Personal Statement: Timeworn Engaging Students

As I grew older, I began to realize that students with disabilities have many significant obstacles to overcome. Seeing them get excited about learning things that we take for granted provided me with the desire to become part of their learning. For example, one kindergartner with Down Syndrome struggled daily to learn how to write the first letter of her name. It was such a joy for all of those involved when she finally succeeded. Working with these students furthered my resolve to not only fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a teacher, but I soon realized that special education is my niche. After 13 years of teaching in Glynn County, I still teach with the same fervor and enthusiasm as the first day I formally stepped into a classroom. My principal once said, “Teaching is not a job. It’s a profession.” I wholeheartedly believe in this philosophy. Education was never a back-up plan or alternative for me; being a teacher is who I am. As a special educator, I strive to

Children with learning challenges are humans too and they deserve as much love, respect and education as is given to other children considered as normal. I believe every child have the potential to bring something unique and special to the world. It is my desire to help children develop their full potential

It is by no surprise that throughout a teacher’s career he/she will encounter a multitude of students that will walk through his/her classroom door. These students will come from different socio-economic backgrounds and from many different ethnicities and cultures. Some of these students will be intellectually gifted, have average intellectual ability, or have below average IQs. Others will have learning deficiencies ranging from mental, physical, or emotional that may impede his/her learning. Finally, there will even be some students that fall into multiple categories and are classified as twice exceptional students. “The gifted disabled” are one such group of “individuals with exceptional ability or potential who are capable of high

Reading this book greatly affected the way I will interact with children with disabilities and their families. My current field placement is teaching art at a Middle School. Each class consists of students from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, as well as students with special needs including giftedness. My cooperating teacher has taught me a great deal about differentiating lessons. Torey Hayden has showed me that it is not enough to differentiate lessons or plan adaptations for our students with exceptionalities. We truly have to look at them as a complete human being, and acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of every student in our classroom. Because of this book, I have not been afraid to speak with Mark* who has downs syndrome, or Alicia who has a cognitive impairment and hearing problems. I have tried to get to know my students with exceptionalities as well as all of my students as individuals, and understand their backgrounds. In the future I will continue to treat each student as a unique person and get to know them and their families before passing judgment.

I spent two days in Mrs. ElsaMiller’s special education classroom. In these two days I got a lot of hands on experience with students that have disabilities. The students that I worked with most had programs to help their reading and English skills. I observed Mrs. ElsaMiller working with students and I also interacted with students. When I interacted with students I facilitated reading sessions and listened to students read out loud. On the second day I watched Mrs. ElsaMiller enter data for each student and discussed with her how she thought the progress was going for each student. I found it very interesting to see how some of her students increased at a very steep rate but some of her students stayed in the same spot throughout the whole year. It was interesting to listen to Mrs. ElsaMiller talk about how she thought one student might have a tracking problem and that is why her reading score is not increasing. But, she was hesitant to say that to the parents because the test for that can

Successful teaching occurs when the teacher is able to select the most efficient method for reaching out to each student’s individual style of learning and inspire students to rise to their highest potential. While the responsibilities of a teacher are extensive (as one can serve as a teacher, a friend, a counselor, a disciplinarian, an entertainer, a facilitator), I believe that students should play a big part in shaping own education as well.

Parents send their student to school with the expectation that they will desire to become doctors, lawyers, educators, and perhaps even the President one day. Most educators open their doors on the first day of school longing to receive a classroom bursting with scholars. However, this is not always the circumstance. For this is not a perfect world and there are children who have disabilities and it is one’s duty to stay prepared to educate them too. Therefore, students with these special requirements such as, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical and health impairments, and traumatic brain injury need their educators to know effective teaching strategies based on research, how to develop their self-confidence and develop their self-support

As educators, we are responsible for enlightening, motivating, engaging and teaching our students. Indeed, this responsibility

I still find ways to show my students that they can succeed. My goal is to help facilitate my students’ pursuit for knowledge and help them acquire the communication skills, problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills which will enable them to be life-long learners.

Since I started high school in 2012 I have taken as many academically different classes as I could with the highest possible rigor to not only push myself, but to expand my interests for my college career. As I come to the end of my high school career I realize I have a wide range of academic interests. If I was to choose an area of focus today one of my main interests would be children’s mental and physical disabilities. While some might find it difficult to work with down syndrome, autistic, or physically handicapped individuals, I find it rewarding and enjoyable. I have on many occasions volunteered at school as a teacher assistant to tutor or just accompany them to their classes. As I reflect over the past few years I find these moments

As an educator, it is so crucial to have a strict mindset in regard to teaching students with cognitive, behavioral and/or physical health disabilities. During one of the fist lectures of this class, we learned that children with exceptionalities differ in many different characteristics and that one in ten children have exceptionalities. I have gained so much respect for teachers who go above and beyond to meet the specific needs of a child and while observing this classroom I really feel as if that is exactly what this teacher has done. I had observed a child with autism in a 2nd grade classroom at MaST Community Charter School. In just a short period of time, I learned so much from him and he will always be in my memory as I go throughout my journey to become a teacher.

In 2005 at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Louisville, Ky I walked into the Behavioral Disorder classroom headed up by Mr. Miracle. He was an attractive older man with gray temples and salt pepper strands throughout his fully filled head. He had a smile that was tired but genuine and Paul Newman blue eyes that shined. He had been a Special Education teacher for over 20 years and he was exhausted. His disposition convinced me that working with special needs children was not going to a long-term plan if I wanted any sort of happily ever after. The classroom consisted of seven students, who were the picture of diversity via race, socioeconomics and cognitive ability. Their diagnosis ranged from conduct disorder to autism spectrum disorder.

I have always had a passion and enjoyed helping others. In fact, I have devoted my elective credits to be involved in assisting special education students. Since my junior year of high school, I have been a peer coach by working with students with disabilities. During my peer coach semesters, I have assisted the special education students learn communication and vocational skills. In the communication course that I peer coached in, I have had the privilege to work under the direction of a Speech and Language Pathologist and an Occupational Therapist. In the communication course, I helped students progress on their reading, writing, and communication skills. After the communication course, of my senior year, I worked with a special education

My purpose of teaching is to lift children up to their greatest level of potential in my classroom. I will work individually with struggling students. In addition, I will be present in my dealings with my students, respecting each student as an individual learner. In my classroom, I will act as a

Students have changed. Teachers and teaching strategies have changed. It has been an honor and pleasure, (most of the time) to be a teacher. Soon I will be starting a new career after 30 years in the education field. Many times I am asked by new teachers to give them advise on how to be successful. First, define success. Is sucess how many students pass the class? Is success how many of the students pass a state test? Is success the number of students who like their teacher? Success can be defined in all of the ways and more. Each person must decide how they will define sucess so that when they look back over thirty years in education they can feel good about how they spent their life.