Dan Rowley has been a teacher in the CIU 20 Autistic Support program in Bethlehem Area School District for a total of 16 years, serving in classrooms at East Hills Middle School for the first five years, and at Liberty High School for the last eleven. He says the most rewarding part of his job is "Building relationships with students and families to help the student grow and develop." Dan understands it takes a team approach to help the students grow, "the staff in my classroom and building are excellent. Without them, there would be very little student success."
Mr. Rowley is extending those relationships further by partnering with CIU 20 Partial Hospitalization program teachers to expose his students to new vocational opportunities. When asked what advice he would give a new employee starting out within the IU, he says "Do not take a student's behavior personally...treat your secretaries and janitors with the utmost respect."
Mr. Josef Franzo, Supervisor of Special Education, Autistic Support Secondary, is very appreciative of Mr. Rowley's contribution to CIU 20, "Dan is one of the most positive teachers I have ever worked with. No matter what the situation is, he is always focused on the student, first and foremost. The relationships he builds with families last well beyond graduation, because he sincerely cares for each and every student he works with. Dan maintains his amazing passion for helping students, even after teaching for so many years, he is truly remarkable!"