I knew my third-grade teacher did not like me. She was the first teacher that made me feel stupid and worthless. I was a girl with diagnosed dyslexia and undiagnosed ADHD. I could not sit still. I asked questions because I was curious, but it sounded like a challenge to adults. I went to a Catholic School in the late 1980's with no classroom support. My third-grade teacher did not know how to support my needs, and she did not know how to offer an empathetic ear. The cycle continued with my fourth and fifth grade teacher. It was the start of my negative self-worth and feeling stupid for a large majority of my young life. I did have good teachers that believed in me during my education. However, the teachers that misunderstood me did not know how to approach my neurodivergent brain and treated me as stupid over unique or quirky. Teachers affect our lives. The actions of my childhood teachers are what steered my life into education today. I believe that children should be given the chance to reach their full protentional in academic settings. I hate that children relive what I felt in school every day in elementary. People may forget you, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Academics are only a small part of the human person. When Professor Harold Bloom expressed, "I have learned that the purpose of teaching is to bring the student to his or her sense of his or her own presence." he was sharing his idea of teaching self-love for oneself. To sense your own presence is to understand self-awareness and internal perception. Gaining control of yourself is the highest form of discipline. Professor Harold Bloom understood that teaching children how to recognize and control their own emotions, understanding their thoughts and motives, and finding ways to in recognizing their best and worst personality traits is what makes a great human. Teaching can make great humans and make a better world. I teach my students how to reach their math, reading and writing goals in academics. I also teach my students how to think through decisions, react towards negative events, respond to lazy thoughts and why trying your best and failing can offer more lessons in life than just winning. I believe teaching the whole person to be the best version of themselves is a vital part of education. I am about to start my sixteenth year in education. I have been a general education teacher, an ESOL support staff member and I am currently a special education teacher. I look for ways to help the children of today feel as they matter. I am currently getting my master's degree in education and administration at Emporia State University. I am seeking a scholarship to help reach my goal in working in Special Education Administration, so I can help many educators, help children with disabilities. scholarship to help reach my goal in working in Special Education Administration, so I can help many educators, help children with disabilities reach their full sense of self, and make great humans (and to be cliché) for the future of our world. Sharon Norden “Typos indicate this email was written by a human.”