As an SISD Teacher Consultant Molly Horwath supports about 30 deaf and hard-of-hearing students in school districts throughout Saginaw County.
"I like supporting students to learn how to communicate," Molly said. "It’s rewarding to use a variety of play and real-life situations to provide opportunities for students to gain confidence in expressing their feelings and emotions."
Molly’s expertise and kind manner have not only lifted up the lives of her students, but also many of their family members as well.
Recently, Molly was instrumental in helping a bilingual family discover for the first time their young kindergartner was struggling with severe hearing loss, not a language issue. So, for 18 months, she has been working with this student and her family to acquire new communication skills, learn about deafness, and better understand the deaf culture.
Because the student has an American Sign Language interpreter from her home district (Saginaw Township Community Schools) who is with her when she is in her kindergarten class, Molly's focus is on bridging the gap between school and home.
It all works!
"Molly has taken it upon herself to connect with this family to help them communicate and care for their daughter," said Chelsea Korzecki, special education supervisor at the Saginaw ISD. "But that’s Molly. Somehow she always finds a way to go above and beyond the job description.”
Ms. Horwath is just one of the over 370 individuals at the Saginaw ISD who support students with special needs in our local school districts across Saginaw County.