Story by Steve Nash – Special Contributor to BrownwoodNews.com

Kristin Pattillo didn’t have to look far to find inspiration to become a life skills teacher.

That inspiration came from her son.

Pattillo, who graduated from Regis University in Denver with a degree in sociology, teaches life skills at Early Elementary School.

Pattillo explained:

“I have a son with autism who was diagnosed with Asperger’s when he was young. I just saw firsthand the challenges that the families face, like navigating the education system. I just saw the difference that the compassionate, dedicated teachers made in his life and the challenges of the teachers that didn’t really understand him.

“Those experiences really shaped the teacher I wanted to become, so when he graduated, I went back and got my alternative certificate and became a teacher. I just wanted to be the kind of teacher that I had hoped that he would have had. I just feel like every child deserves someone that believes in them and can focus on what they can do instead of what they can’t do.”

Pattillo, who was named Teacher of the Month in April at Early Elementary, is entering her 17th year in education. After teaching previously at Early Primary School, she is beginning her second year at Early Primary.

“I was at the primary for seven years and I just followed my same class over to the elementary last year,” Pattillo said.

Pattillo, who is from Odessa, graduated from Permian High School in 1984 and went on to Regis University, a small, private liberal arts school.

Even though Pattillo did not set out initially to become a teacher, she knew she wanted to work with the special needs population. After leaving college, she went to work for the Mental Health Mental Retardation Association in Houston.

“I did recreational therapy activities for the adult population and after that, I just stayed at home with my kids,” Pattillo said. “I became a recreational therapist, kind of part-time. Then I worked in the group home setting.

“ What I joked about was, I felt like I was at the school most of the time advocating for (my son) and I thought, well, I might as well become a teacher and I just love it. I’ve stayed in the life skills area the whole time. I just wouldn’t do anything else.”

Pattillo taught in two East Texas school districts, then taught in Colorado on a grant program. She next moved to Wyoming. “So I had (teaching) certificates in three different states,” Pattillo said.

Pattillo explained how she ended up in the Early ISD.

“I was divorced, and then I reconnected with like my high school sweetheart (Tim Pattillo) on Facebook,” Pattillo said. “He lived in Brownwood. We had grown up together in Odessa. So he brought me to Brownwood from Cody, Wyoming, which was quite … I’m a Texas girl, but it was still quite a shock to go from there to here.

“He passed away two years ago. This is still home, and my family is in Texas, too. My kids are kind of spread out.”

Pattillo explained what she loves about teaching life skills, which includes watching the kids grow and reach milestones that others might overlook.

“Some of them came in completely non-verbal, and they’re just using a new word to communicate or becoming more independent, using a daily life skill or just gaining confidence,” Pattillo said. “We just celebrate the milestones that people take for granted, just anything that helps them be more independent.

“They don’t just learn through academics, it’s through experiences, opportunities to be a part of the school community. One of the things I love most about the elementary is, the kids are so kind to them. They go to P.E. with them. They go to music with them. They eat with them. These kids help them and they even play football with them at recess. They cheer them on.”

Pattillo said there was a time when her life skills students didn’t talk to anyone or look up at anyone.

“Just seeing those moments where it brought smiles to your face … they were just embraced in school,” Pattillo continued. “Because I was a mom on the other side, I can relate to the parents too and try to help them navigate things and encourage them.”

Pattillo said her students remind her every day to “celebrate the little things and just never give up.”

She said in her job, “you’ve just got to able to go with the flow and just be able to have a big bag of tricks … you’ve got to have a backup and another backup because anything can go down in one day.”

Pattillo said her students’ families become an extension of her own family.

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BrownwoodNews.com will highlight one Brown County educator per day in the month of July, based on nominations received on our Facebook page, for our Teacher Feature series.