Special Education Personal Statement
Personal Statement
After much deliberation, I have concluded that I truly miss teaching. In December of 2003, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree in special education from Arizona State University. I graduated magna cum laude and was full of enthusiasm for my new career. Over the next ten years and countless emotional conditions while teaching, I became ill and needed to rethink my employment options. After months of recovery, I took on the responsibility of being my son’s primary caregiver and tried costuming for a local theater group, Detour Company Theatre. This is a theater company that works with adult performers with special needs. In less than three years, I have earned the position of Costume Co-director and yet something is missing. My son, who has autism, is no longer as dependent on my assistance as he was when he was younger. My costuming work is seasonal and the gaps between shows leaves me wondering what else I could …show more content…
I felt teaching was taking too much of my energy and I needed to focus on recovery. There was, however, the passion for teaching that lay dormant. I still find myself thinking about how I would structure a classroom, what kind of paraprofessionals I would supervise, and what new technologies I would implement in my teaching space. I think about lesson plans, accommodations, modifications, and the varied population of students that I have taught over the years. Even when changing careers, I find myself surrounded by people with special needs, varying from severe to mild. I am at my best when working with the segment of the population that has differing abilities. My colleagues have been overwhelmingly supportive of my decision and I concur that attending graduate school for a master’s degree in special education is the right choice for me to reenter the education
After much deliberation, I have concluded that I truly miss teaching. In December of 2003, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree in special education from Arizona State University. I graduated magna cum laude and was full of enthusiasm for my new career. Over the next ten years and countless emotional conditions while teaching, I became ill and needed to rethink my employment options. After months of recovery, I took on the responsibility of being my son’s primary caregiver and tried costuming for a local theater group, Detour Company Theatre. This is a theater company that works with adult performers with special needs. In less than three years, I have earned the position of Costume Co-director and yet something is missing. My son, who has autism, is no longer as dependent on my assistance as he was when he was younger. My costuming work is seasonal and the gaps between shows leaves me wondering what else I could …show more content…
I felt teaching was taking too much of my energy and I needed to focus on recovery. There was, however, the passion for teaching that lay dormant. I still find myself thinking about how I would structure a classroom, what kind of paraprofessionals I would supervise, and what new technologies I would implement in my teaching space. I think about lesson plans, accommodations, modifications, and the varied population of students that I have taught over the years. Even when changing careers, I find myself surrounded by people with special needs, varying from severe to mild. I am at my best when working with the segment of the population that has differing abilities. My colleagues have been overwhelmingly supportive of my decision and I concur that attending graduate school for a master’s degree in special education is the right choice for me to reenter the education