Student - Personal Essay

I grew up in a small town in Ohio where education was a valuable part of my life. I would describe our school system as a "back to basics" system. The main philosophy of my time was math, reading, and science. There were extracurricular activities, although they were not considered a high priority. When I attended school we would proudly say the Pledge of Allegiance, and morals seemed to still be in play in our education environment.

As with any school system I had some teachers who really made a good impression and left a mark upon my life; yet there were others who seemed as if they did not care at all. I believe they all made a great impact on my life- good or bad. The time period I was educated in was a time of change, new ideas, and new challenges. The education system was working hard to improve standards and find ways of teaching diverse students,

My personal convictions toward the goal of education are to see that all students get fair and equal treatment. It should not matter how wealthy a child is; furthermore, if the student has special needs they have the right to have those needs met without feelings of rejection or embarrassment.

My goal in education is to be a life-long learner; I cannot expect my students to gain knowledge if I choose to stop learning myself. As a special education instructor my goal is to see that my students get the extra attention and instruction they need to achieve academic excellence. I will probably use the teacher as specialist approach since I like to lecture, read, experiment, and discuss using my chosen curriculum. My goal also aims toward using a multiple learning style approach. I want each student to have the opportunity to comprehend what is being taught. I believe I need different types of manipulative materials that are relevant to my goals.

Special Education is an academic area that is constantly changing and improving. I trust that future research will expand on our educational knowledge; this will enable educators to obtain enormous strides toward helping those less fortunate than ourselves.

My role as an educator is to see that my students will meet our state standards, as well as personal goals. It is part of my responsibility to see that the curriculum I select is easily adaptable in meeting the needs and styles of all my students. This includes enticing the students to explore the world around them, and hopefully teach them that learning can be fun! I also have a responsibility to recognize the gifted students and situate them with an appropriate educational plan that will meet their personal goals. My job is to effectively manage an individual program plan that will meet each individual educational need. I will also actively engage students in the development and execution of our classroom, in addition to school discipline policies.

Confidentiality is another big concern for the special education teacher. It is imperative that an educator to maintain and promote confidentiality as the norm; just as I must always uphold fair and ethical judgments in all I do. It is my responsibility to create a protected environment of respect and fairness for all students.

The ability to communicate effectively is a very important issue for me. I am accountable for keeping good records, and correspond with students, staff, parents, and other outside agencies. I am also responsible for meeting the student's needs by creating an IEP plan that will meet their needs; as well as collaborate with the student's parent or guardian to successfully carry that plan out.

My philosophical approach is embedded in the idea that learning is the cornerstone to life. I like the statement that says, "The only time you truly fail- is when you fail to try."

My philosophical role varies; I am very versatile, and plan to take advantage of this gift as an educator. Using a multi-philosophical approach I may be acting as teacher as executive one day, and act as a teacher as an explorer the next. I believe in using different approaches depending on different situations. For example, if my class