In my time as a teacher, I have seen many different types of students. Individuals diagnosed with Autism, Emotional Disturbance, Down Syndrome, Oppositional Defiance, ADHD, ADD, etc. These are just a list of a few that I have seen. I often receive students from other schools and districts and all I see in the reports and hear from parents a majority of the time is all of the issues the student has/had. S/he refuses to work, constantly leaves class, throws items at teacher and students, kicks and punches. These stories used to cause me anxiety because every student that was sent to my classroom was made out to be the next worse student ever. 

As I have grown as a teacher I all but ignore many of the stories now. I understand that a new setting, new classroom, new school and new structure can make a huge difference for students. 

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Recently, I received a student from who was very difficult from the time he walked into my class. Constant refusal to complete work and always walking out of the class refusing to listen to teachers and other adults staff members on campus. I had many talks with the parents during the first weeks discussing what my expectations work and how I would like to be on the same page as them. That if we could work as a team we could definitely make improvements on his behavior and then we could begin to make great strides with his academics. 

I have now had this student for just over a month. He completes his work (He still complains, oh well). He has not walked out my class in over a week and knows when he gets upset that he has "cool-off" areas in the classroom that he able to use and he uses them and is able to reset himself so that he can prep for what we are doing in class. This student is making great strides in progress and I'm extremely excited because this student has been bounced from school to school with little not success. 

This is the reason I wanted to become a special education teacher. Many students are given up on because of behavior or academic hardships. I enjoy my work, and I enjoy seeing the students succeed. I've had many cases in my short time as a teacher where a student came to me with horror stories and left my classroom with a whole different demeanor and outlook on school. For every struggle, I face. The success that my students have is more than worth those tough times! 

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