LAMONI, Iowa – A special education teacher is making sure his students have a positive experience in the classroom, and one parent is especially grateful.

When teaching math, Dylan Lame always makes sure to add in a helping hand.

As the PK-12 Strat II Special Education teacher, Mr. Lame teaches all the core subjects to students of all ages with higher learning needs.

“Just seeing them getting better, even if it’s a little bit at a time. Just even that little bit at a time is a big growth for the students I work with,” Lame said. “But then there’s some where it’s a big leap. And that’s one of the reasons I enjoy my job because even the little gains are awesome, but the big gains are even more amazing.”

Freshman Jacen Fairsky is the oldest student in Mr. Lame’s classroom and has autism.

“I’m with him every day. Last year, I was with him every day, all day,” Lame reflected. “So we really, really connected between the last two years because I was always working with him and we kinda just hit it off.”

A bond that Jacen’s mom says has made a huge difference in his school experience.

“Previous years from different school district, my son comes home and he shut down. He’s quiet. How was your day? There’s no response,” Amber Fairbanks, Jacen’s mom, said. “To now it’s like… I have to reaffirm to him every night that he gets to go back the next day. Because his last question before bed every night is Lamoni High School? Yes. And then it’s a question I hear all weekend long. Lamoni High School? Yes. Because this is where he wants to be. And that change is due in large part that relationship he has with Mr. Lame. And that’s because Mr. Lame gives all of himself to each and every student.”

Fairbanks can speak to that as Jacen’s mom and the principal at Lamoni Community School District.

“When you have a high need special needs kid, as a parent you’re always in fear. There’s never a day you’re not afraid for them,” Fairbanks said. “How are they being treated? Who’s being kind to them? Are their needs being met? And when you’re trusting a resource like that, a school, a classroom, a teacher, you’re putting a lot of faith in that person. And so being able to witness both sides of that and knowing that my son is generally loved, he’s generally cared for and that he is thriving in that environment. And then feel and hear those things at home and that expression for someone who’s technically nonverbal, but he can put the words together: Lamoni High School, yes. Mr. Lame, yes. That’s it. That’s the biggest thing you can feel as a parent.”

It’s why she nominated Mr. Lame for the Golden Apple award. 

A recognition for a humble educator.

“I’ve been told by a lot of people that it takes a special person and they think I’m a special person to do this, so I go with it,” Lame said. 

Appreciation from a principal and parent who knows the difference Mr. Lame is making every day.

“I submitted this is in part on behalf of my son, because my son could never probably be able to have the words to say, ‘thank you for loving me. Thank you for making me better. Thank you for giving me a chance,’” Fairbanks said. “And that’s what I would want him to know.”

In addition to teaching at Lamoni Community School District, Mr. Lame is also a football coach, a bus driver, and soon to be the driver’s education instructor.

You can watch the full interview with Mr. Lame below.