Every Tuesday and Thursday at Central Regional High School, Ms. Smith's special needs class sells chocolate brownies for one dollar. The students are able to smell the sweet chocolate treats from the other side of the school. Normally there is a line wrapped around the hall just for the chocolatey treats. For the rest of the day you would see students and teachers walking around the school with small zip lock bags with an index card sized brownie and one less dollar in their pockets. As you walk into the room you’re greeted with a jumble of hellos from everyone. My favorite part of the day is when I walk into the classroom and hear the students yell my name with such excitement on their faces. I’ve had the privilege of working with Ms. Smith's class and a couple of other special needs classes since I was in the seventh grade. I've also had the opportunity to work with these lovely students through “The Unified Club”. The Unified Club is an organization that brings highschool students and individuals with disabilities together to play sports. The first time I had heard of the club was over the loudspeaker in seventh grade and was automatically intrigued. The time spent working with that organization has been one of the highlights of my high school career and where I found a passion for teaching individuals with disabilities. Working with special needs individuals was not new to me though. My mother has worked with adults with developmental disabilities my whole life. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing those relations develop and how impactful it's been for everyone involved. As I’ve gotten older I met my two wonderful step brothers who happen to have autism. Being around them has solidified my passion for working with children with special needs. I’ve always had a heart for helping and taking care of people. Working in this field I would have a lot of opportunities to do just that. Throughout the experience of working with these students I’ve always appreciated seeing them hit their milestones. When I become a teacher I will push them to reach there milestones as independently as possible. I would provide them opportunities to develop their interests, which will help them enhance their sense of self worth. I would like to emphasize individuality and acceptance in my teaching. I think preparing individuals for the real world is an essential to teaching. Working with these students not only helps them grow, it also has helped me grow as a person. I can’t imagine my life with out seeing these individuals learn and grow, which is why I’ve decided to go into special education teaching. I am looking forward to being able to change lives.