A "Diary" Entry for a Writing Competition...
The following is a writing piece that I am submitting as part of a contest of reflection for new teachers in the DOE. The names are required to be altered to protect the privacy of myself and the student. There is a cash prize and my writing will be posted on the DOE website. I am in the works of making up a name for myself as the author... I had no idea what to expect. In June I moved from upstate New York down to Brooklyn to pursue my master’s degree and work as a special education teacher as part of the NYC Teaching Fellows program. I had never taught before and was only vaguely familiar with special education and all that it ensued. I would have 8 kids in a self-contained classroom. I would be responsible for teaching all 4 subjects and my own Student Enrichment Model. I was told the student’s disabilities would range from mild autism to cerebral palsy. I got used to the looks of apprehension when I told new people I had met that I’d be working in District 75. I had anxiet...
