Instructor profile: Ginny Zeyer, special ed D.D. supervisor and adviser

Virginia (Ginny) Zeyer head shot
Virginia (Ginny) Zeyer

Ginny Zeyer started her special education career at 16 years old, babysitting a child with autism. Her drive and willingness to learn led her to earn licenses in every disability, develop work and transition programs, alternative education, and administration. Now, she finds herself as a supervisor of the developmental disabilities (DD) program at the University of Minnesota.

Growing up, Ginny thought she wanted to be an elementary teacher.

“The more I worked in special education, the more passionate I got. I saw an opportunity for how much more we could be doing as educators.”

She continues, “There’s so much you can do in special education. You can teach disabilities, build curriculum, develop programs in schools. I’ve written grants to help at-risk students in a work program and had the opportunity to start a new alternative education school.”

In the Department of Educational Psychology, Ginny loves working with younger teachers.
“It’s nice to feel like I have so much impact on them from my background and experiences. I give them ideas, and they give me ideas. I’m constantly learning, and the students here are very appreciative.” Zeyer says.

Ginny’s advice to students: “Take advantage of all the learning that happens in the classroom. It will prepare you to have a successful teaching experience. Also, build relationships with your professors. It will help you progress through all the skills you need, and they know what skills you need.”

Outside of work, Ginny enjoys cooking and trying new recipes (chicken piccata, creme brule, sweet potato gnocchi, etc.). She also enjoys spending time with her 19 year old grandson who lives in the Twin Cities.

This article was originally written by Ciara Metzger.