From the Other Side

When I was in college I switched majors over and over again....and even transferred colleges three times. I had a hard time pinning down what my passion was. What I felt drawn to do as my profession. I sort of fell into the major of education and more specifically special education. I had a lot of credits that fit into the major and I liked the schedule of being a teacher so I figured I would go for it. I didn't realize all I would learn from the field work I did in college or those few years as a teacher. I saw so many kids who had challenges and unique ways of learning. No matter how different those kids were they all wanted the same basic things as all kids do. They wanted to be able to find a way to make everyone proud of them, especially their parents. They wanted to accomplish something. Whether that something was algebra or writing their name. As a teacher the hardest part of my job was making the parents understand. To make them cheer every accomplishment as a success no matter how small. To help them realize that every child learns in their own way and at their own pace. I remember wanting to scream at the parents who couldn't take off their rose colored glasses long enough to see the greatness in their child. I couldn't understand why those parents didn't want to see their child do well even if it meant lowering expectations and possibly making their child seem different. The parents were by far the hardest part of teaching for me. I could not understand.

Time really does change everything. Now almost 12 years later I have come full circle. I do understand. I am no longer the teacher but the parent. I am on the other side of the desk. I am facing the hard realization that learning is pliable. It is based on more then just a curriculum or a lesson plan. Not every kid fits the mold that society has set up for them. Some need an alternative way to find their success. My own words keep echoing in my head from all those years ago. I feel the frustration of giving up an ideal to accept something new. My experience is telling me that new can be scary but it can also be eye opening and extraordinary.