For Logan Dicharry, becoming a special education teacher was not part of a carefully mapped-out career plan. Instead, it began with a colleague who recognized a strength in her that she had not yet seen in herself.
While completing her teacher residency, Dicharry worked with students in a variety of classrooms. A colleague noticed how naturally she connected with special education students and encouraged her to consider pursuing that area of teaching.
That conversation changed the direction of Dicharry’s career.
“She must have seen something in me that I hadn’t yet recognized in myself,” Dicharry said. “She opened my eyes to a side of education that I had never imagined for myself.”
Today, after nine years in education, Dicharry said she knows special education is exactly where she was meant to be.
Dicharry, who teaches at R.J. Vial Elementary School, was recently named her school’s Teacher of the Year. She said the honor was meaningful because it showed that her coworkers recognized the dedication, love and effort she gives her students each day.
“My school family saw things in me that I sometimes struggled to see in myself,” she said. “They lifted me up and reminded me of the positive impact I have made.”
Originally from Bogalusa, Dicharry moved with her family to Montz when she was in high school. She attended Baton Rouge Community College before transferring to Southeastern Louisiana University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 2016. She later completed an alternate teacher certification program through the Louisiana Resource Center for Educators.
Teaching was a natural fit for Dicharry, who grew up watching her mother work as an educator for 30 years. She often helped her mother prepare her classroom and saw firsthand the difference she made every day.
Dicharry also spent time working at summer camps, helping with her mother’s art camps and taking on leadership roles in school organizations.
“I have always enjoyed helping others,” she said. “Teaching has allowed me to fulfill my passion for helping others, giving back and making a positive difference in the lives of my students.”
Dicharry said one of the most common misconceptions about special education is that qualifying for services or receiving an individualized education program, commonly known as an IEP, is something parents should fear.
She said some parents initially feel overwhelmed, embarrassed or uncertain when they learn their child qualifies for services. Dicharry instead encourages families to view an IEP as an opportunity to provide a child with individualized instruction, accommodations and additional support.
“An IEP creates a dream team of people who are all working toward the same goal — helping their child succeed,” she said.
That team may include teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, specialists, administrators and family members.
Dicharry said progress may not always occur as quickly as families or teachers hope, but every step forward deserves recognition.
“Progress is still progress,” she said. “Every small step forward is a victory, and those are the moments we celebrate the most.”
Those victories are also the most rewarding part of Dicharry’s work.
She has watched students read a new word, solve a math problem independently, make a friend, communicate their feelings and accomplish goals they once believed were beyond their abilities.
“When the light bulb moment goes off and they feel so confident, it is an amazing feeling,” she said. “Those moments may seem small to others, but they represent tremendous growth.”
Some of Dicharry’s proudest professional moments have come when others have expressed an interest in following her path.
After completing her mentor teacher certification, she had the opportunity to work with a resident teacher. Dicharry said she was able to share her experiences while also learning from the future educator.
In another full-circle moment, one of Dicharry’s former fifth-grade students enrolled in an Educators Rising course and returned to R.J. Vial to work with Dicharry and her paraprofessional.
The former student was considering becoming a special education teacher.
“Watching a former student return and want to follow a similar path in education was such a special full-circle moment,” Dicharry said. “It reminded me of the impact teachers can have on their students and how meaningful those relationships truly are.”
This year, Dicharry hopes to continue building what she calls a “dream team” around each student.
Her greatest goal is to maintain strong communication among everyone involved in a child’s education, particularly the child’s parents and family.
“When we all work together, support each other, show respect and keep the student’s best interest at the center of everything we do, we can help each child grow and reach their full potential,” she said.