In the School of Education, many students find a calling and a way of life. After they graduate, we look forward to seeing what they accomplish and who they become with the new skills they have learned. In each issue, we feature a recent graduate from UNCG’s School of Education. Recently we caught up with Ashley Smith, who graduated with her Masters of Education in December 2013.
Finding the right fit
For Ashley Smith, a recent Masters of Education graduate in K-12 Special Education, finding the profession she loves came out of the hardest job she ever had. After graduating from East Carolina University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in childhood development, Smith applied and was accepted to the counseling program at UNCG."It was an awesome program, but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for," Smith says. She tried switching to a higher education track, but still felt like she hadn't found the right fit, so she started applying for jobs. The first job for which she got a call back (and got hired) was a crisis assistant position in a self-contained K-2 classroom in Guilford County for children experiencing emotional and behavioral problems.
"That was the hardest six months of my life," Smith says. "It was draining, emotionally and physically—I was tired every day."
The students Smith worked with would have violent outbursts with little or no provocation. She would spend most of her days trying to figure out what was setting them off emotionally so she could avoid it, but sometimes that was difficult or impossible to determine.
Moving forward
Before the end of that school year, Smith was moved to a pre-K classroom at her school. While in this pre-K classroom, "Something about Special Ed just clicked," Smith says, and she applied for the master’s program in the School of Education after her first year in that position."It was kind of a perfect fit for grad school," Smith says. "It’s an early intervention and need-based program with some students who already have IEPs (Individualized Education Plans), so it fit my interests perfectly."
“I found my passion in special education, and working with these students is where my abilities and patience are put to the best use," Smith says. "I like the smaller setting, the smaller group, and I feel like you can have more of an impact this way."
Advocating for special needs
Smith worked with students at Sedalia on many projects for her degree, and she also did student teaching last spring in McLeansville. Ironically, Smith had never seen herself as a teacher, even though nearly all of her high school friends were Teaching Fellows, and even though she originally enrolled in college as a teaching major. However, she's found she likes the one-on-one and small group atmosphere of special education, and she enjoys making a difference in students' lives."I like to advocate for these kids," Smith says. "Many times students with learning disabilities or other special needs get overlooked, and then they come to you and you can give them the attention they need to succeed."
"Working in special ed and education in general, you really have to think outside the box and remember there’s always more than one way to do things, Smith says. “This is one of the most important things I learned while in my program.” While a student might struggle with a worksheet, "There might be 15 other ways to get that same knowledge out of a student, you just have to give them a chance," she says.
"It's like a puzzle almost," Smith says, "You're trying to solve something, like how can I get him or her to show me what they know because I know it’s in them, I’ve just got to figure out how to get it out.” “Ultimately, that’s my job, getting students to show me what they have learned," she says.
Role models
For Smith, her time spent in the School of Education has gone a long way to helping her solve these problems."Probably the best part was the professors," Smith says. "The professors were all amazing, Dr. Little, Dr. Dobbins, Dr. Bursuck—they were never too busy, they always made time for you, and you could tell they really valued your questions."
Smith remembers working on her first IEP and how terrible it was, but when she mentioned it to Dr. Dobbins while defending her portfolio, Dr. Dobbins says, “It's all a process."
Next steps
Now that Smith has finished her degree, she is starting to look for a job in the resource setting in an elementary school in North Carolina. Although she graduated in December 2013, she didn't want to leave her pre-K students in the middle of the school year."I'm attached to these kids already, and I just feel like it would be unfair to just leave in January," Smith says. "They already had a really tough transition," as their student teacher left in early December. Smith also really likes her school and colleagues.
"I’m very lucky to be where I am,” Smith says. “I have shared many ideas with staff members, and I feel they really listened and appreciated the things I brought to them."
And so, until she finds her next opportunity, Smith can be content with knowing she has found the kind of work she likes best, and her passion.
"Special Ed keeps me motivated because of all the different ways there are to get roughly the same product from students and to make them excited about learning," Smith says. "You have to figure out how to get students excited about participating; that’s half the battle,” she says. "If you can just get them excited about learning and participating, they'll do a lot more than you'd think.”
No comments:
Post a Comment