Hello Steemians! I never really introduced myself on this site, so let me take this #steemiteducation opportunity to #introduceyourself, and tell you why I became a teacher!
My parents never believed in college. I was their daughter, and a woman's place is in the workforce and then in the home. I took business education courses in high school, and after graduating, I worked full time in a very big city as a secretary. I must admit, I didn't see much use for college, especially when the paychecks came rolling in and I got a place of my own. But I never stopped ... I took college night courses here and there over the years just in case. I was young and single with the world at my feet. Over the years, I married a wonderful man, and gave birth to a son and a daughter, and bought a little home in the suburbs. I still worked downtown, my mother watched the babies, all was right with the world.
It's surprising how life can take a turn and you find yourself in a place you never imagined. A few years after my son was born, he was diagnosed with Autism and it changed my life drastically. This perfect little boy, now in a world all his own, regressing and in desperate need of help. I abandoned my career downtown and had four different therapists coming to my home throughout the week and two social classes to attend with my son. During the years that followed, my husband and I worked very hard, and none of it was easy. The person who worked hardest of all was my son. I am very happy to write that he went from an IEP with an aid, to a 504 plan with supports, to absolutely no supports at all. He has friends! He will be graduating from high school next year, and plans on attending college next fall. He has achieved miracles and I am so proud of his accomplishments.
When my children were both in school full-time, I felt a little lost. The PTA wasn't cutting it for me. The problem was that I never knew what direction to turn until I had my children. I loved teaching them. I loved watching them learn and grow. I wanted to teach! Going to college to earn my degree wasn't as difficult as I thought, and those years of night courses accumulated to an Associates Degree very quickly. Then, slowly but surely, with support from my husband and children, I graduated with my degree in Early Childhood. What I really wanted to do was to inspire people to be their best and to make a difference in the world. What better way to do this than to motivate and teach the young children in our community! The therapies I witnessed with my son have inspired me to become an early childhood educator. When you reach a child at an early age, you can truly bring out the best in them, inspire them to achieve success, and guide them towards making a difference in the world. I realize these are big goals for such a young age, but I have seen what early intervention can do, what socialization and positive teaching can do. It changed a little boy from being non-verbal and throwing tantrums to telling stories to his friends on the swim team. Who knows what he will achieve in the future!