My name is Melanie Ross.  I have lived in Vanceboro, NC for the past 18 years.  I attended Craven County Schools as a student and have thoroughly enjoyed teaching in the Craven County School System.  

I attended East Carolina University where I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Special Education: Adapted Curriculum. I then attended East Carolina University and received my Masters in Special Education: Low-Incidence Disabilities and a certificate in Assistive Technology in 2011.  

I have been teaching students with disabilities for the past 8 years.  My dream job was to work with children who were unable to communicate their wants and needs in ways poeple typically do (verbally) and find a way to let them use their voice.  One of the goals in my classroom is to provide my students with lessons and activities that focus on increasing their independent skills.  In this classroom we focus on academic skills (math, reading, writing), communication skills (verbal, visual, gestures), functional skills (bathroom, eating, manners) and sensory integration.  

As a class, we focus on each student's abilities, not their disability.