Local “Super Cavs” teacher empowering students
CALEDONIA, Miss. (WCBI) – Camille Arnett comes from a long line of teachers.
But she is the first in her family to teach special education.
“I wouldn’t come back a day if it wasn’t for the kids. There’s no other reason besides I feel like it was what I was meant to do,” said Arnett.
Arnett is one of the Self-Contained teachers at Caledonia Elementary School.
In the class, students receive more attention from teachers than they would in a general education class.
“While there’s nothing wrong with having a disability, sometimes that does affect their confidence. They are getting older. They are about to go to middle school, so, we try to use the term ‘Super Cavs,’ for our classroom,” said Arnett.
Arnett coined the term “Super Cavs” to help the students and the community see their disability as superpower rather than a weakness.
“They have feelings. They have wants. They have needs just like everybody else does. Sometimes we just have to work a little bit harder for them to reach those goals or we have to be a little more creative in the ways (we teach), so they can reach the goals,” said Arnett.
Life skills that we take for granted like how to order food or use a calculator are some of the things the students learn in the classroom.
“I think I like Uno, and card, and math,” said Khyson Hamilton.
“Helping people,” said Ja’Kavien Reeves.
“I like to count money. I like to watch TV. I just love my teachers,” said La’Erria Willis.
Arnett said repetition is key when teaching the students and helping them apply what they learned to real life situations.
The “Super Cavs” also visited local businesses on Tuesday, December 17, to sing Christmas carols.
Arnett said she wants the students to continue to engage with people in the community.
