I could've sworn up and down while in undergrad that I would never teach special education. I always thought I saw myself as a general education teacher with a classroom full of 25 wild first graders.
While in my second to last semester of college, those sweet special ed. kids pulled on my heart strings. I fell in love with it. I continued to do my student teaching in regular ed. 1st and 4th grade and loved each one. I still was in pursuit of finding a job after graduation in either one of those grades.
I submitted my application and waited for "the call". In April 2011 I was called in for a special education interview. I was nervous, yet excited that I would maybe have a job upon graduation. After my interview, the board was to place me where they thought I fit best. I knew when applying for a job that where ever God wanted me to be, he would place me. I have three different interviews in the school system and my last one, by far my favorite, was the job that I got. God had a different plan for me than what I had planned myself.
He placed me in a classroom with children with severe to profound disabilities.
Did I know enough to educate these children?
I knew going in to a special education position I would have a lot to offer these children. I would have a very structured classroom, we would have fun, and I would enable them with the life skills they needed to succeed.
Little did I know how they would impact me.
My students have taught me more than what I think I could ever teach them. Seeing my sweet, innocent children just love and live life to the fullest brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. We jump for joy when a child learns to use picture cards to communicate or writes one letter of their name. We sing and dance and enjoy each day.
So what I do, "just to pay the bills" isn't that at all. I do it because I love it, because Lord knows, it's not much moola in the bank.
Every one of the kids I've been with will impact the world in some way, shape, or form.
No comments:
Post a Comment