Teacher helps student overcome social fear When people look back at their school years, they will most likely remember one or two teachers who made a difference in their lives. For Katie Risewick, one of those teachers will most certainly be her kindergarten teacher, Jackie Magiera. As a student at Churchville-Chili's Chestnut Ridge Elementary School, Katie sees Magiera not just as her teacher but as her hero. Katie's parents, Steve and Sara Risewick, feel the same way. While most five-year olds who enter school for the first time are initially shy about talking to their teacher and fellow classmates, Katie literally did not say a word when she entered kindergarten last September. Katie isn't just shy. She has selective mutism, a complex childhood anxiety disorder where a child is unable to speak in social settings that raise his or her anxiety level. The disorder was especially hard for Katie's parents to understand since Katie was very verbal with them at home. "We always noticed that she was shy even to the point when she was a baby and would not make eye contact with strangers," said Sara. "Once we looked into it, we realized it wasn't a choice for her not to speak. She truly couldn't speak. She has since described it as her body 'not letting her' talk." Katie was officially diagnosed with selective mutism when she was three. She saw various specialists and went to pre-school but, to her parents' disappointment, nothing seemed to work. When Katie entered kindergarten, her parents admitted that they did not feel hopeful. Magiera changed all that. What others couldn't do, Magiera did, they say. "I think that the difference with Jackie as compared to other teachers and specialists is that Jackie made it her goal to get Katie to talk," said Sara. "Her determination was like nothing I had even seen. She wasn't giving up for anything." Magiera has taught for 14 years, but prior to Katie, she never worked with a child with selective mutism. In fact, she never even heard about it. Yet, instead of being nervous or overwhelmed, she said she was determined to do what she could to help Katie. Magiera did her research on selective mutism and realized that because anxiety was at the root of the disorder, the key to helping Katie was not about finding the right speech or language technique. Instead it was about building trust with her and that would not happen overnight or by telling her she had to talk. "Not forcing the situation is important," explained Magiera. "The less you mention the word talk the better." For several months in the beginning of the school year, Magiera worked on earning Katie's trust through a variety of ways, including working one-on-one with her in the classroom before and after school hours; making audio tapes for her; praising her when she responded either non-verbally or verbally; and singing, reading and playing with her. Soon Magiera came to realize that Katie felt comfortable and less anxious when they were doing activities that involved physical movement, such as throwing a beach ball or running. Running turned out to be one of Katie's favorite activities. In fact, after racing around with Katie in the school parking lot one evening, Katie said her first words to Magiera: "thank you -- good night." "My eyes got big and almost filled up with tears," exclaimed Magiera. "The barrier was broken." Now when Jackie and Katie race, Katie will say, "Ready, set, go!" Magiera's determination and patience paid off and since Katie's first words to her in November, Katie has opened up to a handful of children within the classroom. "It takes Katie quite a while to get close to someone and Jackie took that time to win Katie's trust and in turn, Katie has a love for her that is unconditional," said Sara. "Katie has more hurdles to get over but she has broken through. We give all the credit to our angel in disguise -- Mrs. Jackie Magiera." Not surprisingly, being a teacher is more than just a job to Magiera. She is dedicated to the success of all her students. "I honestly have a vision of what I hope to accomplish for my students," she said. "My hope is to leave the impression that school is a good, happy and safe place to come to -- where someone will welcome you, warmly, each day for the person that you are." Note: Westside Heroes is an occasional series about community members who are recommended to the newspapers, Suburban News and The Herald, for their noteworthy contributions. |
