Informational Interview- Stephanie Sentas

For my Informational Interview, I selected Stephanie Sentas. I wanted to interview someone

who worked as a teacher or in special education because I have always had an interest in pursuing a
profession in that area. Mrs. Sentas is a member of my mother’s Bible study, and I was delighted to have
the opportunity to interview her. Through our discussion, my eyes were opened to the many different
aspects and challenges that her job entails. Mrs. Sentas works with the Exceptional Children (EC)
program at East Mooresville Intermediate School. Mrs. Sentas serves as a teacher for a wide variety of
students, but after our conversation I found that her role includes much more than just teaching.

As a part of her job, Mrs. Sentas works with three different groups of students. Her first group of
students are those who struggle with certain subjects. These students may not have learning disabilities,
but still require assistance with certain topics. The second group of students she works with are those
who need additional resources in order to learn. These students have disabilities that make it hard for
them to learn in a traditional classroom setting, so they are put in an environment where they can learn.
The last group of students are those whose disabilities cause them to learn at a very slow rate. Mrs.
Sentas works with 4th through 6th grade students, but some of these children are learning at the level of
a 1st grader. Mrs. Sentas also has paperwork and weekly meetings to discuss with students and parents.
One of her biggest challenges has been people who do not understand the rights of these students and
teachers. In certain cases, she has had to bring in lawyers to settle these difficult situations. Mrs. Sentas
described how she has had to adjust to these challenges and accept them as a part of her profession.
After discussing what her job entails, I understood that this job requires a great amount of care for the
students. Mrs. Sentas not only cares about teaching them, but also wants to make sure that they are
getting the equal treatment that they deserve.

Another key insight that I learned from my discussion with Mrs. Sentas is the role that faith plays
in her work. Mrs. Sentas said that her faith plays a huge role in interactions with her students. First, she
finds it important to show love to all her students. Mrs. Sentas said that this is not very hard to do
because these students bring so much joy to her life. She also noted the importance of understanding
that we are all created equally by God. Despite the disabilities that these students have, they are a part
of God’s creation and loved by Him. Another unique aspect of her role is that she can share her beliefs
with these students. Many of them will ask her questions such as, “Do you know Jesus?” Since the
discussion is student initiated, she has the opportunity to share her faith. Mrs. Sentas said that this has
even opened the door for spreading the gospel to her coworkers. This was encouraging for me to hear
because even in a public-school setting, Mrs. Sentas has been able to share the good news with others.

After this interview, I will follow up with Mrs. Sentas and thank her for being able to talk with
me. I had a wonderful conversation with her and want to express my gratitude for the insight she
provided. This interview also taught me about my own communicator skills. When having a professional
phone conversation, it is important to speak clearly and actively listen. There were several times when I
would ask a question and then ask smaller follow up questions based on her response. By doing so, I was
able to gain a greater understanding of the information being given. I also learned that giving positive
feedback and showing an interest opened the door for deeper conversation. By the end of our
interview, Mrs. Sentas seemed comfortable and even gave me tips for exploring my own career! I
learned a lot about Mrs. Sentas through this interview, but also gained a greater understanding about
myself as a communicator.