Two boys and one girl are connected by one life-changing surgery. They bound into the classroom, laughing as they take their seats. Kicking her feet beneath the desk, the girl anxiously waits for class to start. She has been practicing her “th” sounds with her father, and she is excited to show her friends. This has been a challenge for her all year, and today she knows she can succeed. After the pledge of allegiance, the teacher allows her to stand in front of her peers. She begins reciting a few sentences from a worksheet. She tries her best to read the sentences, using all of the phonics lessons she had been taught. Even when she stutters or messes up a “th,” her friends cheer her on. How far she had come in just a few months. The teacher admired her with pride and congratulated her as she went back to her seat. The girl and her two friends get pulled out of their third-grade classroom a few times a day for a program called Auditory-Oral Foundations. Here, they work on speech and auditory comprehension skills with their cochlear implants, a device that allows people with moderate to severe hearing loss to perceive sounds. For the remainder of the day, they participate in the mainstream classroom to apply these skills. I had the privilege of shadowing the auditory-oral specialist at this elementary school for a day in the spring of 2023. This was a career path of education that I had not yet explored, and it piqued my interest. At this point in my educational career, I was majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in American Sign Language at Framingham State University, but was not completely sure where I wanted to take these areas of study. When I came across this elementary school, I was excited to learn about the program and how I could apply my courses in this setting. Although the students do not use sign language to communicate in school, they have the opportunity to converse in English using modern technology, and this gave me a deeper understanding on one perspective of deaf education. This experience not only confirmed my calling to be an educator, but also helped me realize that I would like to be a specialist who works with a small group of students. Shadowing this auditory-oral specialist was my first time formally observing in a classroom. I had worked with children before, in after-school settings and summer camps, but never in an academic setting. I was afraid that I would be pushed too far outside my comfort zone, or that I would realize the path of education is not for me. However, since this day, I have completed my first Pre-Practicum in a Framingham public elementary school, honored my personal needs by transferring to Worcester State University (where I now major in Elementary Education and minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders), began substitute teaching in my hometown, and, through it all, my passion for education persisted and even enhanced. Through these experiences, I have gained an understanding that every day in the classroom is unique and will provide an abundance of opportunities to improve. I will constantly be challenged and pushed outside my comfort zone, but that is not a bad thing. If I am always comfortable in an environment, I am not learning or growing. Without higher education, I would not have had these incredible opportunities to recognize my strengths and areas of continued development as an educator or demonstrate my skills in the classroom.

Two boys and one girl are connected by one life-changing surgery. They bound into the classroom, laughing as they take their seats. Kicking her feet beneath the desk, the girl anxiously waits for class to start. She has been practicing her “th” sounds with her father, and she is excited to show her friends. This has been a challenge for her all year, and today she knows she can succeed. After the pledge of allegiance, the teacher allows her to stand in front of her peers. She begins reciting a few sentences from a worksheet. She tries her best to read the sentences, using all of the phonics lessons she had been taught. Even when she stutters or messes up a “th,” her friends cheer her on. How far she had come in just a few months. The teacher admired her with pride and congratulated her as she went back to her seat. The girl and her two friends get pulled out of their third-grade classroom a few times a day for a program called Auditory-Oral Foundations. Here, they work on speech and auditory comprehension skills with their cochlear implants, a device that allows people with moderate to severe hearing loss to perceive sounds. For the remainder of the day, they participate in the mainstream classroom to apply these skills. I had the privilege of shadowing the auditory-oral specialist at this elementary school for a day in the spring of 2023. This was a career path of education that I had not yet explored, and it piqued my interest. At this point in my educational career, I was majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in American Sign Language at Framingham State University, but was not completely sure where I wanted to take these areas of study. When I came across this elementary school, I was excited to learn about the program and how I could apply my courses in this setting. Although the students do not use sign language to communicate in school, they have the opportunity to converse in English using modern technology, and this gave me a deeper understanding on one perspective of deaf education. This experience not only confirmed my calling to be an educator, but also helped me realize that I would like to be a specialist who works with a small group of students. Shadowing this auditory-oral specialist was my first time formally observing in a classroom. I had worked with children before, in after-school settings and summer camps, but never in an academic setting. I was afraid that I would be pushed too far outside my comfort zone, or that I would realize the path of education is not for me. However, since this day, I have completed my first Pre-Practicum in a Framingham public elementary school, transferred to Worcester State University (where I now major in Elementary Education and minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders), began substitute teaching in my hometown, and, through it all, my passion for education persisted and even enhanced. Through these experiences, I have gained an understanding that every day in the classroom is unique and will provide an abundance of opportunities to improve. I will constantly be challenged and pushed outside my comfort zone, but that is not a bad thing. If I am always comfortable in an environment, I am not learning or growing. Without higher education, I would not have had these incredible opportunities to recognize my strengths and areas of continued development as an educator or demonstrate my skills in the classroom.

Two boys and one girl are connected by one life-changing surgery. They bound into the classroom, laughing as they take their seats. Kicking her feet beneath the desk, the girl anxiously waits for class to start. She has been practicing her “th” sounds with her father, and she is excited to show her friends. This has been a challenge for her all year, and today she knows she can succeed. After the pledge of allegiance, the teacher allows her to stand in front of her peers. She begins reciting a few sentences from a worksheet. She tries her best to read the sentences, using all of the phonics lessons she had been taught. Even when she stutters or messes up a “th,” her friends cheer her on. How far she had come in just a few months. The teacher admired her with pride and congratulated her as she went back to her seat. The girl and her two friends get pulled out of their third-grade classroom a few times a day for a program called Auditory-Oral Foundations. Here, they work on speech and auditory comprehension skills with their cochlear implants, a device that allows people with moderate to severe hearing loss to perceive sounds. For the remainder of the day, they participate in the mainstream classroom to apply these skills. I had the privilege of shadowing the auditory-oral specialist at this elementary school for a day two years ago. This was a career path of education that I had not yet explored, and it piqued my interest. When I came across this elementary school, I was excited to learn more about the program. Although they do not use sign to communicate, they have the opportunity to converse in English using modern technology. I minored in American Sign Language at Framingham State University, and after transferring, am now minoring in Communication Disorders at Worcester State University to enhance my Elementary Education degree and explore this field. This experience not only confirmed my calling to be an educator, but also helped me realize that I would like to be a specialist who works with a small group of students. Through my experience in college and beyond, I aspire to recognize my strengths and areas of continued development as an educator. Shadowing an auditory-oral specialist was my first time formally sitting in a classroom. I have worked with children before, in after-school settings and summer camps, but never in an academic setting. At first, I was nervous about having no experience in a classroom. I was afraid that I would be pushed too far outside my comfort zone, or that I would realize the path of education is not for me. However, shadowing this teacher for the day and completing my first Pre-Practicum at Framingham State University helped me understand that every day in the classroom is unique. I will constantly be challenged and pushed outside my comfort zone, but that is not a bad thing. If I am always comfortable in an environment, I am not learning or growing.