Tray Robinson
Special Education Teacher
Stipe Elementary School
San Jose, CA USA
“If there is one person in this life that you have to love, it is you. And you have to be unashamed and unafraid to stand up and scream, ‘I love me!’”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationTray Robinson
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
My mom was a teacher, so I grew up visiting her classroom and watching her teach.
I originally wanted to become a psychologist because of the discrimination and negativity I faced as a member of the LGBTQ community.
After a referral from an acquaintance, I started my teaching career as an intern teacher, teaching a counseling-enriched special day class.
While teaching full time, I earned my master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a focus on inclusion.
After some experience, I figured out a way to utilize technology to better help my special education students learn and stay engaged.
I transitioned when I was 27 years old—it was actually teaching that helped bring me to the conclusion that transitioning was something I wanted to do.
A student nominated me for GLSEN’s 2020 Educator of the Year award and I won!
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Special Education Teacher
I'm a counseling enriched special day class teacher.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Technology
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
I set out my lessons and notes before school starts, coordinating with students as they come and go. I teach all subjects and work exclusively with students with mental health and behavioral concerns. We work a lot on self regulation. I meet with colleagues throughout the day to align our teaching. After class I have meetings. I help design curriculum to be more inclusive of differently abled learners. I'll update parents on new developments then coordinate the next day and reset to do it again.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for professionals
Look at your work this way: you only need to save one student. You only need to change one life. If you do that one time, you have been successful in your entire career. If you try to take on everything and everyone all at once, you'll burn out.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You teach special education, so you don't know what you're talking about when you say we shouldn't focus on assessment."
Challenges I Overcame
LGBT
Physical Issues
