My Educational Experience

As we pulled up to the massive elementary school building, I begged my mom to let me stay home from school, just once. As usual, she said no. Realizing my attempt to get out of school was futile, I shouldered my backpack, swung open the door, and trudged over to the front door. I would rather be anywhere else than here. For the majority of my life, I attended public schools. It wasn’t rare for me to fail a test or even a whole class. It was because of these failures that I would get even more demotivated and threw away the idea of working hard or completing quality work altogether.

Teaching is an extremely rewarding job because you get to make a difference in children's lives and help guide them to make the right choices in life. I want to be a special education teacher because it is the one way to directly impact and develop a new generation of thinking individuals. Being a goal oriented person, I have high expectations for myself as teacher and for my students. Coupled with tons of patience, I am sure I will be able to gel with my students and train them in the required subject areas and short and long term goals. Once I began working as a Teacher's Assistant at Manhattan East Junior High School, I utilized my creativity, passion for learning and acquiring knowledge to continually strive to make attending school daily, something to look forward to.

My story starts out like many educators, great teachers inspired me along the way and I loved working with kids. Teaching seemed like a perfect match for me. During high school I began to work with and babysit children and adults with special needs. These experiences ignited a passion and a love for special education. My experiences and the relationships that I formed working with these kids and families have helped me foster a perspective of empathy and understanding that no educational experience could have ever provided.

I have always wanted to be a Special Education Teacher because I love working with kids, and my personality fits

I want to be a special education teacher for many reasons. First, the community has made a big impact on me. I know how the children feel to be struggling in school. I want them to know that I also struggled in school and I still achieved my dream. I love

Becoming a teacher was not something that I thought of doing. It so happen that after receiving my degree in Criminal Justice, I had a change of career choice when my daughter entered Pre-K. This moment took me back to my first time when I started school in New York City and the amazing teachers that I came across took the time to push me to achieving my dreams at a young age. I was influenced by these talented teachers to work hard, never give up and the positivity of their words which have stuck with me through my life journey have helped me to achieved so much that I can look back and give thanks to all the powerful encouragement that I received. I wanted to be a part of every single learning experience that my daughter experience. It

Before I started taking this course and by the time I had taken this course I had already completed some college courses so I was a little confused as in to why I needed to have this class but I took it and decided I would just do what was required and it would be no big deal. After starting this course I have learned a few things about myself and myself as a learner that has been very helpful and the content of the course makes more sense to me now than before I started. Learning about my learning styles and seeing my learning process on paper helps me to be more self-aware of the decisions that I make and why I make them, which I believe helps me grow more because I have a better understanding of why I like things a certain way. I have learned that I do not like reading instructions because I just want to get straight to the point of what is needed and what the end result needs to be. I have to be able to apply what I have read or learned to real life, I do not like to live in a fictitious world however I have a very vivid imagination and I like to think outside the box. I like to take things apart and put them back together and that helps me understand and learn better.

What do you want to be when you grow up? This common childhood question usually has a quick, easy answer in youth, but sometimes a more complex, unsure answer as one nears adulthood. What I wanted to be when I grew up evolved many times through childhood. Even at high school graduation there was no definite decision and too much left to explore. Later, after years of working in schools as a volunteer, substitute teacher, and tutor, I had not considered the field of special education. However, six months ago I accepted an offer to work as an exceptional children teaching assistant. Now I am surprised that my goal is to obtain a teaching license in special education; but in hindsight, I should not be because of this field’s correlation to my past interests and experiences.

I remember a time when I was a student who found learning exhilarating and enjoyed developing my mind. I loved learning because of teachers like Mr. T who made learning thrilling. This story goes all the way back to second grade when I was just a little kid full of intent to go to school. He always encouraged us to think creatively and he worked hard to make us want to participate. Mr. T would have story times where we would all gather around the carpet as we would sit anxiously waiting to hear of the day’s adventure. The stories would be interactive and he would pick out of a jar who would be the contestants as the story would warp into something including us. This creative way to involve us, drew us into the story with a passion to learn along the way. All of us yearned for the stories to go on forever, were sadly disappointed when the carpet time was over, however we anxiously awaited the next day to join around the same carpet again.

I’ve been anxious about college admittance since I first learned what college was. When the first trimester of fifth grade ended, and I learned that my good name had been sullied with a B+ grade in my reading class, I was unreservedly hysterical until my mother finally cornered me into my bedroom. I imagine she was getting snot-and-tear stains out of her woolen sweater for days.

INTRODUCTION:When I was fourteen years old, my family and I, traveled to Guatemala as a part of a Common Hope Mission team. For a week I was exposed to extreme poverty, hunger and a culture so different than my own. Through various activities I came to realize just how fortunate I was back at home and how much I took things for granted and became disgusted with how I had been living seeing these people and how they lived. This was an experience that I will never forget, but will never get again because it was so personal and unique.

One of my favorite sayings is “dare to be different.” I have two older brothers, both of whom have attended and done well at Indiana University. I have enjoyed visiting the school, but I don't plan to follow in their footsteps. I'm more of a do my own thing kind of girl. While considering where to attend college, I’ve often thought that I’d like to find a school with an outstanding academic reputation, the feeling of a big school atmosphere, plus the many benefits of a small school. Tulane is such a place.

When looking back at my education in the past, I would say that I am happy with my overall experience. I do think that there was some areas that were more challenging than others, but this was a reflection of more than just educational factors. We consider all of the things that happen in our lives and pile them into different experiences. When thinking about specifically my educational experience, I feel accomplished and thankful for the kind of education and support I received a while in school. I am grateful to have only attended one school from Kindergarten to 12th grade, with the exception of having to switch buildings for 9th-12th grade. I am happy to say that the teachers in my past have played a big role in my reasoning for wanting to become a teacher. I remember sitting in a desk and thinking, “This is what I want to do when I get older” during my 4th grade Math class. I was lucky to attend a school that was small in quantity, but not quality. I knew all of my teachers, and future teachers from other grades. I felt lucky to go through school with peers from Grade K-12 and graduate with people I have spent my entire education with. I liked having tutoring resources when needed and feeling like I could help others in need as well. I felt like my school education was like family to me. I think it is important to be comfortable with the teachers and classmates in your school setting. It makes learning and overall class atmospheres less overwhelming and anxious in my opinion.

I always thought of myself as someone who was resilient, but after my day of working as a swim teacher that word no longer seemed to describe me. I grew up playing school with my cousins and even taught at my church’s sunday school. I knew that my destiny was to become a teacher, so when the opportunity to teach swim lessons sprung up I was quick to apply. After getting the job and completing training, I couldn't wait to teach my first class

My education was not the best that I could have received. I am originally from Pennsylvania, but my parents and I moved to Florida right around the time I was to start kindergarten. The public-school education system in Florida is not the greatest compared to other states, especially not the area of Florida where I have grown up. I attended two different elementary schools, two different middle schools (one private k-12 school and one public middle school). I was fortunate enough to attend one high school for all four years, and there I completed a very academically rigorous program known as the International Baccalaureate program, along with some AP classes. This was the best that was offered to me for my learning style, and so I took advantage of it.