Women’s History Month: Sara Traeger

Local special education teacher says her job requires ‘patience, empathy, multi-tasking and the ability to build relationships’

By Vickie Babyak
The Tube City Almanac
March 24, 2025
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News

Special education teacher Sara Traeger from McKeesport poses for a portrait while sitting at her classroom desk. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)

During Women’s History Month, writer Vickie Babyak is putting a spotlight on several area women:

Sara Traeger of McKeesport began her teaching career in 2006. She started off as an instructional assistant with the Norwin School District, and the following school year she was hired full-time as a special education teacher for McKeesport Area School District. She has been with the district ever since.

Traeger said: “My mom was a school counselor who worked with the special education students, and she definitely had an influence on my career choice.”

Traeger said she always knew in her heart that she wanted to be a teacher. After graduating from McKeesport high school in 2001, she attended Duquesne University, and working with special needs students was infused into her undergraduate studies, she said.

“When I was student teaching, I was assigned to an inclusive classroom with a variety of learners,” Traeger said. “One of my students was autistic, and it solidified my decision to attain my master’s degree in special education.”

Special education teachers don’t wear capes, but Traeger said they do “wear a lot of hats.” She said her job requires patience, empathy, multi-tasking and the ability to build relationships with students and their families.

In addition to the typical teacher duties of lesson plans and grading, Traeger said she modifies classwork to meet the individual needs of her students. If they are included in general education classes with their peers, Traeger collaborates with the teachers and adapts school work so her students can be successful.

Traeger said she develops each of her student’s Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and assists staff members in the school to understand her students’ unique needs. She also works with her students’ additional support providers such as counselors, occupational, physical, speech and vision therapists.  

“Teaching life skills and independent living skills lets me see first hand the functional abilities of my students,” Traeger said.

She said having her students in multiple classes for several years gives her an opportunity to recognize their personalities, likes, dislikes, and allows her to help them make post-secondary plans.

Traeger connects each of her students and their families with the state’s Office of Vocational Resources (OVR) to assist students into adulthood, and provide support in the community as they transition to life after K-12 school.

“I have a former student whose motto was ‘the only disability is a bad attitude’ and she is correct,” Traeger said.

Her advice to young people with disabilities is to realize we all have obstacles in every chapter of our lives, but keep going and lean on those around us for support.

Traeger said: “It’s important to remember that no one is great at everything but we are all great at something.”

Vickie Babyak is a photographer and freelance writer from Dravosburg. She may be reached at vbabyak@yahoo.com.

Originally published March 24, 2025.

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