to determine if the problem lies somewhere else, such as lack of attendance or simply struggling to learn the way a teacher is instructing.

"Students missed instruction during COVID for many reasons," Slaba said, "We want to get students the help that they need with or without saying it's a disability. We need to make education meaningful for all students."

Slaba believes all students with disabilities should be in the general classroom with their same age peers. Finding the appropriate balance between specialized instruction and classroom schedules can be difficult, according to Slaba.

Assisting students at their instructional level and celebrating milestones and successes makes her job rewarding at the end of the day.

"The best part about teaching is that it matters," Slaba said. "Children will eventually forget what you said but remember how you made them feel."