Jason Lingard is closing in on his decade-long dream to teach in urban
public schools.
“Becoming a teacher in an urban setting will probably be the
happiest day of my life,” said Lingard, a North Minneapolis resident
who has been wheelchair-bound with cerebral palsy for most of his life. “I’ve
imagined it many times.”
After student teaching
and securing a Minnesota teaching license, Lingard will pursue
a teaching post, most likely in Minneapolis, St. Paul or surrounding
suburbs. He graduated in May with an elementary education degree
from Metropolitan State University’s College
of Professional Studies. He starts a student teaching assignment
in August.
“Jason is an inspiration,” said Rosa Fagundes, his Metropolitan
State academic advisor. “He projects resiliency and other positive
characteristics. He has a great sense of humor and creativity. He
knows how to listen. There is no doubt that Jason is an excellent
role model.”
Lingard, 31, had planned
to graduate from an Idaho university several years ago. But the
institution’s elementary education department
required him to complete physical and speech therapy before his senior
year student teaching assignment. “They gave me an ultimatum,” said
the Boise native. “But I thought it was very discriminatory.
I was just being realistic. My disability comes with speech delays
and that’s a problem that isn’t going to go away. The only
way to deal with it is to do the very best I can. Unfortunately, they
wouldn’t give me the benefit of the doubt.” Instead Lingard
left school.
He arrived in Minnesota with his wife in 2003. Three years later he
enrolled at Metropolitan State, where the Disability Services Office
helped him with accommodations including providing him extra test time,
note-taking help and other physical assistance.
As part of his Urban Teacher Program studies at Metropolitan State,
he assisted urban children improve their reading for a Minneapolis
after-school program. He also volunteered as an English as a Second
Language (ESL) instructor for Hmong youth at a Minneapolis elementary
school.
Lingard identifies with
the challenges many inner-city kids confront. “Some
people might see urban children from communities of color and automatically
label them as having a learning disability because of the lack of opportunities
arising from their circumstances,” he said. “With me, some
see my wheelchair first and automatically make assumptions about my
learning capabilities. It’s been a challenge…so I can
relate to them and the difficult challenges they might face, although
these challenges might not be the same.”
Lingard is grateful
friends and family refused to let him use his disability as a crutch. “Rather than feeling sorry for myself
and saying, ‘I can’t do this,’ I like to approach
an obstacle and say, ‘I can do this. I may have to do it differently,
but I can do it just like anybody else.’”
Lingard has a history of overcoming challenges. He graduated with
honors from his Boise high school and sang in the choir. An active
camper and downhill skier (he uses a mono-ski, which has a seat mounted
atop one wider ski), he joined an organization whose disabled members
enjoyed outdoor adventures. Lingard once testified before a U.S. House
of Representatives subcommittee in Washington, D.C., advocating that
persons with disabilities should have equal access to Idaho wilderness
camping areas.
Lingard, who works part-time
for the downtown Minneapolis Target Store, said he eagerly awaits
an opportunity to teach in front of his first urban classroom. “I’ve always wanted to help others and
give back,” he said. “Working with young children is
a great place to start. I hope they can benefit from seeing my positive
attitude and outlook on life and mold themselves into good people.”
Metropolitan State University,
a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system,
provides high-quality, affordable education programs for adults
seeking baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. It is the
only state university in the Twin Cities metropolitan area besides
the University of MN. ![end of story]()
This article was submitted by Metropolitan State University.
