2011
Award Winners
Nicole J. Gorton
Ortiz de Dominguez, Chicago
Preschool and Kindergarten Special Education
Watch Nicole on the WGN News segment about the 2011 winners.
Watch Nicole on CBS2 News .
Nicole Gorton says a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum disorder doesn't mean the end of hope—for either the student or the student's family. Gorton’s quiet confidence and endless well of enthusiasm enable her to maintain high expectations for her students and their families, earning her a 2011 Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Award.
Gorton, a special education teacher who works with children with Autism in the preschool/kindergarten program at Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez Elementary in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, attributes the open-mindedness of the leadership and staff at the school for affirming her belief that all children can learn.
“There is openness about Autism at the school,” Gorton said, and almost whispers as she timidly takes credit for her role in making that happen. “Instead of focusing on their child’s limitations, we teach families about their child’s possibilities.”
Gorton’s low-key approach plays out daily in her school, where together with her team they pay special attention to children’s sensory experience. They speak in soft voices and let pictures assist them in the instruction and empowerment of their students. Gorton’s implementation of a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to guide and support her students' understanding of assignments, enhance their ability to establish a routine, give them a means to communicate, and realize ambitious goals. The pictures reinforce her philosophy that all children, with the right tools, can follow the rules; adherence to them wins over exceptions. This school year, administrators praised Gorton’s ability to implement the communication tools beyond her classroom. The laminated picture charts have now moved into arts, science, and gym classes throughout the building, helping her students navigate their way into other classrooms, and assisting teachers’ ability to communicate with these students. Gorton’s exceptional contributions within the early childhood program inspired Chicago Public Schools to expand the Autism program to first and second grade at Ortiz de Dominguez; the parents, whose children will not have to transition to another school, are thrilled.
Gorton said being nominated was like “getting two gold stars. It feels good to be recognized. Teaching is hard work and special education is especially tough. It pulls at your heart strings sometimes and you feel like you are up against the world. That stress causes some people to burn out, but for me, I focus on the positives and the possibilities.”
Gorton credits her teaching work in special education to another teacher. As a senior in high school, Gorton joined a teaching cadet program; the teaching-mentor, Kathleen Scott, placed her in a neighboring elementary school special education classroom.
“I was the only one who volunteered for special education,” Gorton said. Scott went on to help her attend Grand Valley University in Michigan, where she earned her B.S. in psychology, with an emphasis in special education and a minor in elementary education. Currently, Gorton is simultaneously working on her ESL endorsement at the University of Illinois Chicago and her masters in early childhood at Northeastern Illinois University.
“I knew since I could talk that I wanted to be a teacher,” Gorton said. “I wanted to do something important.”