My experience working with children of differing abilities actually began when I was still in high school and the school district offered me employement/job shadowing in what was then called the SMI room or severely mentally impaired room. This was in …show more content…
Originally, it was a semester long opportunity, but as I worked with the children and the classroom teacher and school district saw my love for this, they allowed me to continue working through my graduation. After graduation, my careers evolved and I worked for county government for approximately ten years before deciding to stay home with my young children and open a licensed child care center while going back to school. During this time, I remembered why I loved working with children so much and while I was completing degree work that was very relevant to working with students, I never pursued the option of DPI certification to teach in public schools. This choice came primarily from having young children at