An Adventure Every Day
It was a crisp April morning as I walked my daughter to her kindergarten class. The very same routine we had completed since that past September, except when we arrived at school her emotions exploded. This anxiety began taking a toll on her spirit, which lead me to engage in a volunteer position at her school to keep her settled. In doing so, it sparked an interest and fascination to take form in my head that helping children overcome obstacles was what I wanted to do with my life. In particular, I wanted to assist special needs students and provide that essential support required for their success in education and within their lives. During my position as a volunteer encouraged me to enroll in college and obtain …show more content…
The adventures and trials were numerous, which lead to an ever-expanding resume. Since the range of student needs became more complex, so did the need for my education. As an Educational Assistant, I play a dynamic role in working with parents, staff and external professionals, helping to facilitate that each student receive the most appropriate assistance and guidance. In order to meet the needs of these students, I first acquired my nonviolent crisis intervention certificate. It provided very specific strategies to de-escalate emotional outbursts and keep students and staff as safe as possible. I have had to use these strategies on several occasions when a student has had a physical violent outburst and an evacuation of a classroom was imminent. Frankly, the realization that bruises, bites, flying objects grazing your head, and the ear curdling sounds of foul language has all become a significant part of this profession. Hence, I keep this certification renewed on a yearly basis. My second focus of ongoing learning was working with Behavioural Therapists and Speech Pathologists. I attended guided sessions with these professionals and each of my students to learn new techniques specific to their learning needs. This was so interesting that I found myself contemplating going back to school again and specializing in speech pathology. However, mounded with opportunity already I continued to gain experience in the assistants’
It was a crisp April morning as I walked my daughter to her kindergarten class. The very same routine we had completed since that past September, except when we arrived at school her emotions exploded. This anxiety began taking a toll on her spirit, which lead me to engage in a volunteer position at her school to keep her settled. In doing so, it sparked an interest and fascination to take form in my head that helping children overcome obstacles was what I wanted to do with my life. In particular, I wanted to assist special needs students and provide that essential support required for their success in education and within their lives. During my position as a volunteer encouraged me to enroll in college and obtain …show more content…
The adventures and trials were numerous, which lead to an ever-expanding resume. Since the range of student needs became more complex, so did the need for my education. As an Educational Assistant, I play a dynamic role in working with parents, staff and external professionals, helping to facilitate that each student receive the most appropriate assistance and guidance. In order to meet the needs of these students, I first acquired my nonviolent crisis intervention certificate. It provided very specific strategies to de-escalate emotional outbursts and keep students and staff as safe as possible. I have had to use these strategies on several occasions when a student has had a physical violent outburst and an evacuation of a classroom was imminent. Frankly, the realization that bruises, bites, flying objects grazing your head, and the ear curdling sounds of foul language has all become a significant part of this profession. Hence, I keep this certification renewed on a yearly basis. My second focus of ongoing learning was working with Behavioural Therapists and Speech Pathologists. I attended guided sessions with these professionals and each of my students to learn new techniques specific to their learning needs. This was so interesting that I found myself contemplating going back to school again and specializing in speech pathology. However, mounded with opportunity already I continued to gain experience in the assistants’