Monday, May 17, 2010

AI, & EI, & CI: Oh, MI!




Okay, so MI isn't exactly a special needs diagnosis... but I thought it flowed quite nicely. Let's leave "MI" as an ode to my home state, represent.

In line with planning & considering my future, I'm trying to begin the weed out process of zeroing in on a specific special education endorsement. While my undergrad is in LD, expanding to a new endorsement is what I hope for... and YEARN for. For those of you who are unaware of what this all means, allow me to EDUCATE you! :)

*AI = Autism impairment. This has always intrigued me, especially with the up-rise in diagnoses. Autism is also a spectrum disorder, meaning it can manifest itself in a broad range of various ways. So interesting!

*EI = Emotional impairment. After observing and volunteering in a 3-5th grade, self-contained EI classroom for a semester, my heart strings were tugged at immensely. It really is a different experience from most special education classrooms. These students usually become aggressive verbally & physically. I liked interacting with kids who are different from me, who don't know how to express themselves & result to violence.

*CI = Cognitive impairment. All I can say about kids who have CI is "amazing." These kids have unconditional love and a rare zest for life. I think I could learn from them just as much as I could teach them. My boyfriend's brother-in-law Joe teaches a home-ec type cooking class for kids with CI, & says it's one of the most rewarding experiences.

Sooooooooo, HOW do I choose?!
Alsoooooo, to stay in MI? Not to stay in MI (I swear the mountains are calling my name, but I've always had a heart for Detroit)?

Not too worried about making these decisions right now, but just throwing out all my options. Time will tell!

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