"I strongly want to become a teacher to provide our students with the proper education they deserve in addition to bringing together the community and the parents to involve them in their child’s learning."

Department

Special Education

Related Degrees

• BEd, Exceptional Students & Elementary Education

Why did you choose to become a teacher, in general?

I strongly want to become a teacher to provide our students with the proper education they deserve in addition to bringing together the community and the parents to involve them in their child’s learning. From prior experiences with the education system and teachers, I believe that there can definitely be more done to incorporate practices such as differentiation, UDL, CREDE, and partnering with families. Whether I am being overly ambitious or not, change can start within a classroom. I aim to create a classroom environment that does so.

Why did you choose to become licensed in special education?

Beginning my journey in college, I was highly discouraged by family and friends to pursue teaching due to the low pay and stress of the job. For a while, I followed what they wanted and believed was best for me. It wasn’t until COVID hit that I was given the opportunity to teach kindergarten special education students the importance of masks and washing their hands. It was at this moment that I realized that teaching was something that I did want to pursue, specifically within the special education field. In addition to this, within my current occupation, I work with lower elementary special education students. Being able to observe the impact that special education teachers make and be a part of that impact was a meaningful experience for me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to watch my students grow and progress with their IEPs. I aim to continue this when I become a licensed special education teacher and advocate for my future students.