Growing up the daughter of a special education teacher is a unique experience, and it gave me a different perspective on what a job in the field of education actually entails.
I had gone through elementary school and middle school knowing that the children that my mother taught dealt with varying obstacles, whether they be physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental. I was exposed to this environment at a young age; my mom would pick me up from school every day and take me back to her classroom, and we would stay there for a few hours. She would do paperwork or get things ready for the next day, and I would finish my homework. I saw differences in the classroom setup and some of the supplies that were needed for each individual child, and I began to realize that what she did was different than what I experienced in my private school setting.
My mom stressed to me that these kids shouldn't be treated any differently. She brought me up in a way that allowed me to look at these children, who weren't like me, and accept them. She raised me so that I would treat these children like any other children. One thing that I will never forget was her feeling toward the word 'retarded'. I was forbidden from calling another person retarded, and that word was like a swear word in our house. As I grew up and as I entered middle school, kids around me were casually saying phrases like "you're retarded" or "what a retard". My mother gave me the courage to stand up to these other kids and say that calling someone a retard or saying that someone was retarded was not okay. That was highly offensive to me and to my mother, and she instilled a no-tolerance policy in me when it came to calling someone a retard.
Many kids growing up don't realize the amount of work that a teacher has to go through. There's always a point when a kid will complain about the amount of homework that's given, or about a particularly hard test or paper that's assigned. Each student has to do homework, take tests, and write papers, but the teachers have to go through all of that and grade each assignment. Most teachers (at least the ones that I had) make their own tests, and that requires much more time involved since they have to make the answer key and grade accordingly. Teachers are constantly grading papers, reading homework assignments, and making lesson plans. Primary and secondary educators have their work cut out for them, and most students don't realize that until high school- that is, if they even realize it at all.
The biggest differences between a primary or secondary school educator and a special education teacher are the curriculum, the teaching style, and the requirements. Special education teachers have to create individual lesson plans for each student, because no two students are at the same exact stage in their educational level. These teachers have to teach each child differently, because they all learn differently. Each teacher has to write APAs, or Alternative Portfolio Assessments, for each and every child in the classroom, and that portfolio involved checking on the goals of each student that were laid out in the IEP, or Individualized Educational Plan. Special education teachers have to write out an APA and an IEP for each student annually. There were a lot more variables and moving parts for the teachers of the handicapped to take into account when grading these children.
In addition to teaching academics, special education teachers have to integrate everyday situations into the classroom. Whether that's social skills, learning how to go in to a grocery store, purchase items, and know how much change they should get back, or showing societal norms and standards that we abide to, special education teachers take care of various different aspects of educating a child. Along with being in the classroom, these kids go to physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.
I saw day in and day out how much special education teachers care about their students and about making a difference in their kids' lives. I saw firsthand that it required an immense amount of patience, compassion, and self-control on the teacher's part. Sometimes, the intense frustration at a situation or a response to a situation can be discouraging, but these teachers always move past the frustration and respond with love. Whether it be encouraging a student or reprimanding them for a wrongdoing, great special ed teachers always have their students' best interests in mind. I also observed that the teachers who deal with special needs children have such an intense passion for what they do, and they love their job.
I saw that with my mom.
When people ask me what my mom does for a living and I reply and say that she's a special education teacher, I can't help but beam with pride. I know that my mom is making a difference in the community and in society, one child at a time. I'm so inspired by the passion and the love that my mother has for helping these children and teaching them not just about academics, but about life. I'm so proud of the decades of work that my mother has done in the special education field, and I'm proud of the differences that she's made in not only her students' lives, but in the lives of their family and friends, her coworkers, and in the lives of those who interact with these children.
I hope that someday I can find a job that I have the love and passion for that my mother has for teaching special education.
