I first became interested in working with children with special needs, when I was still a child myself. I was a fifth grader. An outsider who got bullied a lot, I spent most of my recess hours alone. If you had gone to my school back then, you would have seen a kid with wild and unruly curly hair (I found this picture online that sort of represents what my hair looked like, if you can imagine it on a little girl!) probably wearing some sort of fashionable outfit that my mother had
picked out for me (she always hoped I'd
suddenly become popular) either sitting on the pavement reading a book, or pacing around lost in my own world.
One day some younger kids ran up to me and started hugging me! I recognized them as the kids from the school's special education class. At that time the special ed class was largely separated from the rest of the school, so I had never met these kids... even though they did have recess with the rest of the school, they were younger than me and so mostly stayed on the primary school side of the playground. But they acted like they'd known me forever! I remember being a little nervous at first. They were a little louder and messier than the kids I was used to seeing, and since they were kept separate from the rest of the school I unfortunately couldn't help wondering, "What is wrong with them?"
But soon I discovered that there really wasn't anything wrong with them. They were friendly, and kind, and funny, and I enjoyed spending time with them. They did not make fun of me, or anyone else. They had all the qualities that I would look for in a friend.
Like me, they got bullied by some of the other kids at school. If this was happening right now, they would have most likely been out there with an aide from their classroom, who would have guided them in practicing social skills and would have hopefully kept others from bullying them. But back then, all they had was me! I would stick up for them more than I'd ever dared to stand up for myself. (They, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice or care if they were being bullied. They were friendly to everyone.) I also sort of guided them in social skills. My own were not that great, but I could at least try to teach them that walking up to other kids and smacking them with your jacket was not a great way to make friends (they didn't do these things to be mean, but basically to get attention and interaction), that picking up and using a Chapstick you find on the ground was gross, that you cannot just run and hide when the bell rings even if you don't feel like going inside, and what not.
Now, fast forward. After many years of continually being bullied (and eventually, in high school, just being ignored), being told by teachers that I wasn't working up to my potential, being yelled at by my mother for "not trying hard enough," and being sent to doctors and therapists and counselors, I grew up and learned that I had ADHD and Aspergers.
School had been a traumatizing experience from beginning to end. For a long time after high school, I wanted nothing to do with education and vowed never to set foot in an educational facility again. But I'd always had a connection with children, and after failing at several part time jobs, I found that working in a child care center was something I loved and was good at. This led me to working at a child care center for children with special needs, which in turn led me to being an assistant at a special education school. I discovered that I loved finding ways to teach children who had difficulty learning. Not only did I like finding ways to teach them reading and math, but I liked finding ways to teach them to deal with life without throwing chairs at others or running from the classroom. Most of all, I liked trying to help children who were "outsiders," like I had been, to learn about themselves, accept themselves, and find their places in the world.
That is why I decided to go to college to become a special education teacher.
Back in fifth grade, those children and I found each other on the playground. We did not know that we had something in common... although I wasn't in special education, I did have special needs. I think they saw something else in me, though... and I will always be grateful to them for that!
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picked out for me (she always hoped I'd
suddenly become popular) either sitting on the pavement reading a book, or pacing around lost in my own world.
One day some younger kids ran up to me and started hugging me! I recognized them as the kids from the school's special education class. At that time the special ed class was largely separated from the rest of the school, so I had never met these kids... even though they did have recess with the rest of the school, they were younger than me and so mostly stayed on the primary school side of the playground. But they acted like they'd known me forever! I remember being a little nervous at first. They were a little louder and messier than the kids I was used to seeing, and since they were kept separate from the rest of the school I unfortunately couldn't help wondering, "What is wrong with them?"
But soon I discovered that there really wasn't anything wrong with them. They were friendly, and kind, and funny, and I enjoyed spending time with them. They did not make fun of me, or anyone else. They had all the qualities that I would look for in a friend.
Like me, they got bullied by some of the other kids at school. If this was happening right now, they would have most likely been out there with an aide from their classroom, who would have guided them in practicing social skills and would have hopefully kept others from bullying them. But back then, all they had was me! I would stick up for them more than I'd ever dared to stand up for myself. (They, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice or care if they were being bullied. They were friendly to everyone.) I also sort of guided them in social skills. My own were not that great, but I could at least try to teach them that walking up to other kids and smacking them with your jacket was not a great way to make friends (they didn't do these things to be mean, but basically to get attention and interaction), that picking up and using a Chapstick you find on the ground was gross, that you cannot just run and hide when the bell rings even if you don't feel like going inside, and what not.
Now, fast forward. After many years of continually being bullied (and eventually, in high school, just being ignored), being told by teachers that I wasn't working up to my potential, being yelled at by my mother for "not trying hard enough," and being sent to doctors and therapists and counselors, I grew up and learned that I had ADHD and Aspergers.
School had been a traumatizing experience from beginning to end. For a long time after high school, I wanted nothing to do with education and vowed never to set foot in an educational facility again. But I'd always had a connection with children, and after failing at several part time jobs, I found that working in a child care center was something I loved and was good at. This led me to working at a child care center for children with special needs, which in turn led me to being an assistant at a special education school. I discovered that I loved finding ways to teach children who had difficulty learning. Not only did I like finding ways to teach them reading and math, but I liked finding ways to teach them to deal with life without throwing chairs at others or running from the classroom. Most of all, I liked trying to help children who were "outsiders," like I had been, to learn about themselves, accept themselves, and find their places in the world.
That is why I decided to go to college to become a special education teacher.
Back in fifth grade, those children and I found each other on the playground. We did not know that we had something in common... although I wasn't in special education, I did have special needs. I think they saw something else in me, though... and I will always be grateful to them for that!
PLEASE "LIKE" US ON FACEBOOK!