After graduating from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, Phelan wasn't quite sure what her next step looked like. She knew she wanted to work with students with disabilities, but decided to gain practical experience first. She took a job as a nanny for a child with disabilities in the DMV area, spending two years as an au pair for a 16-year-old autistic, non-speaking teenager, supporting her as a communication and regulation partner and homeschool teacher.

"That experience completely reshaped my passion and interest for inclusive education," she says. It was also through that role that she met an AU alumna who encouraged her to look into the Baker School. She did, and one thing stood out immediately: the program's combination of licensure and extensive hands-on field experience. "I found that was unique compared to many other programs I looked at," she says.

That hands-on component turned out to be the heart of her experience in the Master of Arts in Teaching program with a concentration in special education learning disabilities. For the past year, Phelan has been teaching sixth-grade English, literature, math, and history at McLean School in Potomac, Maryland — a school built around the Abilities Model® where every student has some type of learning challenge, which centers students' strengths rather than leading with deficits. Class sizes are small, instruction is highly individualized.

"Being in a real classroom every day gave me the opportunity to connect theory to actual life experiences in a way that reading and coursework alone simply cannot," she says. Learning to conduct functional behavioral assessments, design reading interventions, and apply evidence-based practices became meaningful in an entirely new way when she could try them out with real students the very next day. "It created this incredible link between my coursework and my classroom that kept me constantly curious and motivated."

The program also pushed her to grow in ways she didn't anticipate. Completing the degree on the accelerated 12-month track while teaching full-time was demanding, but shaped her into a more reflective educator. "I became much more intentional about scaffolding, classroom structure, and how I design instruction to ensure access for all learners," she says. "I became a better observer of my students, and that has made me a better teacher."

The community she found at AU added another dimension to that growth. Classmates who were navigating the same balance of teaching and studying became a genuine support system — people to share hard days with, celebrate wins alongside, and trade advice with in real time.

For anyone considering the program, Phelan's message is direct: "AU has been incredibly supportive throughout, and the professors genuinely care about helping you find your footing and your identity as a teacher. If you're drawn to this work, trust that instinct."