Life: Two Questions Answered!

     

My son's friend recently asked me two questions to get to know me better. I decided to share them in a blog form because everyone chooses their own path in live for different reasons. My path from day one was special education. I have chosen to be an advocate for children who need special education services for very personal reasons. I love my career choice and even though I may gripe about the long hours of paperwork that goes along with this career, I do believe that the paperwork is necessary to give children the best education possible. The paperwork is simply the glue that binds all of the services together and keeps the team connected. I have never regretted becoming a special education teacher.

Question 1: Why did you go into special education instead of regular education?

"Hmm...My reason for going into special ed as opposed to regular ed is highly personal but not so personal that I won't share. I was a preemie back in 1961. I actually almost didn't make it because my heart stopped beating when I was only a few days old. I was saved. My story could have easily turned out differently. I could have been intellectually challenged. Thankfully I was not. I went into special education to help kids who were not as fortunate as me. I wanted to treat kids how I would have wanted to be treated if I were disabled. I believe that every kid is "normal", it's just that everybody's normal is different. The most rewarding part of my job is seeing kids happy and excited about learning. I love watching kids work hard to get to the next step in his/her education and then get it! I love coming up with new and creative ways to make lessons memorable to keep my students talking about what they have learned and experienced. Not every child learns in the same way. I love finding the key that helps unlock each child's learning potential." 

Question 2: What is your favorite holiday and why?
     
     "My favorite holiday is Christmas Eve. I love Christmas Eve because it is a true family holiday. Everyone is happy and together reliving Christmas's past and full of hope for the next day. I love reading Christmas books. When my kids were young we had a holiday reading jar. I actually wrote a blog about it! I love unfilled stockings and the smell of the air. I love Christmas Eve Mass as a family. I still remember the feel of my grandmother's smooth,  leather gloves as she held my hand in church. I hope my kids have warm memories too.#