Wilson College Online Blog

The main goal of Wilson College Online’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Special Education program is to equip future educators with the skills they need to help all learners grow in every sense of the word. Many individuals enroll with little to no experience.

However, that was not the case for Tori Meyer, a junior enrolled in the program.

“After high school, I went to cosmetology school and was a hairdresser for about four years, but just wasn’t making enough money,” she said. “So I got a part-time job working in a special education preschool classroom.”

Initially, Meyer only worked three-hour shifts as a way to earn a little extra cash. However, she quickly fell in love with the work and the students.

“I worked with children with autism. I learned how to teach children how to ask for the basics. Since the students I was working with were nonverbal, I learned some sign language and how to use communication devices,” she said. “I found myself wanting more. I wanted to be with the kids longer and learn from them too.”

After balancing her time between two jobs for a while, Meyer got her wish. She took a full-time position as a behavioral assistant in an emotional support classroom at a nearby elementary school. But instead of working with mostly nonverbal children as she had before, Meyer’s new classroom had students with acute behavioral health needs and emotional issues.

“It was a big learning curve to learn that the students that were physical or calling me names weren’t making a personal attack,” she recalled. “It was them putting up a defense mechanism because they’ve had a hard time learning who they can trust.”

Over the course of her career, Meyer has collected invaluable wisdom and is more than ready to take the next step in her career. She says the B.A. in Special Education program at Wilson College Online is serving an instrumental role in her transition from a paraprofessional to a fully certified teacher.

Wilson’s Self-Paced Structure: A Draw for Busy Students Like Meyer

When Meyer started searching for a degree program, she knew she would need one that offered her some flexibility. In fact, the asynchronous classes were exactly why Wilson’s program caught her eye in the first place.

“I liked that aspect of being able to go at my own pace,” she said. “I was working a full-time job, and I have a disabled mom, so I needed something extremely flexible.”

However, when Meyer enrolled, Wilson didn’t yet offer its B.A. in Special Education program online. Instead, she enrolled in the online B.A. in Early Childhood Education program, because it fit her scheduling needs and offered a curriculum that would give her a good foundation for going through more special education-focused training later.

During that time, Meyer made the decision to complete some of her general education requirements. Even though they weren’t specific to her career, she found these classes to be profoundly impactful and meaningful.

“My creative writing class really pushed me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “On one assignment, you had to tell a story about something that happened in your life, but you couldn’t write a paper. I did a podcast about my mom having a stroke when I was 16. It was just really beautiful, and I have it downloaded on my phone.”

“I will always remember that professor and that class.”

Meaningful Learning Opportunities and Career-Focused Skills

After Meyer had been enrolled at Wilson for about a year, the school began offering the online B.A. in Special Education program. With the help of the student resources team, Meyer made a quick and seamless transition. 

Once she got started, she found that the program wouldn’t just help her pursue new roles, it also would help her build skills she could use immediately.

For instance, in her Creating Effective Classroom Cultures class, Meyer learned about the many ways trauma can affect students in the classroom. She also learned about the adverse childhood experience (ACE) questionnaire, a tool for quantifying trauma in students and determining what services they might need.

“I was able to use that and reflect on some of the kids that I work with at school,” Meyer said. “One text I had to read for that class was Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom, which is a text I would recommend to any educator. It highlighted several components about trauma that I believe all educators should know.”

Student Teaching Experience

The next pivotal step in Meyer’s time at Wilson will be when she starts her student teaching around August 2026. Even though she already has plenty of hands-on experience in special education, she said student teaching will broaden her skills and knowledge in important ways.

“I would like to have a more hands-on experience with the programs that are run in autistic support classrooms,” she said. “As a paraprofessional, you only get to see the IEPs at a glance, whereas being a teacher, you get to see students’ full IEPs and the goals that they’re working towards. You also get to collaborate with IEP members such as speech, occupational, and physical therapists as well as parents.”

Individualized education programs (IEPs) are legal documents that outline what services and accommodations a student needs to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. They’re especially important in special education classrooms, and, as a teacher, Meyer will have a more direct role in creating them and carrying them out.

Get the Support You Need to Make a Difference

From its enriching classes to its self-paced structure, Wilson College Online’s B.A. in Special Education program provides Tori Meyers with a lot to love. More than anything else, though, she enjoys the level of support she gets from her professors and beyond.

“Throughout my time at Wilson, I have definitely utilized the tutors on more than one occasion and the writing center,” she said. “And my student resource ladies—they have been super great to work with.”

For aspiring students who aren’t sure if they can add earning a degree to their current responsibilities, Meyer said these resources can make an enormous difference.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it this far. I couldn’t have pursued this dream without the support of my fiancé, family, and friends,” she said, noting how difficult it can be to be a working student and a caregiver to a loved one. “My advice would be to not be afraid to ask for help. There are resources, and I’ve never not had someone answer me.”

To find out how the community at Wilson College Online can help you begin or advance in your career in special education, request more information today.

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