My name is Halle Styndl. I am 18 and in my second semester at Edinboro University. My major is Early Childhood and Special Education and this is my second education class. I've known I want to be a teacher for a while, but it took me a long time to decide what field I want to specialize in. I love learning, and I find almost everything interesting. I get really excited learning about the world. In high school I couldn't settle on a favorite class, just that I am bad at math. I loved learning about biology, sociology, and environmental science. I would get most excited in English and history- I love reading literary critism and poetry. I get really excited in museums- Every year in Cleveland, all of the museums are open for free are Martin Luther King Jr. day, and since I was 14 I have been going every year and trying to visit everything before they close at 5.
I got into special ed two years ago when I began volunteering at my local elementary school. The class I helped in had three amazing students in it, and I was still learning awesome stuff about things like sensory rooms and communication building, but it had the added element of seriously caring about the people I was with. Between volunteering at the elementary school and a vocational center, I have made real friends with students and teachers alike.
Spring 2012 at the special needs prom. It. Was. AWESOME.
Technology is a big asset in the classroom, particularly a special needs one. I have known many students who are unable to communicate verbally to carry around small computers that they use to talk. Video games can also be really good for students with autism, or for developing hand eye coordination in students with physical disabilities.
I love the idea of teaching. Of giving someone information in a way that improves their life and helps them grow as a person. The name of my blog is What I Make, after Taylor Mali's poem "What Teachers Make". It is hugely inspirational, and every time I listen to it I am reminded of why the future is so exciting.
