“Seeing the Pure Emotion” of Learning is a “Privilege”
After 25 years as a physical education teacher, this year Kirsten Birge went back to school herself, in order to support and assist her special education students in a new way. While working toward licensure, she has moved from the gymnasium to the classroom; from being an adapted physical education teacher, to a role as a multiple disabilities teacher.
“I am extremely passionate about people with disabilities being as independent as possible,” she says. “I am so thankful that the stars aligned at a time when I was searching for career growth opportunities and the students needed a teacher.”
Birge, a teacher at Bull Run Elementary School, started her path to becoming a special education teacher when she was just a few years older than the students she teaches today. In high school, she and her best friend met a mother and her children one day on a walk. The mother asked the girls if they were interested in playing with the kids after school a few days a week while she prepared dinner and did some cleaning. One of those children had Down syndrome. Although she’d always wanted to be a teacher, working with this family “had an incredible impact on my choosing special education specifically in my teaching career,” she says. Her best friend also became a special education teacher.
She earned her masters degree in adapted physical education from the University of Virginia, where she also met her husband, Morgan Birge, principal of Bonnie Brae Elementary School. Morgan had graduated from Lake Braddock Secondary School. The couple wanted to live in Fairfax County because of the suburban lifestyle and the reputation of FCPS. Birge started her teaching career with FCPS in 1997 as a general physical education teacher. In 2000, she became an adapted physical education teacher, a job she enjoyed for 22 years.
“I had a variety of leadership duties over the years and always enjoyed challenging myself in order to grow both professionally and personally,” Birge says. “During my last two years in adapted PE, I found myself wanting even more opportunities for continued growth.”
Birge worked with the students in the enhanced autism classroom. The classroom had frequent turnover in staff in recent years, including at the end of last school year. “I knew that this wasn’t what was best for students,” she says. She felt compelled to work with them on a larger scale.
She approached Jason Pensler, principal of Bull Run, and explained how she wanted to challenge herself and was thinking about moving into a special education classroom role. “He was incredibly supportive,” she says. She began taking on additional classes needed for licensure. “I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity Mr. Pensler provided me,” she says. “I was able to jump in feet-first to this new position, because I felt confident that I had the resources at my disposal to be successful.”
In addition to the support of her principal, Birge credits an established network of educators in FCPS that she can count on for support if needed. Additionally, she says, FCPS has many resources available to support teachers in their work.
Birge is excited to watch her students learn new skills and become excited about their work at school. Working with them in the classroom, “I have learned so much more about my students and who they are as individuals,” she says. “Watching my students grow so much right alongside me has been the most rewarding part of my journey as their teacher.”
Although this year has been challenging, Birge says it has also been incredibly fulfilling. “If anyone is considering a career in special education, I would absolutely recommend it. It certainly will not be easy. There’s a lot of paperwork and data digging to be done. There are a lot of potential behaviors to work through.
“But when I close that door and we work together as a family in our classroom, there’s nothing like it. Watching the kids' faces light up when they find success and seeing the pure emotion on their faces is a privilege,” she says.
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