Presbyterian College special education professor inspires students to make a change
Dr. Tammy Graham has been with Presbyterian College since Fall of 2021, having joined the education department to coordinate the creation of the new special education major..
Prior to coming to PC, she taught as a professor in the Teacher Education Division of the Citadel for 13 years and served as program coordinator during her last few years there. Before that, she worked in public education for 17 years, serving in various capacities.
Beyond her professional experience, however, teaching has been a central part of Graham’s life for as long as she can remember.
A natural calling
Graham began teaching piano lessons at age 14, through which she began working with a young girl who she noticed had a harder time picking things up during lessons.
“I think that led to me wanting to work with learners with exceptionalities because, despite how I would teach her, she was having difficulty learning,” she said. “Finding the perfect strategies to help her learn was like solving a complex jigsaw puzzle.”
When she entered high school, teachers took notice of her natural propensity to teach others and began asking her to work with other students who had learning difficulties.
As the youngest of four siblings, she became an aunt at an early age, which led to her acting as a teacher figure to her nieces and nephews.
“It just felt like a natural thing to me,” she said. “I think it’s just always been something that I’ve always done and always loved.”
I think my students – current, former, and future – will be making good decisions and doing some wonderful things in the world.”
Dr. Tammy Graham, Professor of Education
New beginnings
When Graham was presented with the opportunity to come to PC, she felt that it was the perfect fit, in a variety of ways.
“I was excited because they had just started the special education major, which is my background,” she said. “And I loved the small campus because it’s important to me to get to know my students, and I think that’s difficult to do at a large institution.”
One aspect of the college that stood out to Graham was Presby First+, the first generation program on campus.
As a first-generation student herself, coming from a hardworking family and having grown up in a rural farming community in Alabama, Graham understands how challenging navigating college can be, and how important it is to make sure first gen students are being supported.
“My siblings and I are first-generation high school graduates, and I’m a first-generation college graduate, so it was attractive to me that PC works with first-gen students and provides extra support, because I was kind of on my own a little bit when I went to college,” she said. “My parents were very supportive, but they hadn’t experienced college, so they just didn’t know what to expect.”
Excitement for the future
When Graham thinks back on nearly five years at PC so far, one of the things she values most is building relationships with her students and playing a role in helping them become the best future educators they can be.
Naturally, she couldn’t be more excited for the new students that the coming years will bring to the special education major.
“I always tell my students, ‘make good decisions. I don’t want to read your name in the paper unless it’s something good,’” she said. “I think my students – current, former, and future – will be making good decisions and doing some wonderful things in the world.”
