What I love

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What I love
By Barb

I have loved reading each of your responses! I am just finishing my first year of teaching a very challenging group of children. I am a special ed teacher of students with autism who are very low functioning. In my state,
you must have 2 teaching certificates in special ed to teach autism. I was lucky enough to get into a district that hired me and I can earn my autism certificate while I'm teaching...so when I started this year, I went in with only the bit of research I'd done over the summer and a lot of prayers.
There are many days that I come home exhausted and wonder why I got myself into this...but

then there are days when I forget all that because one of my students who can't talk finally realized that sign language can help them get something they want! Or, that one of my kids actually initiated something without any guidance or help. or even the totally crazy things like Hank brushed his teeth by himself or Anna sat in her chair for 20 minutes without running off! I look at my kids and I look at me 9 months ago...and I am amazed at how different we both are....they have taught me as much this year as I have taught them..and i value that greatly!
Often, when I tell people what I do or about the kids I teach, they ask me how I do it or say that I must be a saint...I usually laugh and tell them its not what they think....but later, I do think about it more and realize that every teacher...no matter of what age or ability, should be asked the same thing...we create our future through our students and that pride takes me a long way!