*As a child, I was labeled as gifted and did very well in school for a long time. But when I reached my AP classes in high school, I failed out. I firmly believe that this was because I didn't know how to study or persevere through things I didn't know. My parents just left me alone because I had always done well. It has taken me years to figure out how to hack my brain. It's a passion of mine to help other students learn their own brain hacks as soon as possible. This passion is why I decided to teach gifted and special education students.

*I used to think that the room had to be set up a certain way, decorated based on the time of month or what I was teaching about. This year I didn't even open my closet to try and set things up for the first week of school. I just spent time focusing on my paperwork and all the things that matter. My room came together just fine, the students began to put their artwork on the walls and that is how I plan to do all of my decorating every semester!

*The biggest reward being a special education teacher is keeping my students for more than one year. What a beautiful thing it is to see them grow from a little 2nd grade baby to an 8th grader choosing their high school path. The end of the year is pure torture for me when I lose students.