Before coming to the University of Oregon I knew I wanted to
be a teacher. After getting into the
Educational Foundations Program I decided I wanted to get a Special Education
minor to get more experience with the field. After taking many classes, I
realized that I was really interested in working in the Special Education
department and decided that I needed to get some experience in the classroom. I started volunteering at Early Childhood
Cares last year and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. Early Childhood Cares is a program on campus
and it provides early intervention and early childhood education to infants, toddlers,
and pre-school aged children in Lane County.
I work in a parent toddler class with children who have autism. It’s
been amazing to see the improvements and developments that the children have
made throughout the year, and it’s been a great opportunity to be able to work
with the individual children. Every
day, there is a meeting held for the parents to teach them specific skills for
their children; while the meetings are being held I take care of the children
and then we usually have free time, snack time, and circle time. Overall it’s been a great experience. I have
been fortunate enough to get to know all of the parents and been able to
discuss the hardships of having children with autism. Even though it’s a constant challenge, I am
able to see the love that these parents have for their children and it
reassures me every day that I want to be a teacher so I can have a positive
impact on future children and their families.
With so many education majors out there, it is great that Emily is seperating herself from the pack and putting this amazing work on her resume!
LITB,
Chrissy Hardesty
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