Jean Newmeyer: 7th Grade

Intervention Specialist

The teaching of special education has transformed significantly in the 33 years Jean Newmeyer has spent at Indian Lake Middle School. But she hasn’t lost her passion for helping kids who need extra academic attention.

When she started out, Newmeyer says she taught a modified curriculum to students in her own classroom. This included the study of life skills, many hands on activities and field trips. Over time, teaching methods have changed. Jean now accompanies students to Math and Language Arts to co-teach with the grade level instructor. This method ensures her students are exposed to the same standards required of all students. Newmeyer’s students also come to her for continued intervention during Laker Time.

After school, Jean has coached middle school Cross Country for 18 years and middle school track for 30 years. Outside of school, Newmeyer has been part of her family’s car racing pit crew for many years at venues like Norwalk and National Trail. (Her brother and nephew are champion racers.) Contrasting that, Jean is a skilled scrap-booker. She also makes beautiful custom cards. Newmeyer uses these skills to help her students make what’s called “Interactive Notebooks” with flip charts and colored graphs to better understand the material they are trying to learn.