Mrs. Jennifer Calvao

Mrs.Jennifer Calvao

By Victoria Bergeron

     Meet Jennifer Calvao, a Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech Special Education Facilitator. Mrs. Calvao has been working at Voc-Tech for 15 years. She is known for her bright, friendly and compassionate personality. She went to school originally to work in the publishing field, “I love publishing and proofreading” she remarked. However, when she saw a position for an English teacher assistant at Greater New Bedford she took it. After getting some experience teaching, she went back to school to get her Master’s degree in Reading and Education because she was interested in becoming an
English teacher.

Mrs. Calvao earned a Reading Specialist certification and took her MTEL test in Moderate Disabilities. “I really like going to school I like taking tests and getting certifications” she said. Mrs.Calvao has been a Special Education Facilitator for two years. She is in charge of writing the IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) for about 200 students. She works alongside the faculty to ensure that all I EPs are followed. Her daily tasks differ depending on the types of meetings she has on that day.

She collects data on all of the students and incorporates the data into their plans their and reports the data to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Although Mrs.Calvao doesn’t necessarily teach in the classroom, she still makes her students feel confident and supported in their academic lives at Voe-Tech. “I think that helping those who are struggling learners figure out how build their confidence is something that is very rewarding to me.” Mrs.Calvao is a valuable part of the Voe-Tech family.

“My fondest memories are when my students who struggle the most their entire educational career walk across the stage at graduation.”