If there is one thing I've learned in the past few weeks, I must say it's accepting gracefully the things we can never change. When I first set foot in my cooperating school, I didn't know what to expect. I've waited three long and stressful years to finally get a feel of what it's like to really get exposed to children we've talked about everyday in classes, to children we only get a picture of in videos and encounters occasionally -it was my first day, my first formal exposure, my first memorable week, my first students.

I was assigned to two different and completely divergent kids, one was active, the other one a total opposite of the other. The first day I had, I didn't meet them yet. I was just oriented of how they talk, how they act, what they do, how loud the other one's voice is and how I should be excited to finally meet them the next day -of course, the sarcastic way for first timers. I didn't know how to feel, what to expect. I was so afraid to fail my professors, to fail the university, to fail myself, and to fail my students, including their families. What if I'm not effective? What if the first week gets done with me realizing that this field isn't really for me? Too many questions, I couldn't even wait any longer to finally know the answers.

Sometimes, something happens that changes your life forever. Agree? Well, I do. I didn't know that the first week with them (David and Daiki) would change my life forever, would change the way I look at things, would lead me to have a better and more positive outlook in life. The first time I met my American student, I tried talking to him many times, and it wasn't easy. Every time I try, I take a risk. I know there's a 50-50 chance of him ignoring me or talking back to me, but being a SPEDucator taught me many things including patience; that no matter how many times I try, I just have to keep trying, because eventually he'll talk to me. And yes, I was right. Not later that day, he responded. Just a couple of times but not bad for a starter like me. The next day, I met my very passive and grouchy Japanese student. He doesn't want to talk to me cos I only know how to speak English and it frustrates him. When I was handed a Japanese-Filipino dictionary, that was the only time he felt I existed. Everyday, I have to speak in Japanese and follow the dictionary if I want him to talk to me. When I feel like I've already done enough to get his attention and suit his mood, that's the only time I can speak in English and the only time I can start my lesson with him.

The first weeks of practicum was long enough to teach me many things I don't get to learn everyday, every month, or maybe even every year. Teaching them was one of the most fulfilling things I've ever accomplished. Whenever I know I've made Daiki feel good or I've somehow made him smile and laugh, I felt rewarded. Whenever I see David learning from me or answering his work sheets correctly, I felt good and happy. I felt like I've done something right, something worth being proud of, something I can tell other people which they could afterwards gain inspiration and strength from. Whenever I'm having a bad day at school, I know I can always look forward to afternoons with them -and the rest of the students there.

Teaching children with disabilities might be strenuous for some, but not for me, not for us SPEDucators; because every encounter with them teaches us something, gives us something to look forward to, something to be grateful for and that precious feeling of achieving something worth it. They taught me that we might not always win and have the greatest things in life but we can always make the most out of what we're given. They taught me not to look for what's missing but to look for what can be found and appreciate what's there. Because of them, I knew the importance of diversity, of how being different doesn't make us any less of who we are, but leads us to achieving our greatest potentials. That whenever you think you're having the most tiring and stressful day of your life, you just have to look at them and place yourself in their shoe; their families might have gone through a long process of accepting things but they did. Sometimes, life gives us no choice but we should always try and see the good side in everything. Though life could be pretty hard sometimes and there are changes we can't seem to accept, events that we couldn't find a reason for, countless disappointments, these children taught me to breathe, let go. There are bad days, bad events but we'll all get rid of them. There's always tomorrow and genuine love and care for other people will always make us happier more than we expect.

I might have ended my first shift but my commitment and eagerness to serve children with exceptionalities will always be within me, and no one can stop me, us, from attaining that goal. All hail, SPEDucators!

If there is one thing I've learned in the past few weeks, I must say it's accepting gracefully the things we can never change. When I first set foot in my cooperating school, I didn't know what to expect. I've waited three long and stressful years to finally get a feel of what it's like to really get exposed to children we've talked about everyday in classes, to children we only get a picture of in videos and encounters occasionally -it was my first day, my first formal exposure, my first memorable week, my first students.

I was assigned to two different and completely divergent kids, one was active, the other one a total opposite of the other. The first day I had, I didn't meet them yet. I was just oriented of how they talk, how they act, what they do, how loud the other one's voice is and how I should be excited to finally meet them the next day -of course, the sarcastic way for first timers. I didn't know how to feel, what to expect. I was so afraid to fail my professors, to fail the university, to fail myself, and to fail my students, including their families. What if I'm not effective? What if the first week gets done with me realizing that this field isn't really for me? Too many questions, I couldn't even wait any longer to finally know the answers.

Sometimes, something happens that changes your life forever. Agree? Well, I do. I didn't know that the first week with them (David and Daiki) would change my life forever, would change the way I look at things, would lead me to have a better and more positive outlook in life. The first time I met my American student, I tried talking to him many times, and it wasn't easy. Every time I try, I take a risk. I know there's a 50-50 chance of him ignoring me or talking back to me, but being a SPEDucator taught me many things including patience; that no matter how many times I try, I just have to keep trying, because eventually he'll talk to me. And yes, I was right. Not later that day, he responded. Just a couple of times but not bad for a starter like me. The next day, I met my very passive and grouchy Japanese student. He doesn't want to talk to me cos I only know how to speak English and it frustrates him. When I was handed a Japanese-Filipino dictionary, that was the only time he felt I existed. Everyday, I have to speak in Japanese and follow the dictionary if I want him to talk to me. When I feel like I've already done enough to get his attention and suit his mood, that's the only time I can speak in English and the only time I can start my lesson with him.

The first weeks of practicum was long enough to teach me many things I don't get to learn everyday, every month, or maybe even every year. Teaching them was one of the most fulfilling things I've ever accomplished. Whenever I know I've made Daiki feel good or I've somehow made him smile and laugh, I felt rewarded. Whenever I see David learning from me or answering his work sheets correctly, I felt good and happy. I felt like I've done something right, something worth being proud of, something I can tell other people which they could afterwards gain inspiration and strength from. Whenever I'm having a bad day at school, I know I can always look forward to afternoons with them -and the rest of the students there.

Teaching children with disabilities might be strenuous for some, but not for me, not for us SPEDucators; because every encounter with them teaches us something, gives us something to look forward to, something to be grateful for and that precious feeling of achieving something worth it. They taught me that we might not always win and have the greatest things in life but we can always make the most out of what we're given. They taught me not to look for what's missing but to look for what can be found and appreciate what's there. Because of them, I knew the importance of diversity, of how being different doesn't make us any less of who we are, but leads us to achieving our greatest potentials. That whenever you think you're having the most tiring and stressful day of your life, you just have to look at them and place yourself in their shoe; their families might have gone through a long process of accepting things but they did. Sometimes, life gives us no choice but we should always try and see the good side in everything. Though life could be pretty hard sometimes and there are changes we can't seem to accept, events that we couldn't find a reason for, countless disappointments, these children taught me to breathe, let go. There are bad days, bad events but we'll all get rid of them. There's always tomorrow and genuine love and care for other people will always make us happier more than we expect.

I might have ended my first shift but my commitment and eagerness to serve children with exceptionalities will always be within me, and no one can stop me, us, from attaining that goal. All hail, SPEDucators!