Our Journey to Education Stories by Story, Kimberly

Kim's Story

kstory14 — 2022-09-07 12:31:12 UTC

I decided I wanted to be a teacher when I was in 3^rd grade. I wasn't set on what kind of teacher until much later. The biggest driving force for me to enter special education was my cousin Greg, who would have been identified today as intellectually disabled. He was younger than me by about 8 years and that was the perfect age difference for me to be a "mother hen." As he began to acquire the ability to speak, he didn't have a large vocabulary and could not say my name. His favorite thing to do was ride the bus to school. For a long time, Greg would call me "Bus" when I went to visit him. "Bus, up!" or "Bus, down!" he would yell to get me to help him up and down the stairs in his house. It really was a game to him. My mom helped me make games for him so he could practice OT, PT, and academic skills and we always talked through what we could do to help make sure he was getting the most out of the game we were making. Eventually, Greg's medical needs progressed and he began having seizures. Ultimately, there was difficulty getting them controlled and Greg passed away at 7 years old. He inspired me all the time. He seemed to always have a smile on his face and was willing to try whatever was asked of him, especially if there was encouragement. His giggle and joking personality was not lost within his disabilities. His family was focused on his abilities and always working toward finding the things would be most helpful to him and partnering with his teachers and school. All of these things continue to drive me. I am always learning and keep Greg in mind when I'm trying something new or looking for ways to help my students.

Bridget Galus

2022-09-08 00:15:50 UTC

Being a teacher was always on my mind but I was never sure of what type of teacher I wanted to be. I would always force my siblings to play teacher with me and anytime I could I would try and help my teachers as much as I could! One day in 7th grade I decided it would be a great idea to volunteer at NTLC where on my break periods I would go and help in a 6:1:3 behavior classroom. Instead of being scared it made me fall in love with the different learning styles in children. Ever since then, I’ve been working in special education and wouldn’t change it for the world. One student specifically was a reason I wanted to teach special education, I still think of her today and always use her as an example of how I am today! She was always known as the child that no one wanted to work with, “the behavior child”, I refused to believe that she was truly that and saw the beauty and the growth in her. Yes she did have some behaviors but with our positive relationship, she was able to calm her body and get out of the state of panic or worry. Another reason is that I want to help as much as I can and to be an advocate for their needs and learning styles!

Michelle Mazurkiewicz

mdachs1 — 2022-09-09 11:56:07 UTC

Also known as Michelle Dachs (married last week).
Throughout my years of middle and high school, I teetered between wanting to become a nurse or become a teacher. I enjoyed working with children and helping others and decided to pursue becoming a nurse after high school. While in my first semester at Daemen I began working respite for an individual with Autism. She changed my world. Over the semester at Daemen, I picked up 3 more cases working respite at HCS (Heritage Christian Services). During this time, I noticed that nursing wasn't exactly what I was expecting and decided to look into switching my majors. After all, I was in the first semester of college at Daemen. My advisors were extremely helpful in encouraging a switch and staying at Daemen. However, I researched different and more affordable schools in my area and landed my teaching aspirations at Buffalo State. College at Buffalo State was enjoyable. I made friends who I still talk to daily and I learned so much about my new profession. I continued to work respite for several years at HCS, People Inc and a little bit through Aspire. Working with individuals who have disabilities allowed me to find my niche. In working across different networks, I found myself majoring in Special Education. I'm now on my second year at Spruce and my third year teaching. While there are good and challenging days in all professions, there is no other profession I would find myself in.

Mallory's Story

mluparello — 2022-09-10 16:07:02 UTC

My answer to the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" was always a teacher. It wasn't until 8th or 9th grade that I was drawn to Special Education. My aunt was a school psychologist and would let me come to work with her on my days off. During my time with her at school, she brought me to adaptive classrooms and other self-contained rooms to meet the teachers and students. It was in these moments that I even began to learn about various disabilities. I quickly fell in love with the students I was meeting and the staff they worked with. The moments I spent there are what drew me to pursuing a degree in Special Education.

Jen's Story

2022-09-15 13:06:29 UTC

Growing up I knew I wanted to work with kids. In college I was studying to become a speech-language pathologist. Once I was in grad school, I switched gears to become a special education teacher after I took a course on students with disabilities. I had such a spectacular professor that really cared about the field of special education. Her course really influenced my decision to change my major. One of the best decisions I've ever made!

Christina's Story

2022-09-19 14:53:26 UTC

I became a teacher all thanks to my Grandma. She used to share stories of her students, good and bad ones, and she always talked about the relationships. Grandma was a special education teacher aide for much of her life, and I knew that I wanted to create similar bonds with future students one day. Now that my grandma has passed, it is time to let her legacy live on through the work I do. <3