WBHS staff member Lora Daniels received the honor of 2017-2018 Instructional Assistant of the Year. She reflects on her career and the endless joy of teaching special needs students. West thanks Mrs. Daniels for her devotion, and she inspires students and staff to become better every day.

Q: When did you begin your teaching career?

A: I started teaching in 1993.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: I started off as a therapeutic assistant. The girl who had the teaching position I do now recently got in a bad accident… I’ve always been a people person so I fell into the job and loved it. I got very attached to a blind boy, Mrs. Vaught’s son, and I had a child with special needs myself. She passed away in 2012, so I recognized the need for work with special needs children. This type of work is never ending.

Q: Tell us about your life outside of the classroom.

A: I’ve been to over 25 states in the US and out of the country once. I am a family person. I love to write speeches and write books and am hoping to get them published. One of my recent books is about the struggle of a black woman.

Q: What does the honor of being selected for Teacher of the Year mean to you?

A: This honor is very inspiring and lets me know someone cares about me. Sometimes to receive you have to give.

Q: What motivates you in your job?

A: Even people that can’t talk still know how to love you and let you know you’re loved. The ones that can’t speak can’t hurt you and when they smile it makes your day. It inspires me from one day to another just to see you can make someone laugh. Everybody is somebody.