I did not want to be a teacher, but I was called. School was always hard for me, so why would I want to become a teacher? But that all changed when I had my second child, she has Autism and has Intellectual Disability. She began my intensive training for my calling to teach. Samantha is a beautiful, loving soul, but she is a handful that will need help all her life. In my Life Skills class, I help students like Samantha with academics and teach them skills they need to navigate their lives.

Last year, I graduated a student I had in my class for three years. She came to me on the first day of class crying as she clung to her mom only being able to read 15 words as a sophomore. Part of her shyness was due to her Speech Impairment. Through working on reading, she began to conquer reading and some of her hard sounds. When she graduated she had completed two levels of a reading program. Now able to read 240 words, her shyness had turned into quiet confidence with a little spice.

Due to budget cuts, we do not have access to funds to take our students out into the community as much as we have before. In addition to paying off my Amazing bill, I would love to take my kids grocery shopping again. Learning to shop and cook their own meals are valuable independent living skills many of my students need to work on before graduation. Being able to work on these tasks with consistency is key for the students to learn, retain, and generalize these skills.