Caitlin Yahner is a Teacher Education Program candidate pursuing an Education Specialist Credential for mild to moderate disabilities, as well as a Master’s of Education. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in June of 2021 with a BS in Liberal Studies and a concentration in Child Development. She taught swim lessons for children ages 4-12 and worked as a child care teacher at SPARK in San Luis Obispo for children grades TK-6th. Her interest in Special Education started through Camp Escapades in Palos Verdes, run by the Pediatric Therapy Network as well as doing field experience work in a TK Special Day Class. Throughout her senior year of college, she volunteered with Meals that Connect delivering meals to elderly who are homebound. During the summers, Yahner enjoys working at a summer camp as a lifeguard and swim instructor, helping facilitate safe activities in the pool area for campers of all ages and abilities. In the future, she hopes to be a Special Education teacher at an elementary level somewhere in Southern California.
GGSE: Tell us how Camp Escapades in Palos Verdes got you interested in the field of special education.
Yahner: Camp Escapades was first brought to my attention by a friend of mine. We signed up to volunteer together, and were placed with a child with disabilities and tasked with giving them the best week of summer camp ever! I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I put my best foot forward and dove into the week headfirst. It was one of the most fulfilling weeks of my life, and sparked a drive inside of me that hasn't quit since. Following that summer was my junior year of high school, and I continued volunteering with Pediatric Therapy Network (the program that hosts Camp Escapades!) and Best Buddies. I applied for college and graduated with a degree in Liberal Studies, and am SO excited to devote my career to advocating for and helping students with disabilities.
GGSE: You also have experience as a swim instructor. Has that helped you in your placements in classrooms, and if so, how?
Yahner: Yes! Prior to getting my job as a swim instructor, I had no experience teaching in any capacity. My first year, I used a lot of what I now know as modeling when teaching children how to swim! I watched the other swim instructors and their methods, and adapted those to my own swimmers. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was learning how to teach while my students were learning how to swim. I did checkpoints and used these tests to adapt my teaching, and learned how to change my word choices depending on the age and level of the students. I learned all of the classroom management terms I was using later on in college, but I definitely developed those skills through my time in swim instruction and can now refine them in schools.
GGSE: What do you do in your free time?
Yahner: I love being in the sun! Whether that means taking a walk with my roommates or doing homework on the terrace of Gevirtz, I love being outside and enjoying the beautiful Santa Barbara weather. I also absolutely love October and the Halloween season, so on some weekends you can find me scaring at the Haunt in Atascadero. Finally, I love volunteering. I've volunteered for The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, as well as Meals that Connect in SLO. I haven't done much research on the volunteer programs offered in Goleta and Santa Barbara, but I hope to start volunteering again soon!
GGSE: If you had a time machine, when would you travel to and why?
Yahner: I would travel back to 2007! My entire family took a trip to Hawaii together that year, and I had so much fun! I fished, swam and played all day long with my cousins, and it is something I still look back on with a ton of joy!