This time of year is special for Abigail Nauman.
It marks a new beginning, as the energy shifts from one season to the next, and children prepare their annual return to the classroom.
As an educator with a lifelong passion for molding young minds, it’s an energy she finds exhilarating.
“I always wanted to teach,” she said. “Even from the time I was a little girl, playing library with my sisters. I also worked in a daycare for seven years and was always surrounded by kids. There was just never any question that I’d go into education.”
Nauman — 40, of Dubuque — has been a special education teacher for 18 years, the past four of those at Kennedy Elementary School.
She completed courses at Northeast Iowa Community College before receiving her general education degree at Clarke University in 2006, pursuing special education when approached with the possibility.
“I thought, ‘Why not?’” Nauman said. “And as soon as I started looking into it, I loved it.”
Prior to her role at Kennedy, she student taught at Bryant Elementary School, eventually joining their special education staff for 10 years. After that, she taught at Carver Elementary School, and later, at George Washington Middle School.
At Kennedy, Nauman focuses on reading, writing and mathematics, meeting struggling students where they are and helping them to bridge gaps in their education.
“You work in smaller groups, so there is a lot of individualizing, and you really get to know the kids,” she said. “Not that you don’t in general education classes. But working in more of a one-on-one setting, you really get to see a child’s progress. We work with kids who struggle the most and have some of the biggest needs. To see them grow, feel included, feel successful in their education, be motivated and excited about learning, and believe in themselves, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Since May of 2022, Nauman also has undergone treatment for stage 3 colorectal cancer, taking a year of absence from teaching before returning to the classroom part-time. She resumed her full-time schedule last fall, with hopes to continue it into this year.
“Living through everything, day to day, and doing what I need to do to be able to function has been a challenge physically and emotionally at times,” she said. “But the other teachers — especially my teaching partner at Kennedy — have been so amazing and 100% supportive of me. They saw me deteriorating and going through everything, and always encouraged me to do push through to figure things out, and to do what was best for my health.”
Teaching provided a measure of respite during her treatment, which included chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
“It definitely helped keep my mind off of everything,” Nauman said. “It’s the kind of work that pushes you and helps you build relationships.”
Part of Nauman’s role also involves working with the parents of students.
“There can be a lot of stigma surrounding special education,” she said. “We have some students who need more and who might always be with it. But we have others who do go beyond it. That’s always the goal.”
As Nauman braces herself for another school year — in addition to being Mom to four kids, ages 12, 14, 16 and 18, alongside her husband — she reminds parents that’s now is an ideal time to start getting families in the mindset for going back to school.
“The biggest thing we can do for our own kids is to start adjusting those nightly routines,” she said. “Read a book before bed. Practice bed times. And be aware of your own energy as a parent coming into a new school year. Kids pick up on it, and it can influence their own perception a lot.”
Megan Gloss writes for the Telegraph Herald.
