Being a Special Education teacher... what it means to me.

I am currently in my 23rd year as a special education teacher. For Twenty years I taught students with severe multiple disabilities who required full assistance for most all of their care and educational needs. The past three years I have been teaching Life Skills to students who have multiple disabilities including visual impairmants. During this past 3 years I have also been enrolled in classes at MTSU to obtain my vision endorsement.  I choose to continue and to complete a master's degree in vision disabilities. This is my 2nd masters in special education with my first being in severe/profound special education. I have devoted my life to working with and learning from the many students who I have had the priviledge of serving over the past 23 years. I have learned so much about life and how to appreciate everything I have, to not take things for granted, to appreciate every accomplishment (even the very small ones), to smile, to laugh, to cry. I truely believe I am where I am suppose to be in life and I am so grateful for all of the life lessons my students have taught me over the years. People say to me that I must be special to do this kind of work, but I feel that I am blessed by the work I have been led to do.