Opening Hearts Building Strong Minds

Substitute Teaching/Tutoring

Welcome!

My name is Layla, and I am the mother of a spunky, sassy, sweet little girl with Down Syndrome. Learning about her disability inspired me to switch careers and pursue my degree in Special Education to aid in her future academic success. While in college, I gained experience working as a paraprofessional where my primary focus was assisting students with IEP’s and 504’s while providing classroom support. When I am not working, I enjoy helping support Autumn’s special needs baseball team and helping the GAIT program at Green Acres Ranch where she does adaptive horseback riding. I also spend time pursuing my love of photography as you can see from my finest subject! Her perseverance in the face of diversity continues to give me the courage to overcome everything we have faced as a special needs family. Her fearlessness inspires me every day to take chances of my own as I continue to learn more from her than I could ever hope to teach her. Life is a journey and raising a child with special needs is similar to taking the scenic route on a road trip. Between you and me, some of my greatest experiences in life have happened while taking the road less traveled. For those of you traveling this highway with me, whether it’s as a teacher, para, parent, or provider, you are not alone so hop on in, buckle up, and we will enjoy the journey together!

Please check out my section titled ‘Something Extra‘ for some fun anecdotal and informational pieces I’ve written covering all things SpEd. Each entry has a picture with a bold, clickable, title that will take you directly to that article.

I look forward to meeting you and bringing smiles and fun activities to your students.