Amelia BrummettCato

I would have to say my family. For the longest time it was just myself and my son. That was the biggest thing. I had to have a job and I worked hard to get my degrees and provide for my family. I just worked hard and I knew that if those babies I took care of, even though they were big babies, big middle school and high schoolers, I would want my son to be treated just as well, so I made sure those kids were treated well. If they came in my room they knew they were going to be treated well and I had peer helpers that came in my room and some of them wanted to stay in my room all year round because they just loved being in my room because they knew that was their safe place.

I have to go back to Dale Hastel, the co-teacher I worked with my first year. She looked at me my first day and we had a student that made a mess and she said glove up and she said just remember if this was your child you would want her to come home clean. And so I just remember that day. Every kid that came in my room went home clean. I just always remember every kid that comes in my room it's coming home clean and not hurt. And if they do get hurt I'm probably crying with them. I tried to make sure to keep them safe and clean.

Be prepared for the hard times and the mental capacity it will take on you. But remember that it is rewarding to see the growth that comes with the special needs students and the impact that you will have on them.

I would have to say at times it would be the behaviors. Getting through the behaviors and also sometimes the parents. This generation just generations change. When I first started parents understood okay my child's special needs and these things happen. Yes they're going to have behaviors. We need to work together to help get through the barriers. And this generation now we hear a lot of oh my baby would never do that or my baby doesn't do that. And that that's a challenge. And so as teachers we see that a lot now is that parents will say well my child doesn't do that at home or we don't want to tell our children no anymore.

Faith. Faith is number one. And then safety. Your home. Going home every day. And then just your mental capacity. Keeping yourself sane because if you don't have a mental capacity and you're not in it then you're not there for the kids because if you don't have the mental capability and to work every day with this group of kids then you're not functioning right and they can sense it. That's the biggest thing. You have to be present.