This is my journey of how I figured what "normal" really is.
I took a job working with middle schoolers with special needs 2 and a half years ago. I had just finished my master's in special education and I had a lot of uncertainty about the job. I wasn't sure if I was qualified and I really knew so little about children with special needs.
At first, I felt like a failure as an educator. The kids were learning slowly, I was learning slowly, and it was taking some serious work to develop a connection with my students. I choose to keep doing my best everyday and worked hard not to get discouraged. After about a year into the job, the kids were still learning slowly, I was still learning slowly, but the connecting with my students was the easiest part of my job. I had learned to connect with a student who never looks me in the eye, I had learned to love and not fear a student who presented with aggressive behaviors when frustrated, I had learned to communicate with non-verbal children.
I had to set a different standard for myself of what mastery looks like for me and my job. My students are still learning slowly, but they are progressing. Small, small steps every day build up to big changes and achievements.
The best part of this transformation was that my students didn't have to change at all. I changed. I realized at some point that "normal" doesn't exist. Or maybe it does, but everyone is normal in their own unique way. Sometimes, when I am not at work and not immersed in the world of the differently abled, I am hit with the sudden realization that this world doesn't understand my students and they're the ones that are missing out. My students add so much to my life and I look forward to a time when their communities fully understand how much they have to give and add to this world.
Thankfully, this turned out to be the perfect job for me. It brings new challenges every day and it's never boring. It is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done, but the things I am learning and my amazing students make the effort well worth it.
I took a job working with middle schoolers with special needs 2 and a half years ago. I had just finished my master's in special education and I had a lot of uncertainty about the job. I wasn't sure if I was qualified and I really knew so little about children with special needs.
At first, I felt like a failure as an educator. The kids were learning slowly, I was learning slowly, and it was taking some serious work to develop a connection with my students. I choose to keep doing my best everyday and worked hard not to get discouraged. After about a year into the job, the kids were still learning slowly, I was still learning slowly, but the connecting with my students was the easiest part of my job. I had learned to connect with a student who never looks me in the eye, I had learned to love and not fear a student who presented with aggressive behaviors when frustrated, I had learned to communicate with non-verbal children.
I had to set a different standard for myself of what mastery looks like for me and my job. My students are still learning slowly, but they are progressing. Small, small steps every day build up to big changes and achievements.
The best part of this transformation was that my students didn't have to change at all. I changed. I realized at some point that "normal" doesn't exist. Or maybe it does, but everyone is normal in their own unique way. Sometimes, when I am not at work and not immersed in the world of the differently abled, I am hit with the sudden realization that this world doesn't understand my students and they're the ones that are missing out. My students add so much to my life and I look forward to a time when their communities fully understand how much they have to give and add to this world.
Thankfully, this turned out to be the perfect job for me. It brings new challenges every day and it's never boring. It is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done, but the things I am learning and my amazing students make the effort well worth it.
Comments
Post a Comment