Creating a Better Future by Mary

Creating a Better Future by Mary - July 2019 Scholarship Essay

I am interested in pursuing early childhood special education. At Kansas University, my major will be unified early childhood, where I will learn to teach typical and atypical students in the early childhood setting. My interest in teaching began early in life, as my mom is a teacher. As I got older I realized she teaches special education in the high school setting. I thought I might want to teach special education, and then for my junior week of service I worked at United Services, which is a First Steps program. I was in a room observing and helping two year olds with disabilities. I really enjoyed my time there and thought for the first time about working with young children. At the beginning of my senior year I started working at the preschool next door to my high school. That was where I fell in love with the idea of teaching early childhood. I continued to work there during the summer and I have been working there for almost ten months now. I have learned valuable skills as a teacher assistant, as well as the assurance that this is the career path for me. I work primarily in the one year old classroom, and I feel that to be one of the most important rooms. It is the age most of them hit major milestones like walking and talking, and so teaching them has become very important to me. It is so rewarding to see my kids that back in September couldn’t walk or talk now be able to run and speak short sentences. I know that this is what I want to do with the rest of my life, because it is vitally important work and work I genuinely enjoy.
Having qualified and educated early childhood education teachers is vital to society, especially to members of the community with a disability. Early intervention is one of the most important things when it comes to having a disability. As early as possible the child should be put in programs such as First Steps that understand the best possible ways to support the children. The first three years of a child’s life is when they retain the most information in that amount of time. It is important to have good teachers to educate children, especially when they are younger. I want to become a capable, educated, and caring teacher for the next generation. Going to Kansas University will help me achieve those goals, as it is ranked number two for special education programs according to U.S. News and World report. With an outstanding program and my determination, I will work every day to be the best teacher for those children.