Instructor Spotlight – Grace Holley, SOAR Program

Grace Holley, a West Palm native, came to FSU to study Music and Special Education and decided to stay. Her unwavering passion for music and deep desire to teach fueled her choice to pursue a double major. Her commitment to special education stems from her personal connection to her brother’s disability. This profound experience ignited her determination to support others like him.

She teaches Specialized Instruction, which her students say is the course designed to teach them “how to get a job and keep it.”

Grace’s primary role in teaching students with unique abilities is to empower them. She encourages them to identify their gifts and interests while demonstrating how to transform these into successful careers. Often underestimated, her students are frequently told what they cannot do. Grace’s mission is to change this narrative, enabling them to assert, ‘Yes, I can confidently.’

In the first semester of her class, she covers topics related to career exploration, including resume writing and interviewing skills. In the second semester, students engage in internships and receive guidance on how to secure and maintain their jobs.

How does she achieve this? That’s a great question. She utilizes an evidence-based approach in her classroom. She offers explicit instruction and uses a timesheet for student self-evaluation to track whether they meet professional expectations throughout the day.

Professional expectations are:

• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible
• Take Initiative
• Be Positive

At the end of the week, students deposit money into the classroom bank according to their timesheets. They use this money in the classroom economy to buy snacks and other items, but they also pay bills and purchase things that assist them in their career training, such as automotive models, nail kits, cosmetology kits, and more.

The students gain three valuable things: practical job experience, professionalism in the workplace, and a strengthened sense of self that assures them they can and will secure a job.

Grace emphasized that a foundation in professionalism is essential for helping our students achieve greater success in their careers and maintain employment. Professionalism is not merely a term but a collection of values and behaviors that she instills in her students. She asserts that employing uniquely skilled employees is not an act of charity, but rather an opportunity to hire individuals who may take longer to learn yet will be reliable, avoid cutting corners, and remain with a company.

She is always networking within our community, looking for business partners to participate in, and learning the benefits of hiring students like hers.

Grace inspires our students, their parents, and our staff at Lively. It’s no wonder she was awarded the Glenn Howell Distinguished Educator of the Year. Grace is making a difference in workforce development within our community and in the lives of students who dare to dream.

If you know of a business interested in partnering with Grace and our SOAR program, please feel free to contact holleyg1@leonschools.net.