"Every child is very precious to me. I still remember the interest, favourite thing or desires of all the students I worked with.” - said Tamar Kavelidze, a successful special teacher at Tbilisi Schools 143 and 22, who is convinced that without active communication with parents and teachers, it will be extremely difficult to see positive results.

At first, Tamar Kavelidze was a psychologist and then a behavioural therapist in one of the clinics. It was at this time that she discovered the special education master's program and became even more interested and motivated in the process of continuing her studies in this field.

"I found that special education is much more interesting than the profession of a psychologist or behavioural therapist, and I have been working in this field for 6 years now. It gives me the greatest happiness to see my students grow, and the fact that I can make this little contribution in their lives. Although special teachers often face many difficulties, I still do not regret my choice. I think there is no more suitable profession for me.

In my opinion, distance learning was a big challenge for all teachers, especially special teachers. It is difficult to adapt to the new reality quickly and efficiently. It was very difficult for me, especially in the integrated classroom, because the main force in this case was the parents. Without them it was simply impossible to achieve any visible outcomes. It was relatively easy to go through these processes in the resource room. I hope that from next school year, the issue of switching to online teaching format will no longer be on the agenda” - stated the teacher.

Tamar Kavelidze believes that the high qualification of a teacher is very important. A teacher must have both theoretical and practical experience. Children’s love or hard work alone is not enough to accurately assess a student’s needs, what type of intervention is needed, and what activities to select.

"Despite my experience, I always have the feeling that I need to do something more, know more, work more with children and with myself. Before I decide, what to do with the student, I think a lot, I often change tasks if I see the need for it, I also ask the opinion of another specialist" - said Tamar Kavelidze, who was awarded the status of Senior Special Teacher in 2021 due to special master's education.

Tamar Kavelidze advises colleagues to be confident in their own and the student's strengths, because without it nothing will come out: “It is important to believe that what you do will really have a positive outcome.

"All of us must excel and work hard in this field, because this is an area where if you stop, do not constantly develop, do not learn something new, do not get acquainted with new approaches, you will not be able to work as needed and as a student need. Everything is constantly changing and if you do not keep up with the innovation, you will see that you can no longer work, you no longer know what to do in a particular situation” – stated the special teacher.