Letter in the Mail

It's official!!!! The school district has accepted my resignation. Did they have an option? LOL! As of April 8, the Board of Trustees has accepted my resignation and would like to thank me for my service to the students. 13 years of teaching behind me and I'm hanging up my dry eraser! Wow. It's been a good run, but I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life.

I have been blessed to work with a variety of students with disabilities. I have worked with kids aged five to 22. My first year teaching was with 15 7th grade students with mental disabilities, and my last year has been with 10 students with varying disabilities. I went to school to work with students with mental retardation (MR). In addition to teaching students with MR, I have taught students with learning disabilities, Fragile-X syndrome, Autism, emotional disorders, Schizophrenia, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, Down's Syndrome, speech impairments, auditory impairments, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, two students who have had hemispherectomies (half their brain removed to help stop seizures), and I am sure other disorders that I am forgetting about. Beyond the labels students with special needs are given, there is a very unique child. Each and every one has their own gift and lesson to teach. I have loved working will all of them and feel lucky to have been their teacher. Last year I ran into a former student of mine who was then a 12th grader. I had taught him in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. He said I was one of his favorite teachers and he remembered that I made him work hard. It was nice to hear that. One of the things I think makes me a great teacher for these kids is that I make them do for themselves and treat them as I would treat any person, with or without a disability. They don't want sympathy and they will not get it from me! I can't say I will never teach again, but right now I feel a pull to something else.

As far as nursing school goes, it will be tough to get in. I hope to be one of the top applicants, but it still will be difficult to get in since the spots are so limited. I am applying to an online program through a local community college that starts this fall. They are only accepting 10 applicants. I am also applying for their night and weekend program with a January 09 start. They take 30 applicants with about 300 applicants applying. Admission is based on three criterion: GPA in English 1301, one Anatomy and Physiology class and basic Psychology. Pending an A in my psych class this semester, I will have a 4.0 for this section. The next one is based on 27 credits or the pre-reqs they would like you to have. I have all 27. I should be 2 for 2 so far. The last is the reading comprehension score on the HESI. The HESI is a pre-nursing entrance exam. I think I need a 92 on this part of the test to be a top contender for nursing school. I hope to take the HESI in the next two weeks. The application for the online program is due May 15. I won't be terribly upset if I don't get in this program because I think I would prefer the night and weekend program. Wish me luck!!