Anjana Verma

I attribute my success to the small goals I achieve every day and the inner satisfaction I get from my work. Creating a positive impact on someone's life, making them happy, supporting them, and helping them gives me such fulfillment. What makes it even more special is that I'm not just teaching - I'm learning from these kids too. They are genius kids, absolutely brilliant. They're just a little different, that's all, but there's so much to learn from them. I love that win-win situation where I'm learning while I'm making them learn, and I'm creating an impact in their lives. That's what drives me and why I truly love my profession.

The best career advice I ever received was to never take anything personally. My teacher told me this after seeing some staff overreact to difficult situations with the students. He said that even when students get harsh with you, spit on you, or might harm you, you don't have to take it personally. Nothing is personal against you - they hardly know you. Whatever they're saying or doing, it's not about me. It's just the situation they're in at home or whatever is happening with them. That advice really stuck with me, and I still follow it today. It's helped me stay calm and patient even on the most challenging days. Another piece of advice that meant a lot to me was when my teacher and staff members told me on my first day, when I was terrified working with severe special needs kids, that I was doing good and that they thought I was meant for this field. They told me I would gradually get it, and I took that challenge. I heard them, and I thought, okay, I think I can do it. And here I am, almost a year later.

I would say be patient, be calm, and you will get it. If you have patience and you really want to get into this field and love working with kids, this is it. You can do it - just believe in yourself. Be nice and be calm with them. That's the key to success in this work.

The biggest challenge in my field right now is the unpredictability of each day, especially when working with students who have medical conditions like seizure histories. My student has a history of seizures, so if he had a seizure the night before, he comes to school in a state of confusion and often forgets my name. That's a huge challenge because I have to assess whether he's ready for our job site work that day. I need to make sure everything is aligned and that the student is properly prepared for working outside. If not, I have to communicate with the teacher and make changes to our plans. We never know what's going to happen - sometimes something happens at home, like a small fight or verbal argument, and the student is upset. Then we need to figure out what exactly happened, why my student is upset, why he's not willing to work when he's not usually like this. We have to brainstorm everything. The student can be frustrated, harsh, and say things that at times make you feel bad. But I never take it personally because it's not about me - it's the situation the kid is in. There are days when the morning starts really bad, but by the time we're closing the day, the student is in a good mood, and I feel so happy on those days knowing that I created some impact.

The values most important to me are never getting aggressive with the kids and being very empathetic with them. We need to try and understand them deeply. Being a mother, I have that motherly instinct with my student, who is 19 years old, and I still consider him like my son. The way I am with my own girls, I get along with him in the same way. My top priority is my students' safety - things like making sure they're in a safe zone while crossing the road and taking care of them throughout the day. That's what my values are all about: the kids' safety and just taking care of them with empathy and understanding.