Melanie Newton, Exceptional Children, Teacher

I just celebrated my 18th wedding anniversary with my husband, Jeff. We have 3 children together. We have a 14 year old son, JD; a 10 year old son, Brayden; and the princess of the family, our 4 year old daughter, Harper.  After graduating from high school, I started working at an inclusive local developmental center. I worked with many children with different disabilities. It became very clear what I wanted to do with my career; I wanted to be able to touch children's lives no matter their circumstances. My passion has continued to be working with students with different learning capabilities. No matter the behavior and no matter the disability, every student deserves the chance to be loved, heard and taught. As a teacher, I have learned that it is very important to think outside of the box and remember that students learn differently.  I received my Bachelor's in Education from Ashford University; I have quite a bit of special education training, with a lot of focus in Autism, the 2019-2020 school year will be my 5th year teaching.  I enjoy reading (when I can)! I love to spend time with my family and friends. I enjoy traveling with friends and spending time on the beach! The beach is my happy place! My family is very involved with our church so we stay busy! "Don't worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try." ~Jack Canfield "Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Gandhi