Statement Of Purpose To Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience for a career and to give back to the community. I was eager to explore the volunteer options and ready for the experience. It is an eye-opening experience and provides such insight and I was excited to volunteer to help students with special needs.
I chose to volunteer in an Autistic Support classroom at East Goshen Elementary School. When I was searching for a place to volunteer it was overwhelming because there were many choices. All I knew is I wanted it to involve helping children because I am in training to become a school counselor. I have worked with regular education students and students with mental health disorders, ranging from infants to high school aged teenagers. I was curious as to how a classroom that is only for children with Autism functions and looks like.
I contacted the teacher Melissa and she had no problem with me coming in to help out. She has been teaching there for five years and worked with all grades in the school, K-5. This year Melissa works with 6 third and fourth-grade boys and one girl in first grade. In addition to teaching, she also runs social skills groups for the boys. She said there are three Autistic Support …show more content…
I did come into the experience with a few assumptions and it was the opposite. I thought it was going to be a chaotic and overwhelming classroom. My friend is a Special Education teacher and she describes her classroom that way most of the time. I also wish I did more, the teacher was trying to involve me, but I did not feel included. I felt like a student doing fieldwork instead of volunteering and it is nothing against the teacher because that is how her day to day is. I wanted to volunteer not observe, I probably would not volunteer there again. I appreciated the experience and took away a few things from it such as when working with Autistic children patience is key and it can go a long