While in college for my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood and Special Education, I did very little to care for my mental and physical health. I was generally active due to my busy schedule and was constantly surrounded by friends, so I took my state of mental well-being for granted. Once I entered the field as a full-time Special Education Teacher, though, I no longer had the constant proximity of my friends or a busy schedule to keep me active on a regular basis. I fell into an unfortunate loop of waking up, going to work, coming home, going to sleep, and repeating the cycle over and over again until I was at my absolute breaking point. My breaking point came during March of my 1st year of teaching; I was teaching an alternative education program in the evenings for teens that had significant emotional/behavioral disorders, some of whom even had criminal records. Despite the backgrounds of these students, I worked hard to build a positive rapport with them. Still, there were challenges. For instance, my students discovered I am bisexual when they saw a photo keychain of my significant other hanging off of my personal bag. After that discovery, I faced comments from the students about "looking like a lesbian" and being referred to as other derogatory terms. Teaching the alternative program provided me with a lot of great experience, but it also was a harsh life lesson in the important of learning to say no and avoiding work overload. I was truly burnt out. I spent almost no time on myself, other than on the weekends, which I usually reserved for hanging out with friends. After resigning from the alternative education program, I vowed to never treat myself so poorly again. Since then, I have committed myself to a nightly self-care routine with hot tea, skin care, and meditation before bed. I reserve time for friends throughout the week and on the weekends for longer distance trips. I have a healthier work-life balance by completing paperwork only while I am at the school. I sought the support of a personal trainer whom I work with 3 times each week and am now beginning to work with a nutritionist. Taking better care of my physical health has boosted my mental health, which, in turn, increases my motivation to be more physically active. Learning the relationship between physical and mental health, as well as the delicate balance between too much/not enough, has really allowed me to be a better student at the graduate level. Balancing a full-time teaching job, graduate school, a part-time job, and my personal and social life can be overwhelming, but budgeting in time for self-care and fitness has had a tremendously positive impact on my overall well-being.

Reflecting on my own teaching philosophy, I always think back on the Disney Channel Original Movie, "Sky High." I understand how silly it sounds to reference a Disney movie in a scholarship essay, but I think the premise of the movie really hits the nail on the head with what it means to be a special education teacher. Essentially, there are heroes and their "hero support," more commonly referred to as sidekicks. Parts of the movie suggest that the heroes and entirely self-sufficient and are just as capable without their sidekicks and their "lesser" powers. However, the hero supports rise to the challenge and make people realize just how much of an impact their presence has on the success of the heroes. In education, I believe special education teachers have the same impact. The general education teachers are often the stars of the show with their own classrooms and leading groups of students in engaging instruction every day. The special education teachers, though, run in the background to make sure all of the students and general education teachers have the tools they need to successfully engage in instructional activities throughout the school day. The efforts of special education teachers can be easily overlooked, just as those of the hero support in Sky High. As a 2nd year special education teacher, I am fortunate enough to have already seen the impact I can have on my students. One of my students on the autism spectrum has higher levels of academic functioning which are negatively impacted by his struggles with executive functioning, self-regulation, and social skills. Since the start of the school year, I have tried implementing a variety of strategies to help him be successful with little bursts of success here and there, but nothing major. I approached colleagues to get their advice and was given a copy of the Asperkid's Secret Book of Social Skills. I read through the book and quickly realized how much my student could benefit from its content. Once I began a study of the Asperkids book with my student, I saw a much bigger change in his behaviors and overall attitude toward school. He also gained a sense of confidence and learned how to appreciate his autism, while still acknowledging the ways in which it made him different. A student who would meltdown at the start of the year when he was given a simple redirection now accepts constructive feedback and works diligently to make desirable changes in his works habits. He has a newfound sense of pride that motivates him more than any tangible reward possibly could (though he still loves earning his flags from every country in the world). My student has truly come out of his shell and has even provided advice to incoming 9th grade students based on his own success story this school year. I am beyond thankful to have witnessed so much growth within a single school year, but I can't wait to see how much more this student will accomplish during his remaining time at the high school. Watching him develop such strong intrinsic motivation and a greater sense of confidence has been so incredibly rewarding. The most valuable and difficult skill to foster in students is self-motivation. Self-motivation is the driving factor that leads to greater success both in and out of school.