I want to grow into a teacher who inspires, a teacher who is not intimidated by the unknown, and most of all a teacher who has endless compassion for her students. It was engrained in me at a very young age the importance of helping those who do not have the means to help themselves. With this notion, I began my college career wanting to follow that exact path. I started as a pre-nursing major, and quickly found out it was not the right step for me. So I simply asked myself, “How can I better live my life while helping other people’s lives as well?” It did not take me very long to realize that my calling was to become a special education teacher. I have always had the passion for it, and here it was, my 'dream' so to speak-staring me directly in the face for all of these years, and I was ready to tackle it. So now, here I am a few years later about to graduate, and I could not be more thrilled to do exactly that. I cannot fully express the feeling I get when helping individuals with special needs. I learn more from them than anyone else, and I think it is crucial to advocate for each one of them, especially if their voices are not being heard. These individuals need to be challenged, just like anyone else in this world. Who is to say what their potential truly is? Why limit anyone to a specific potential? I am ready to challenge myself, and challenge others to think outside of their ‘norm,’ and create a new potential, one that is boundless. Throughout my college years, I have been trying to perfect my own idea of my educational philosophy. I want to always keep at the forefront of my mind what my role is as a teacher, recognize diversity in my classroom, and remember the goals I have set for each student. I want to create a classroom environment where every student feels at home. Every child has a unique way of learning, and it will be my goal to understand all of their differences in order to be successful and get through to all of my students. Some days will take longer than others to break down the barrier and see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I think the number one thing a teacher must learn is patience. Patience when you lose sight of why you became a teacher in the first place, patience when you feel as though you are not connecting with your students, and most importantly patience to come to the realization that it takes time to make a an impact on a child’s life and see results. A fundamental component of becoming an educator is to know how you are going to achieve and live up to your educational philosophy, constantly preparing for it so when that day comes you are ready to be the teacher you are destined and trained to be. Your own philosophy is your guide throughout your teaching career, and should be used as a tool to refer back to when in need of inspiration. In it lies all of the affirmative characteristics of your career and something you can use as a centerpiece around which all your thoughts evolve.
