#30Seconds In-Depth: Get to Know Renee Herren, Tribe Member & Twitter Chat Coordinator! by Elisa Schmitz

We were thrilled to welcome 30Seconds contributor Renee Herren as our featured #30Seconds Twitter chat guest! Renee is a busy wife, mom, special education teacher and now Twitter Chat Coordinator for 30Seconds.

As we all know, teachers are the real MVPs. Renee shared with us a bit about what it's like to teach special education, and how you can support your child’s teacher. She also talked about the hot trend of  rock painting, and what a rock painting group can do for you. And, Renee also shared what she'll be doing as our Twitter Chat Coordinator and her growing role at 30Seconds!

Q: Tell us about you! Please share a little about your family, occupation and your interests!

My husband and I have been married for almost 17 years. I am one of those lucky gals who married her high school sweetheart. We met on the school bus and the rest was history! My husband is a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq. After the Army he decided to do something completely different (which brought us to Virginia) and now works for the largest single-site heated greenhouses in the U.S.

I am a momma to a pretty awesome 13-year-old. My son keeps me busy with his interest in spiders (he wants to be an arachnologist), creating stop motion videos, building WWI and WWII models (aka big messes), and adventuring in the woods!

This is my 13th year as a special education teacher. I have experience teaching in both self-contained and resource settings. I have the privilege of working with and learning from some of the most awesome children ever.

One of my interests is painting and hiding rocks. Yes, I paint and hide rocks for fun! Since joining my local rock painting group I have been able to serve my community in ways I would have never imagined and I have also made some great friends, too!

A1: I am a momma to a pretty awesome 13 year old. My son keeps me busy with his interest in #spiders (he wants to be an arachnologist), creating stop motion videos, building WWI and WWII models (aka big messes), and adventuring in the woods! #30seconds @herrenrenee #mom #son pic.twitter.com/naCvwySwjj

— Renee (@HerrenRenee) April 12, 2018

Q: Tell us more about teaching children with disabilities. What are some positives and challenges that you experience each day?

As I mentioned before, I work with and learn from some of the greatest kids. I can’t begin to explain how magical it is to see children transform and blossom as they learn! I not only learn from students each day but also from my colleagues! Teachers work hard and are always evolving to meet the needs of students. In my position, I spend time with teachers across grade levels. I learn something new from them every day!

My biggest challenges include time and resources. I have a limited amount of time to accomplish my learning outcomes. Also, resources are hard to come by. I have to search for and create quality instructional materials to meet my students’ needs.

Must be very rewarding! #30Seconds

— Beth DiMauro (@BethDimauro) April 12, 2018

I volunteer in the recourse room at my daughters school and it constantly warms my heart. - #30Seconds

— Queen Andriah ❤️ (@peabody_andrea) April 12, 2018

Q: What can parents do to support their child’s teacher?

• Presume that your child’s teacher has your child’s best interests in mind. Be open to input.
• Keep the lines of communication open. Be sure to let your child’s teacher know the best way to communicate with you. Keep your phone numbers and email addresses updated! 
• Lend a hand. Parents are busy; You might not be able to physically volunteer in your child’s classroom but you can help in other ways. Just ask your child’s teacher how you can best support him or her!
• If you are able to, buy what is on the supply list. Yes. I promise … your child will need and use all 396 million glue sticks!

Good to know, thank you! The school has been so helpful. I just always wish there was more I could do to assist them, so this is super helpful! ❤️ #30Seconds

— Lori Leal (@LoriLeal1) April 12, 2018

Q: You mentioned that one way you serve your community is by participating in your local rock painting group. Tell us more about this and how we can get involved!

It really is simple: Paint a rock, hide a rock and someone will unexpectedly find your rock! I have heard so many stories about how finding a simple rock completely changed a person’s day for the better!

I've seen my local community come together in amazing ways. Our local group has provided painting parties and rocks for business events, museums, and other special causes. Currently, our group is getting ready to help a local Make-A-Wish event! There are rock groups all over! If you search for one in your area, you will find one! If there isn’t one, I encourage you to start one! The overall message for most groups is to spread kindness to others.

@NicoleDeAvilla @HerrenRenee #30seconds 🙋🏻♀️ Raising my hand with a question. I have a few rocks to paint, but there’s one we’ve called the Dinosaur Egg for the last 40 years.... it’s bigger than a basketball. pic.twitter.com/8yIlrjSRyc

— Rachel Lewter (@toomuch4ne1) April 12, 2018

Q: Tell us about your new role as the Twitter Chat Coordinator at #30Seconds! What does a Twitter Chat Coordinator do?

To be honest, I'm still learning! When I was approached about this position, I was reluctant because it’s in an area I've never worked in before. I am not one to pass up an opportunity to learn and grow though so I decided to take a chance!

First and foremost, my job is to help find guests for our weekly chats and help them through the process of having a successful chat. My job is to organize! As a professional data collector (special education teacher), I am skilled in taking information and documents and organizing them so they are easy to find, update and use! 

This might be boring to some, but I think it’s fun! Once a guest is scheduled, I send info about the process and answer any questions a guest might have. Before joining the 30Seconds team, I never knew how much time was spent on ensuring a quality experience for the guests and also YOU, our wonderful 30seconds tribe!

I think it's very fun. Organization is key in every aspect of life, so yours is a very important job! #30Seconds

— Lori Leal (@LoriLeal1) April 12, 2018

It has been fun so far! I am excited to be a part of such a wonderful #tribe! #30seconds

— Renee (@HerrenRenee) April 12, 2018

Be sure to follow @HerrenRenee and read her 30Seconds tips!