Origami is one of first year intern Special Education teacher Allen Tadeo‘s favorite hobbies.

Tadeo’s love for origami started back when he was a student passing notes in class. Over time, origami has become a larger part of his life, providing him with a therapeutic and enjoyable pastime.

“From then it just blossomed,” Tadeo said. “People really enjoyed it, and I get a high off making them happy and having them smile.”

Tadeo’s origami creations range from Scottish Terriers to T-shirts. His favorite creation is the polyhedron, made of 12 dollar bills that combine to form a 12-sided shape. For Tadeo, the key to success in origami is patience, a skill he learned while being a motor skills teacher at various elementary schools.

“It exercised a lot of patience, and it taught me a lot on how each and every single kid is different and unique in their own way, and to appreciate that we treat all of them equally,” said Tadeo.

Tadeo’s love for making connections with all types of students encouraged him to pursue teaching in Special Education. Tadeo said teachers should encourage a variety of ways of thinking in their classes. According to him, even origami can be used to make connections in subjects like math.

“People say, ‘I’m not good at math, I hate math, I don’t have that math brain,’ but if you were to explore different kinds of ways on how you handle math just by folding things, you would be pleasantly surprised that out of an ordinary piece of paper, you will come out with something much more different,” Tadeo said.

Origami has also made a strong connection to Tadeo’s teaching. With Special Education, he says, the need for flexibility and wearing of different hats is similar to creating new shapes out of paper.

“Here, we work on our strengths and weaknesses. You focus on both of them, and you make it into a positive thing,” he said. “You don’t change the kid, you change the curriculum. ”

Reporting by Emmett Spear