Claire Malchow

Special Education Teacher

My name is Claire Malchow and this is my first year teaching special education. I do not have a traditional teaching background, as I received my Bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin Eau - Claire in Organizational Communication in 2016 and afterwards began working as a paraprofessional at the high school level. Additionally, I have worked previously as a Skills Trainer with Project SEARCH, a transition program that gives internship job opportunities to young adults with significant disabilities. I had never previously considered working in the field of special education, and soon fell in love with it. I cannot imagine working in any other field, as I know that no other job in the world would be as fulfilling and rewarding as this one. Working with students with disabilities and their families has been the honor of a lifetime.

Why Lakeland STAR?

I chose Lakeland STAR because I was thrilled to join a team of like minded individuals who knew that our students with special needs do not fit a cookie cutter mold, and wished to give them the chance to thrive and learn in nontraditional, ‘out of the box’ ways. I am dedicated to the success of all our students, both socially, emotionally, and academically, and consider myself lucky to be able to work with them every single day.