Changing Roles and Changing Minds by Alissa

Changing Roles and Changing Minds by Alissa - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

If the positions were switched I would teach special ed. fine arts. The special needs community and performing arts are my greatest passions and a career in those fields is what I will pursue in college. It is my desire to open up a world for special needs individuals where they are fully themselves and unashamed of it.

I want to go further than a traditional special ed. teacher by strengthening my students and teaching them how to be productive citizens using performing arts. By teaching the upcoming generations of special needs individuals and making them confident in themselves through the fine arts curricula, I want to continue to break the trend of society putting limits on their abilities. I want to make students ready to take on the world and be whatever they set their minds to because they have been immersed in success and not focused on failures. I want to see them prepared and integrated into the workforce, riding buses, and finding independence where they can in the world around them.

I am choosing this field because I see potential in them that most fail to notice While many avoid these individuals out of ignorance or fear, I am drawn to them, wanting to improve their quality of life and how the world views them. It's such a joy to hear formally non verbal individuals conversing with ease, watching students conquer feats they once thought impossible, and encouraging students to see their world in a positive light, and to never give up. I've loved performing arts all my life; the excitement of acting on stage, the feeling of freedom that comes with dance, and the emotion and passion that is found in music. I want to share those feelings with special needs individuals. I want to help them express themselves so they don't feel trapped or glued to an identity as an individual with a disability. They deserve to experience life to the fullest and I want to grant them that.

When the positions are finally switched, and I am the teacher, I will teach performing arts for special needs students. I am passionate about assisting those with special needs in escaping the hardships of daily life and become integrated into society through fine arts. My plan is to provide an escape where there are no boundaries, only possibilities to chase.