One of the best benefits of the SpedUP program at Normandale is it provides the opportunity for students to earn a Special Education degree and learn in the classroom while working in the field. Past and current students see this as a great opportunity to learn and grow in the field and in the classroom.
Willie Green started working in St. Paul/Maplewood/Oakdale District 622 as a paraprofessional a little over four years ago. Six months into his time in the school district he was promoted to a Behavior Intervention Specialist. After working in Tartan High School for two years in that role, he was approached by the principal who told him about a great opportunity to work as a behavior specialist in the local middle school.
While working in that position, another piece fell into place when Green saw a story about the SpedUP program at Normandale on KARE-11’s website. The feature about a program that supported students who wanted to get into the Special Education field was exactly what he was looking for to go with his career.
“I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in education, but I wasn’t sure what my next step was,” said Green. “I saw the story on KARE-11, read through it and realized what the program offered. The goals matched up with what I wanted to do, so I enrolled in SpedUP.”
Green’s passion for working with kids came when he started coaching football. He played football at Rochester Community and Technical College when he was 19, but came back home when his son was born. His uncle got him into coaching football, and he has worked at all levels with different age groups in St. Paul, Bloomington and now at Skyview Middle School. He currently coaches a variety of sports at the middle school, and likes that it gives him the opportunity to interact with students in a variety of roles at the school.
During his time at the school district, Green has come to realize that working with middle school students is where he believes he can make the biggest impact.
“It is a great age to work with students because they are figuring out what they want to be, and you can help them avoid some of the mistakes and things they don’t want to do,” said Green. “I want to be a resource teacher or case manager, so I can help provide students the opportunities to be successful in school.”
Green gets some of what he wants to do in special education from his own life experiences. Mr. Wren was his first African-American teacher, and his resource teacher. Green credits Mr. Wren for helping him see a path he might want to take working with kids.
“Mr. Wren really helped me stay on track inside and outside of school,” said Green. “He was pushing me in the right direction all the time, and was the first African-American teacher I had seen in my life. When I started working with kids, I thought of the goals Mr. Wren achieved. It made think I want to do that for the students I work with.”
In his time with SpedUP, Green has enjoyed being part of a cohort of SpedUP students who are working in school districts throughout the Twin Cities. He also appreciated getting connected with people who were already working in the field.
“It is great to have people come from different districts or other walks of life to talk about their stories and what they are going through,” said Green. “Just hearing their experiences and understanding what I was going to go through and what they were doing helped. I related to hearing from other people in similar positions, and have made great connections for the future.”
Green feels like the combination of the work he is doing as a Behavior Intervention Specialist and going through this program has set himself up well for the future. He will be transferring to Minnesota State University, Mankato to continue his special education path in Fall 2026
“I always consider myself blessed to fall into this situation while I am working in the field, because it helps me match the assignments I am doing with my job,” said Green. “A lot of the things I learned in class I am doing at work on a daily basis. I have been able to apply it right away to become better at my job.”
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