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Special Education Teacher Who Changed my Life

8/12/2025

This article originated from a college assignment I did on special education. The course was called "Exceptional Learners" and this short essay was to write about a teacher that made a difference in your life. I looked at it again and I figured it would be good to post on here and my online's blog page.

There was one special education teacher I always remembered from my last two years at the Farmington Valley Transition Academy program during 2013 and 2014. I was in my second year there during the 2012-2013. The main reason I remembered this teacher was due to selecting characteristics that made me feel welcomed. I had many teachers and paraprofessionals during my school years, but this was the one I gained many experiences from being with. This teacher embodied five qualities of how a great teacher should be like. Those qualities she believed in were valuing the individual perspective of her students, her communicative passionate nature, positive mindset, and her motivational approach.

She always valued the individual perspective of her students and that is the main thing that made me remember the teacher. During the first year she worked, she had a stance against video games due to her past work with the autism population, where clients were addicted to them. This was the same time Sandy Hook occurred, so anti video game statements were present. I always knew that gaming had a bad image because the media can influence people to blame elements that turned out to be the least noticeable cause of issues. Gaming always allowed me to try new things and during my school years, I wrote game reviews for the writing classes. I had some respectful debates on the meaning of video games as I believe they have the same meaning as books and movies do. Due to her seeing my take on gaming, she became more open to them as a meaningful hobby. The sense of empowerment that came after it was something I remembered, and the program brought and/or had donated Nintendo Wii consoles being available for students.

Thanks to her acceptance, it displayed her knowledge of social interactions on how even solo activities in the community are meaningful. I remember an interaction that started because of me playing an arcade game, Time Crisis 2. Due to the program being at a college campus, it had a long room filled with video games. I used to eat lunch with my peers and then head back to the longue room to play some quick games before going back to my class. During one session, I saw my teachers and others heading to a quick room. She and I locked our eyes for a quick second and went back to other activities. I first thought I would get a talking due to me not being with my classmates. Later, I asked her about the interaction and surprisingly, she told me I was still socializing with the community. It was the one time in my schooling that my solitude self was validated.

Her compassionate communicative style was another reason why I connected with her well. I even shared some personal details in my life, some of it regarding my family. She knew that I do not always get along with select family members. Combined with how my autism can affect the social dynamics, it can make it complicated. My teacher was always aware of that and knows that using more direct wording helps me process an idea better. If it is super vague without any context I know, I will likely have a hard time grasping it. Being able to talk about this allowed me to have this communication channel anytime I needed. It was especially handful during the 2014 year where I experienced some existential dread. She was right there during every moment.

Another aspect I admired was her positive attitude. She never showed that she was having a bad day at the program. Working at such schools, I can understand the importance of having the right attitude. Students can read off those vibes and it can affect the overall learning experience. I recall that during the first year I was at the program, there were numerous meltdowns from some students. Other staff at the time could not stop the escalation during the early stages, so it disrupted the classroom for a long time. I even had a pencil threw at me during one escalation. Once the teacher came in during my second year, her positive attitude helped decrease meltdowns for the reminder for my years.

In conclusion, her teaching approach helped me to be motivated to improve myself. She motivated me to find out the things I am good at and try them out. She gave me a lot of classroom jobs to build more of my skills and admittedly, it was foreshadowing for my current roles. She believed in me of my potential to do good things for the world. I have a lot to thank her to this very day.

Andrew Arboe

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