Dreaming in Color

It was always something I pictured myself doing: teaching.  It started as a game I would play with my best friend, Conner, as a five year old kid.  Four stuffed animals sitting around a small table in the center of my room, each with a piece of notebook paper and a No. 2 pencil directly in front of them.  We took turns, Conner and I.  One taught while the other assisted.  It was simple; walking around the "classroom" with a clipboard that spelled out each student's name, first and last.  It became a dream that never ended, so here I am today.

After spending the last fourteen years in a classroom setting, I generally am asked why I would ever desire to become a teacher.  Personally, I find that knowing I can make an impact on a child's life is already rewarding.  The thought of teaching students with special needs never crossed my mind until Junior year of high school.  I've always felt a special connection with students with disabilities, and with children in general as a matter of fact.  So when I took a leap and began researching Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence's theory for a school project, I quickly realized that every student learns differently.  Some students excel and learn quicker than the average student, while others have some difficulties retaining information.  When applying to East Carolina in the Fall of 2012, I chose an education path of Special Education and shortly after attending my first class at ECU, I added on a plan for licensure in Elementary Education.  But why teach?

I believe teaching is a passion, a desired dream.  

It's waking up early and staying up late, preparing and finalizing lesson plans.

It's finding a way to differentiate information taught to meet the needs of all students because every student deserve equal attention.

It's buying numerous packs of crayons, markers, glue sticks, dry erase markers and construction paper because you never seem to have enough.

It's saying "Good Morning" to all of the smiling faces in the morning, constantly reminding every single student that you believe in them.

It's searching for all kinds of books to stock your classroom library.

Being an educator is something that all people are capable of.  Think about it; every person teaches another person at some point in their life.  However, it takes an amount of care and support to teach a student.  Students who haven't yet been exposed to the sometimes harsh but ever-changing world we live in.  The things they learn before graduating high school will have the most impact on their lives, guiding them towards a path they will choose to walk down for the rest of their lives.

Growing up, every child has a dream.  Whether it's to be an astronaut, a business manager, a member on a professional sports team, or even the President of the United States, every child has a dream.  It's now up to me to help them reach that dream.