Teacher by day...or is he?

"Mark is a high school special ed. teacher."
This is my quick response when someone asks me what he does. I asked Mark to take pictures of his work life on one of the last days of summer school, so I could expand upon my response, because there is so much more to tell. On this particular day, however, he was on safari--in Santa Rosa (about an hour from Napa).
Two of Mark's co-workers (Christy and Greg) and one of his students, Tyler. The job is hard, but does have some perks, i.e. safaris.
The program Mark works for is a day treatment program designed for teens who aren't in a regular classroom setting. Mark's position is purely instructional--he teaches, then the kids receive other services, such as counseling.
The school day is a little bit shorter, but Mark has to teach multiple subjects. On Fridays, the kids, depending on their week, get to participate in off campus activities, such as going on a safari.

Mario. One of Mark's students.

Although he'll never admit it, this little, er, big bird will tell you that Mark is well loved in this program. It's not always easy building relationships with his students, but he pushes them and has high expectations for them.