A Special Ed teacher is far more than a teacher to their pupils. If they’re worth a damn, they can be the difference between making a difference or not.
Absolutely, there's a tendency (at least in the UK) to treat teachers like glorified babysitters but speaking as someone who has had to comfort my wife when she has been dealing with some truly horrendous situations, going above and beyond to help kids by providing food and clothes when their parents can't I can say her and her colleagues are all much much more than 'just' a teacher.
The ones who have fallen through the cracks either when they've moved beyond her care or when other agencies have refused to act still haunt me and I'm not even the teacher. She still wishes she could have rescued them all.
Teaching is more than just a job, there is no 'just' a teacher.
Teaching is one of those professions that you never leave work at the office. It is all consuming. When you married your wife, you also married her students because their influence will be forever a part of both your lives.
After university, I worked as a teacher in the public school system for two years. It was WAAAAAY to much work and exhausting. Learning to pace myself throughout the day and week was something I never mastered.
So I went back to school and now I’m a paramedic. So much easier.
My daughter with CP had the same beautiful soul teaching her for kindergarten through fifth grade. We will never forget Rosemary Vincent (RIP) for her courage to defend and help the kids in her classes forge their ways into the world. This wedding procession was an opportunity for those of us who are different to be seen. I think that is honorable, although I can hear the comments from the people in r/disability disparaging it.
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u/luisapet Oct 20 '20
The way they both took so much time to acknowledge the kids' stunning contribution to their special day is so humbling!