My Why
Since I’ve been a bit behind on my blogging game recently I decided to join Blogging Abroad’s 10 week challenge. The prompt for the first week is “Your Why”.
When I was a little girl I struggled a lot in school. Around the age of 7 I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I was one of the fortunate students. I had access to a great system of special education teachers and resources. From the age of 7 until 18 I had at least two sessions a week with a special education teacher to help me work around my learning disability. I was also very fortunate to attend typing lessons that were designed to help children with dyslexia and/or dyspraxia thrive in this modern world.
However, not many students are as lucky as I was. All too often students with disabilities are never informed of their rights to accommodations required for schooling and standardized tests. A Kids As Self Advocates survey found that only 20% of [American] students with disabilities were informed that they had access to accommodation for their disability and the level of information that was provided was inconstant ("Standardized Testing: What Youth with Disabilities Have to Say." 12-13).
One of the reasons as to why I decided to join the Peace Corps in the FSM and serve as an English Literacy Co-teacher and Co-planner was to help students from all backgrounds know that they can succeed at what they want to do in life. When I tell teachers at Tafunsak Elementary School that I have a learning disability they look at me in shock. All too often I hear that they are stunned that a student who had a learning disability could become a teacher. Growing up my teachers did not always believe in me. Some of them believed that because I did not score well in standardized tests I would not be able to succeed in college and beyond. However, I managed to prove them wrong and graduated with College Honors from Earlham College.
Another reason as to why I joined Peace Corps was, because despite my personal struggles, education has always been an important part of my life. I believe that it is through education that we are truly going to be able to change the world. Education can give people the tools to build houses, develop new vaccines, combat poverty, fight against climate change, and to change things for the better.
"Standardized Testing: What Youth with Disabilities Have to Say." Kids As Self Advocates. Ed. Naomi Ortiz, 2007. Web.
When I was a little girl I struggled a lot in school. Around the age of 7 I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I was one of the fortunate students. I had access to a great system of special education teachers and resources. From the age of 7 until 18 I had at least two sessions a week with a special education teacher to help me work around my learning disability. I was also very fortunate to attend typing lessons that were designed to help children with dyslexia and/or dyspraxia thrive in this modern world.
However, not many students are as lucky as I was. All too often students with disabilities are never informed of their rights to accommodations required for schooling and standardized tests. A Kids As Self Advocates survey found that only 20% of [American] students with disabilities were informed that they had access to accommodation for their disability and the level of information that was provided was inconstant ("Standardized Testing: What Youth with Disabilities Have to Say." 12-13).
One of the reasons as to why I decided to join the Peace Corps in the FSM and serve as an English Literacy Co-teacher and Co-planner was to help students from all backgrounds know that they can succeed at what they want to do in life. When I tell teachers at Tafunsak Elementary School that I have a learning disability they look at me in shock. All too often I hear that they are stunned that a student who had a learning disability could become a teacher. Growing up my teachers did not always believe in me. Some of them believed that because I did not score well in standardized tests I would not be able to succeed in college and beyond. However, I managed to prove them wrong and graduated with College Honors from Earlham College.
Another reason as to why I joined Peace Corps was, because despite my personal struggles, education has always been an important part of my life. I believe that it is through education that we are truly going to be able to change the world. Education can give people the tools to build houses, develop new vaccines, combat poverty, fight against climate change, and to change things for the better.
"Standardized Testing: What Youth with Disabilities Have to Say." Kids As Self Advocates. Ed. Naomi Ortiz, 2007. Web.
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