My High School Career: Working With Disabled Students

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 career goal is to obtain a master’s degree in elementary education by the end of Fall 2016 in order to start teaching by the beginning of Spring 2017. Upon completion of the dual certification track, I will receive elementary (K-6), special education (ESE K-6), and ESOL endorsements. Before entering graduate school, I always believed these certifications would prepare me for teaching more than if I had started teaching immediately after graduation. Today, I still hold this belief to be true, for I have opportunities now to closely practice, implement, and refine teaching skills, strategies, and qualities that I learned as an undergraduate in a real school setting. I am also able to work closely alongside teachers who have experience working with students with identified disabilities and experience the different behavioral responses that students with identified disabilities may exhibit. As a first year intern this semester, I even sat in on an EPT (Evaluation and Planning Team) meeting regarding whether or not a student in my first grade classroom should receive a 504 Plan that I did not get to

After being inducted into National Honor Society my junior year, I have been working with children at Matoaca Elementary School on a weekly basis to gain the community service hours the honor society requires. I work alongside the computer teacher to assist in helping kindergarteners learn how to use a computer. Many of these children had never used a mouse or a keyboard, and some didn't know all of their numbers and letters. The progress they have made since September has made me very proud of them, and the educational activities they do on the computer has helped them improve their math and reading skills. Before I started to volunteer there, I had never been exposed to an environment where I was to fill the role of an educator and role model

I have been diagnosed with dyslexia and was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship for children who are twice gifted. With that scholarship, I decided to attend Jemicy lower school from 6th -8th grade. Jemicy is a school that prides its self on teaching kids with dyslexia and other learning disabilities how to be successful in and out of the class room. In middle school I played soccer, basketball and lacrosse each year. Throughout my middle and high school years, I’ve spent my summers volunteering at summer camps and other organizations that aim to help clean up the Baltimore bay and the surrounding community. In my final year of high school I won Miss Congeniality and came in second place for the most adds raised during the Delta Sigma

In ninth grade, my mother suggested that I volunteer with peers at my high school who are special needs. She thought it would be good for me to meet other people my age who have their unique struggles in school, much like myself. I protested originally, but little did I know I would love volunteering with my peers, regardless of their disability. During this time, I signed up to volunteer with a local organization called Buddy Ball. At Buddy Ball, I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities ages five through twenty-one baseball. When I volunteered with my peers, I mainly saw high schoolers with severe autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbances, whereas with Buddy Ball most of the participants had severe autism, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, epilepsy, or a multiple of disabilities. Both of these experiences allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of special

I, currently as a student at Ruth Thompson Middle School, have contributed to the community around me in many ways. In my school, as of now, I have been part of the RTMS Tech Team, which includes in helping students with technology, helping teachers set up with assemblies, open houses, replacing PC monitors, and a lot more. As part of tech team, I have also helped with things that are relatively tedious, like sorting out a whole room of cables. Yes, I will do it again at JFSS if I’m assigned or have the opportunity to. Also, I have helped with jobs that may require a little more skill. In my school, I have tried, along with a team of other students, try to install Chrome OS on unsupported hardware, which if succeeds, will be installed on more

At the time of writing, I am involved in Student Council, Office helpers, morning announcements, Eco Club and Senior Band at my school. Outside of school, I am a swimmer, and am in RCM level 7 for piano. In the school, I frequently help out. such as with the grade sevens in music, who were new to their instruments. I also helped out at our school’s parent-teacher interviews last week by guiding them around to where they needed to

When I was a freshman in high school, my parents decided to divorce. Because my mother did not work while they were married, the divorce had a major impact on our finances. We were forced to move to a smaller house in another city and she had to reenter the workforce just to support her three children. While my mother did not force me to work, I wanted to obtain a job to support myself and relieve some of the stresses in her life. In addition to helping out financially, working at my cheer gym gives me the opportunity to work with a variety of people. One responsibility I have is working with the special needs team. The age of members on this team ranges from 7 to 30 and all have different mental and physical disabilities. The highlight of working with this group is watching their faces light up when they perform at cheer

I currently work with an at-risk, yet extremely lovely and lively class of high school seniors who are preparing for life after graduation through a system called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination). Our goal is to prepare them for post-secondary education despite their circumstances. I was a participant of this program for all four years of my high school

Career and technical education (CTE) can provide significant benefits to students with disabilities. CTE teachers need to be aware of the rights of students with disabilities and of the planning process involved in meeting their needs. In addition, CTE teachers must know what role they play both in planning and in providing instruction. CTE teachers often need background information on the details of disabilities and the accommodations required. This Digest provides information on students with disabilities for secondary CTE teachers.

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

I sincerely have a deep desire to give back to my school and community at large.  I have been given so many opportunities to grow and succeed that I feel that I need to give back to in as many areas as possible.  My involvement in the community began in elementary school through my church group.  I have always had a love for the elderly.  I regularly visited nursing homes and assisted living facilities engaging in activities there.  Also, I worked with the Salvation Army during the Christmas break to raise money for the homeless.  In high school, I have had to manage my time wisely to include volunteering with the demands of advanced placement and dual enrollment classes and extra- curricular activities.  One of my main passions is to volunteer

In the profession of a special education teacher, a person commits to helping children achieve their best and to help “students overcome their obstacles” while finding a way that the child can effectively learn (Hollingsworth). My mom’s career as special education teacher for twenty-two years, allows me insight and experience into the tougher aspects of this career, but also the rewards to the job. My mom helps me understand that a special education teacher guides a child to expand their strengths, develop strategies to overcome weakness, and to make best use of all available resources. Through helping her, and learning from her experiences, she taught me that a career in special education can not only challenge me, but may also become a

My goal is to be a High School Special Education teacher and teach dance in the afternoon and evening. This January I started attending Brigham Young University-Idaho with a double major of Child Development and Dance. I chose to be a Special Education teacher to improve the lives of these students and teach them they have an essential part and purpose in the world. I love working with these special individuals and had the unbelievable opportunity to secure an internship with the Miss Amazing California State Pageant. The experience is one I will never forget and I hope to one day become a pageant director for their organization. As my future second job, I intend to be a dance teacher and choreographer. Dance is an enormous passion of mine

Even as a young child, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to interact with people on a daily basis. This deep-rooted love for others originated from the values instilled in me as a child; values of loyalty, dedication, and compassion. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have discovered what is truly important in life and the impact I want to make in my community. I have found I have a strong desire to serve others, to help them and to make a tangible difference in their lives. Over the past four years, I have had the opportunity to serve those in need in my community. Each year, I am involved in numerous service projects that bring food and clothing to low income families, as well as assist in the rebuilding and restoring of homes. Each Thanksgiving, I help collect food, organize donations, and distribute Thanksgiving meals to families who, otherwise, would go without. These service opportunities have taught me how to connect with individuals on a personal level, regardless of our differences in life experiences. I have learned the importance of service, human interaction, and most importantly, listening. My compassion for others, servant attitude, and ability to communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds will help me to succeed in graduate school, as well as allow me to become an exceptional