Fort Worth teacher wins $40,000 classroom makeover for special education students
FORT WORTH — Melissa Weiner, a special education teacher at Woodway Elementary School in Fort Worth ISD, has spent 15 years dedicated to her students. Her passion for their success is undeniable.
"They work harder than any other students, just to do the smallest steps," Weiner said. "Seeing them progress just fills me with joy."
When Weiner recently moved to Woodway Elementary, her new classroom was far from ideal.
"This room used to be a storage room," she said. "The substitute teacher went around the school looking for all the hand-me-down furniture they could get to make a classroom."
Her classroom, serving students from first to fifth grade, is filled with mismatched furniture that leaves some of her students struggling to get by.
"One of my students is in a wheelchair, but this is where she sits," Weiner said, pointing to a stable chair the student uses to pull herself to a desk. "Once we're there, her legs don't fit."
But a simple Facebook post changed everything.
Weiner discovered KI Furniture was offering $40,000 classroom makeovers to four teachers nationwide.
"I was like, 'Have you seen this? Vote, vote, vote!'" Weiner said, rallying her community.
To her surprise, she won the Western Region contest, beating out 500 other applicants.
She now has the opportunity to design a classroom tailored to her students' needs.
"So excited, I can't wait!" she exclaimed. "These kids are getting what they need."
Woodway Elementary Principal David Paraham said he's grateful for the community's support.
"The community really came together. Parents, teachers, everyone just really rallied behind her," Paraham said.
With the makeover, Melissa Weiner's classroom will no longer be a cobbled-together space but a haven for learning and growth in an environment her students deserve.
The makeover is expected to take place in the spring semester.
