Why Special Ed?

When people ask me the question "Why special education?" I can never answer it simply, but I am pretty sure that if you ask anyone passionate about their job it isn't an easy task to explain why. But for any of you wondering, maybe I can give it a shot and keep this under 500 words.... maybe.

When I was in high school I began to volunteer in the classroom my mom worked (still works) in. It is a classroom for students with moderate to severe special needs, with disabilities ranging from autism to down syndrome and a number of other disabilities. I loved watching the kids grow and seeing their excitement for life and learning. When I looked at them I recognized some of the challenges they would face in their futures. I thought about how many times they would hear that they COULD NOT do something, and hear that something was just TOO DIFFICULT for them to do.

Growing up I heard these same things a number of times, I had teachers speak their minds and call me stupid right in front of me, and I really struggled with being confident in school. Sure I had some fantastic teachers, but I had quite a few "duds" along the way. It was not until college that I found out that I have and auditory processing disorder, so basically I struggle with listening and comprehending audio.

All of these factors have led me to teaching and have led me to making a difference in as many children's lives as humanly possible. I can honestly say that I care about each of my students, it doesn't matter how much they annoy me at times or how rude they may be to me. I understand that it's tough living with a disability, knowing you are different, and knowing that there is nothing you can do about it. But these negative thoughts are poison and NOT true! They can change it, they can make a difference in their lives, and with a little help they can embrace being different.

So I make it known to my students (especially my high schoolers) that I am there to advocate for them, that I will prove to them that they can discover ways to learn things they never thought were possible, and in other people's eyes I may be working way too hard, but these kids deserve it! It pains me to hear how many people have just let them pass through without giving them the tools they need to be successful. I'm talking about tools for ADVOCATING for themselves. When a student knows how they learn they can feel confident walking into a general ed classroom, approaching the teacher and saying "Hi, I do have special needs but I learn best when activities are visual rather than auditory", for example. These are skills that EVERY child should possess, special ed or general ed! Being able to advocate for yourself is powerful and a gift that many of us take for granted.

So to wrap this up, I teach special ed to bring a voice to children who usually don't have one and to be the voice for them until they are confident enough to speak for themselves. Teaching special education is my passion and I truly believe that it is my purpose in life.

Happy hump day ya'll!