Kyle Gabbard began his career with Colonial IU 20 in 2018 as a Long Term Sub in the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). He then moved to a full time position with the Emotional Support Program, before returning to PHP about two years ago. He says the most rewarding part of his job is, "sending my students back to their home districts and seeing the vast improvement and impact that I can make as an educator. We are also looking to successfully discharge three more of our students in January."
Mr. Gabbard's approach to making connections is "genuinely caring about these students and not just the ones in my classroom. Kids can read a room and tell who truly cares and who doesn’t." His advice to a new employee starting out is, "Don’t bring a bad day home with you. Never show any fear, and never second guess yourself. Make decisions with confidence and play to your strengths."
Mr. Kory Kutzler, Supervisor of the Partial Hospitalization Program, highlights the professional growth and relationship-building ability of this month's Staff Spotlight, "Kyle has grown significantly in his role as a teacher. When you go into the room you can feel the connection he has with the students and his lessons are highly engaging. His room has shown a larger decrease in restraints than any other PHP room."