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This is a photo of me, Dinah Williams, in China. I was there in the summer of 2012. I spent 6 weeks at Nankai University taking intensive language courses while finishing up my Bachelors degree in Linguistics at the University of Utah. My Chinese name is Bai Se Jia which means the white silk is good.
I began my college career wanting to teach English as a Second/Foreign Language and am TESOL Certified. However, when I was interviewed at Westminster College I was asked if I had ever thought of teaching Special Education. The answer was No, but the more I thought about it the more the idea appealed to me. The first experience I had with any kind of disability was in kindergarten. I met a boy with a very large head and no arms, just hands. We became fast friends and played together at recess every day. There have been many more over the years, but I only tell you about the last two. One was a girl about 9 or 10 and smart, but had trouble concentrating or sitting for very long, she fit in several learning disabilty categories, she was difficult to have in a class because she was always running around and needed constant supervision and one-on-one attention which our school was not equipped to handle. I did not know then what I am learning now. Her parents eventually pulled her out because she needed more specialized care. I still miss her. The last one was a young man at the same school who had grand mal seizures several times a day and it adversely effected his ability to learn. He was a very sweet, gentle soul, and was very determined to learn to read and write. Everybody in school liked him, they also liked our girl, but the difference was that our young man was quiet and our girl was not. It was good for our students to be together, it taught everyone to be kind and caring, to be patient and longsufferring. I believe that these young people and others I had relationships with throughout the years have given me a unique perspective in my life and have helped to equip me for my new role as a Special Education Teacher.
I began my college career wanting to teach English as a Second/Foreign Language and am TESOL Certified. However, when I was interviewed at Westminster College I was asked if I had ever thought of teaching Special Education. The answer was No, but the more I thought about it the more the idea appealed to me. The first experience I had with any kind of disability was in kindergarten. I met a boy with a very large head and no arms, just hands. We became fast friends and played together at recess every day. There have been many more over the years, but I only tell you about the last two. One was a girl about 9 or 10 and smart, but had trouble concentrating or sitting for very long, she fit in several learning disabilty categories, she was difficult to have in a class because she was always running around and needed constant supervision and one-on-one attention which our school was not equipped to handle. I did not know then what I am learning now. Her parents eventually pulled her out because she needed more specialized care. I still miss her. The last one was a young man at the same school who had grand mal seizures several times a day and it adversely effected his ability to learn. He was a very sweet, gentle soul, and was very determined to learn to read and write. Everybody in school liked him, they also liked our girl, but the difference was that our young man was quiet and our girl was not. It was good for our students to be together, it taught everyone to be kind and caring, to be patient and longsufferring. I believe that these young people and others I had relationships with throughout the years have given me a unique perspective in my life and have helped to equip me for my new role as a Special Education Teacher.