Special teacher has special talent for special kids
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY Staff writer

Steve Callaway, longtime WISD teacher, has many fond memories from his days in the classroom. Callaway taught resource and life skills classes at WHS.

If Steve Callaway is in the room the smiles are on. It just can't be helped. He's that kind of guy.

This 36-year education veteran has brought a great deal of joy to students, faculty, parents and the community.

Callaway and his wife Martha met at Bellaire High School in Houston. They went to church and school together and even went away to college at Stephen F. Austin State College together. They both studied to become teachers and married in 1965.

Callaway's classroom experience began in Crockett ISD, continued through La Porte and on to Whitehouse ISD. He served in supervisory positions in Tyler ISD and Canton in the office of the Van Zandt County Co-op.

His classrooms were never what one would call ordinary. But neither were his students. Callaway teaches special education. He dedicated his teaching career to helping these extraordinary students blossom into happy and selfsufficient adults.

He spent all of his Whitehouse classroom years at the high school teaching resource and life skills classes.

"Resource classes taught everything needed for school," Callaway said. "Life skills is just what it sounds like, the skills needed to live your life."

Whether it was cooking or doing laundry, learning took place. Callaway says the day-to-day challenges that these kids face, simple tasks, can be dealt with and taught.

"My kids are just kids," Callaway said. "We are all 'special needs' in one way or another."

He and Becka Gee created the life skills program. He designed the special ed classroom at the current high school to be self-contained and functional for his students. The life skills program that took him and his students and aides to Wal Mart and Target was designed to train students to work with other employees, employers and the customers.

"It was about socialization, real-life mainstreaming," Callaway said. "And we had some real success stories to come from this opportunity."

Callaway beamed as he shared stories of several students who have gone on to work for Wal Mart as full-time employees.

While at WHS, Callaway said he achieved a balance by being the faculty sponsor of the Key Club. This was his chance to interact and get to know the other students on campus.

"One of the greatest honors I ever received was in 1994 when I was named as teacher of the year for the high school and for the entire district," Callaway said. "Martha was also honored as teacher of the year at Cain that year. As far as I know we are the only 'couple' to have ever received the award in the same year."

Mrs. Callaway taught Kindergarten at Cain Elementary.

"I really had a lot of fun in the classroom," Callaway said. "It was just the place I was meant to be."

"Someone else I am really proud of is Cindy Nutt," Callaway said. "She worked with me as an aide and during those years, she discovered her natural talent and heart for working with these special students. Cindy went back to school and got her degree and now is the Life Skills teacher at the junior high."

Retirement from teaching came in 2002, but that didn't take them out of the classroom forever. Steve has returned off and on as a substitute and even as assistant principal at the WISD alternative education campus.

Baseball umpire, Henr y Marsh Bell Masonic Lodge member, Sharon Temple Shriner clown and of course Santa, these are all synonyms for Steve Callaway. And who can forget all those summers in the pool teaching almost every kid in Whitehouse to swim. He's even taken on a few "adult" students over the years.

Callaway spends as much time as possible now with his grown children and grandsons. Scott, Melissa, Parker and Finn live in the Austin area where Scott works for Dell. Daughter, Stacey is in Lewisville where she works with autistic students and their parents and teachers.

Ser ving as a par t of the Stephen Ministry, Callaway finds time to give counsel to other men during times when they just need someone to talk to. He said this is a confidential ministry through the church community and reaches across the bounds of denomination and offers an ear for listening and a heart for compassion.

Patience ... there must be tons of that under his tough exterior. There is certainly lots and lots of love in the heart that beats within this man who has given so much to his fellow man.

Above all, he's a barrel of laughs and brings fun to everything he does.