Amanda Madison is a somewhat new face we should expect to see around Griffith High School this school year. 

Ms. Madison previously taught at Griffith High School for six years before leaving to Beiriger Elementary in 2019, right as the COVID-19 outbreak began. She taught there for six years before returning to Griffith as a special education teacher. Her decision to come back was influenced by the fact her daughters are students here. 

In fact, Madison graduated from Griffith High School before going to college at Purdue Northwest. She then got a degree in elementary teaching, but when looking for jobs, she was met with few opportunities. She then returned to get her master’s degree in special education and is now a special education teacher. 

Madison, however, has not always taught in the district. She worked through a company called Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative (NISEC) which placed her in many districts across Lake County throughout her career. 

Madison said it is important people become special education teachers because “everybody’s good at something and everybody’s bad at something, so we need to help people just try their best,” which is also why she enjoys teaching special education.  

Recently, Griffith has had their special education students moving throughout the building during the day. Madison thinks this is good because “everyone should be aware that there’s differences everywhere, and when kids are out of school, they’re not shocked about seeing someone who may be a bit different from them.”