Special education isn’t just a major, it’s a passion. It’s something that comes with challenges but rewards that make it all worth it.
I fell in love with special education because of how it made me feel. These kids are truly amazing because all while you go into it thinking you’re going to teach them, they teach you just as much. People tell me all the time “it takes a special kind of person to work in that field” and I honestly disagree. When I first set foot in a special education classroom, it felt overwhelming but overtime, it because my favorite part of the day.
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Working in a special education classroom is like any other job that deals with other human beings; it requires patience and constant training, it requires being prepared to deal with foul moods and rough days but it certainly does not require a special kind of person. I have been hit, kicked, bit, and head-butted but I’ve also had that happen to me in general education classrooms.
It doesn’t take a special person, it takes someone with an open mind. I will never forget the joy I felt when I went back and saw the kids I worked with while I was in high school; the progress that I saw in those children and the fact that they were happy to see me filled me with happiness and a sense of accomplishment. Those memories that I have made, will always remain with me, and will continue to drive me to become a better person.
The children I worked with taught me so much; They taught me what it meant to feel empathy instead of sympathy because they don’t want our sympathy or for us to feel like we are required to feel guilty; some of the happiest people I have ever met had special needs. They’re just like you and me they just process things or see things differently than we do and that’s okay. They taught me to be compassionate and to be conscientious about what I say and how I say it.
I have changed as a person, for the better, since becoming involved with the Special education community. So the next time someone wants to say that it takes a special kind of person to work with children with special needs, I want them to remember that it just takes an open mind and a little bit of patience.
