What I Have Learned from My Students

As a special education teacher who loves my job, I get so annoyed with people when they make comments like "Wow, that must be so hard", "I could never do what you do", or my all-time favorite "You must have so much patience." I'm sure we've all heard them. I think part of the reason I get so frustrated with these comments is these people don't understand how awesome, exciting, and rewarding my job can be, despite it's challenges. That's what makes it all worth it.

I have learned so much from my special education students. Granted, sometimes I joke that I am becoming more OCD and have adapted sensory-type ways of coping with difficult situations...but that just makes me smile and reminds me how much I love my job.

My students have taught me not to judge others by their appearances. My students don't judge by appearances. They don't care if someone's clothes are stylish. They don't think less of someone if they have messy hair or smell badly. In fact! I have to teach them to notice these things on themselves to learn hygiene skills. But when it comes to others, they are able to look past all of that and see people for what really matters.

Not only do not student not judge others by their appearances but they typically don't judge others for their actions or odd quirks either. My students know to ignore their classmate when he is swearing. They don't mind that one of their classmates sings "hello" instead of saying it. They understand more than others that we all have bad days sometimes and they don't hold it against us. They don't call things weird as some might, but accept that we are all different.

How often do I judge people by the appearances or the "odd" way I think they act? Way too often. My students remind me that that other things matter more than that. With my students, we laugh. We have a blast. And we don't care what others are thinking. My students teach me to live life more carefree.