Spencer Coleman
"I like special education so much," says Spencer
Coleman, who has worked for three years as a behavioral assistant in
the Bethel Community Transition Network (BCTN), a Bethel School
District program that provides life-skills training beyond high school
until age 21 to students with intellectual disabilities. "It involves
learning about individual students more than pushing a particular
curriculum. I like being there for the students." Coleman is entering a
Masters of Special Education program at the University of Oregon this
fall. His father Lionel Coleman, who played football for the UO in the
late 1960s, then for the L.A. Rams, is now retired from his own career
in special education. Spencer excelled in football and basketball at
South Eugene High School, and went on to play basketball at Eastern
Arizona Junior College, the University of Montana, and Northwest
Christian University in Eugene, then with semi-professional teams in
Darwin and Shepparton, Australia. "It was great," he says. "I was
introduced to aboriginal culture and got to see 'the bush.' I came back
home for three weeks and got my first education job. I was a teacher's
assistant, working one-on-one with kids who needed extra behavioral
support." On his next visit to Eugene, a year later, his dad informed
him of a job opportunity at BCTN, and he cancelled his plan to return
to Australia. "I already knew about kids with various types of
behavioral disabilities," he notes. "Being raised by a special ed
teacher helps. The kind of demeanor needed in this field is patience
and understanding. The kids lack in communication abilities, but
they're often very smart." BCTN students prepare for the world of work
by volunteering at local agencies such as Food for Lane County,
Greenhill Humane Society, and NextStep Recycling. "After graduation,
I'll be a special ed teacher," Coleman concludes. "I hope to set up my
my own program to push for evolution of the learner."
happening people
photograph and story by Paul Neevel
Eugene Weekly / 22 September 2021
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