Politics & Government
Bowie State Alum Gives Local Kids a 'Head Start' as Teacher at Chapel Forge
Chapel Forge teacher Melinda Annadale teaches both special needs and low-income students in Head Start Inclusion classroom.
During a recent lesson, Melinda Annadale taught her 18 students, aged 3 to 5, about symmetry. She gave each a paper with lines that the students were supposed to cut along. Some students’ cuttings revealed simple shapes like diamonds and hearts; others had elaborate snowflakes. While every student learned the same skill, the challenge for Annadale was to accommodate the six special needs students in the lesson.
“It’s nice to be able to really differentiate instruction for all the kids,” Annadale said. “All can participate and feel successful.”
Annadale, honored by the City of Bowie as the Teacher of the Month for January, works with another teacher in a Head Start classroom at .
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Head Start is a federally-funded program that helps low-income and at-risk students. Annadale’s classroom is part of Head Start Inclusion, which includes a mix of six special needs and 12 low-income or at-risk children this year.
In a statement about the award, Chapel Forge Principal Elise Hurley said Annadale, who has been teaching at Chapel Forge for four years, “does a wonderful job of supporting her special education students with strategies that support their learning in the general education environment.”
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Even though the developmental levels of the students vary, Annadale said the students don’t seem to notice the difference, and in fact, some of the more developed students can serve as an example to the other students.
“We had a little girl who was typically developing, and she had great language, a great vocabulary,” Annadale said. “She was such a good model for the girls with special needs. Anytime they were working, they would naturally work together. It’s great to have models.”
Annadale didn’t always intend to be a special needs teacher, but her dual certification in early childhood and special education from Bowie State University in 2007, qualified her to teach at Chapel Forge. Now, she can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“I am really happy with the place I’m in now,” Annadale said. “Staying in the classroom and working with kids hands-on is where I want to stay.”
