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Making a Small Difference, Made a Career
When I was in elementary school in the 70s and '80s I was a talker. I still am today. But at that time those of us who got our work done early tended to get everybody else off track. So teachers came up with this great idea. Early finishers, like myself, went to work in other classrooms.
By the 6th grade when I had a pretty good reputation for finishing early and being a chatterbox, my teacher sent me to a classroom where I could put my academic and social skills to work. I got to leave my 6th grade classroom and go to a special class in a different part of the building and work one-on-one with a little second grader.
Now, here I am in my fifties and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I would go to this little closet-like classroom and work with my little friend on her spelling list. She needed some extra help because she was having a lot of trouble with spelling. Now many of us have trouble with spelling, but again this was the 70s and '80s so there was no internet, no spell check, no Google to help with anything. After a few weeks went by and we were practicing her spelling list, her test scores started to improve. I can remember the teacher that I worked with, the little second grade blonde headed friend of mine and me, the boasting big sixth grader and the joy we all felt. I had made a difference. It was a small one, just spelling, just improving, just making a little friend, just helping a teacher but that's all it took for me to spend the rest of my life working to make a difference for everybody who needed just a little bit of help.
Thirty years later and I have spent all that time teaching in Special Education. All I ever wanted to do was make a difference in the lives of others. In that time, I have learned a lot. What stands out most, is what people don’t seem to understand. I often hear, “it takes a special person to work in Special Education”. I don’t think that’s true. I’m not special, I’m interested and curious. This profession appears to be on life-support as the need for more teachers in this field is great. It doesn’t take someone with any special talents. It just takes someone who wants to make a difference.
How to make a difference by becoming a Special Education teacher:
Have a desire to make a difference in the lives of people who just need a little more help and understanding.
Be curious about how to help someone differently abled than you.
Look past stereotypes and see the person (and potential).
Have compassion and a sense of humor.
The overlooked beauty of Special Education is that any step, no matter how small to some, can make a big difference. That’s at the heart of what teaching has been for me and can be for you too.
‘We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” Ronald Regan
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