Sherry P. Young is a highly accomplished expert in special education. Since 2005, she has served as an autism in-class support (ICS) coach with the Alief Independent School District in Houston, Texas. She specializes in teaching students who have learning disabilities, hearing and vision impairments, autism spectrum disorder, and problematic behaviors. Ms. Young also has served as a math interventionist for students in special education, offering classroom support. Before becoming an ICS, she gained previous experience as a general education teacher at the pre-kindergarten level. Prior to venturing into the field of education, she worked in corporate America for more than a decade.
For her achievements as an educator, Ms. Young has been recognized with multiple awards throughout her career. For the 2014-2015 academic year, she was named Teacher of the Year at Petrosky Elementary School. In addition to this honor, she received an educational grant and multiple scholarships from the Association of Texas Professional Educators. Ms. Young also was awarded two coveted projects from DonorsChoose, a nonprofit organization that facilitates direct donations to public school classroom projects.
As a perennial learner and authority in her profession, Ms. Young has maintained connections to multiple relevant organizations. For example, she is a member of the Association of Texas Professional Educators and of Autism Speaks. She credits her success to having exceptional administrators throughout her career with the Alief Independent School District. Her administrators have supported her in every endeavor, she says, including her pursuit of continuing education, attendance at seminars, and documentation of students.
Ms. Young has always lived her life with the strong belief that disabilities and impairments do not define people. She recalls an incident in high school in which she witnessed a student with Down syndrome being bullied, reported the incident immediately, and demanded that action be taken against the bullies. Gratified to have helped many students with disabilities throughout her career, Ms. Young is particularly proud of successfully implementing an intervention program for students with aggressive and threatening behavior toward peers and staff.
Laying the foundation for her career in education, Ms. Young attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. She graduated from the aforementioned institution with a Bachelor of Science in education and went on to matriculate at the University of Phoenix, where she earned a Master of Science in education and curriculum. Reflecting on her professional success as an educator, Ms. Young would advise aspiring professionals in her field to listen more than they speak, especially in meetings and conversations. She believes this enables one to learn more, come up with better ideas, collaborate with colleagues, and provide the best education possible to students.
Outside of her work in education, Ms. Young has volunteered with the Houston Livestock Show, the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo event in the world. She has also donated her efforts as a coach with the Special Olympics since 2005. In her leisure time, Ms. Young enjoys riding horses, training horses, giving horseback riding lessons, and going on road trips.
Throughout her life and career, Ms. Young has been moved by two inspirational quotes. The first is the Special Olympics oath: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” The second has no known author: “In every journey, there is meaning, in every conflict there is growth, in every action there is a purpose, and in every moment of doubt, remember to believe in yourself.” In the coming years, she hopes to move to a position in the administrative building with the Alief Independent School District. Ms. Young is considering multiple roles, including instructional coordinator and reading facilitator.
