I believe that knowledge is a person’s most important asset. When people have the motivation to learn and expand their knowledge, they are better equipped to succeed and contribute to society. Gaining and developing knowledge is a combination of having access to education and a passionate teacher. Being a good teacher is understanding that every student has different strengths and weaknesses and learns through different means. Plutarch said, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” As a teacher, my purpose would be to facilitate curiosity and a yearning for knowledge. Education should not be seen as a means of implementing pieces of required material. Rather, education should be more of a gathering of kindling, allowing …show more content…
Growing up, I had many ideas of what career I wanted to pursue, but did not feel passionate about any career that I would consider. However, despite how uncertain I was towards my future profession, I was certain about two things: I love working with children and I love helping people. Naturally, teaching was a career that my parents and friends would suggest often, but I would always dismiss the idea. I simply thought that I could not do it and never thought about specific reasons that turned me away. When I entered college to pursue my bachelor’s degree, I still did not have a concrete idea of what career path I wanted to take. I decided to major in psychology purely because I love the subject, however, I did not know what I was going to do in the psychology field. After I graduated college, I accepted a job as a special education instructional aide for an elementary school district because I was somewhat interested in school psychology and wanted more experience working with students. From then on, I quickly, unexpectedly, and almost unexplainably fell in love with teaching. Working with students and seeing amazing teachers in action sparked something inside of me and I felt the calling to become a …show more content…
Last year, I was assigned to be trained in using an augmentative and alternative communication device and help a student with special needs integrate it into her school life. The purpose of the device was to promote the students’ ability to effectively socialize with her peers and to participate in class. I was responsible for finding opportunities where she can use the device at school and prompting her to use it during those times. In implementing and encouraging the student to use her augmentative and alternative communication device, she was noticeably more inclined to participate in class talking times compared to times without it. Once a week, I collaborated with her teachers and specialists to get an overview of the following week’s lesson material. We would brainstorm appropriate words or sentence starters to add to her device so that she would be ready to participate the following week. I then helped other instructional aides and teachers how to navigate the system and add or delete items. Using an augmentative and alternative communication device was very new to me and I am fortunate that I was able to learn how to utilize and integrate it to help enhance a student’s learning and social experience at