Wow! Ten months have gone by in a blink of an eye in the Special Education Program! I would like to congratulate my classmates for graduating from the class of SEA-2013! We did it! It was a challenging year for me but I have grown and have become the better version of myself. One of the best decisions I made last year was in taking the Special Education Assistant program online! The SEA program had brought me many opportunities to do various types of work while completing the program.
Prior to enrolling in the online program I really wanted to get a seat within the classroom. I remember contacting the school Advisor Nina (she is an amazing Advisor) several times to see if a seat would be available for me. I was very concerned, due to the fact that I knew from my past experiences at BCIT, college how hard post secondary can be. The idea of having todo all this on my own terms over an online course was daunting.
While taking courses in BCIT I would always be exhausted to do anything else after those classes let alone volunteering on my spare time. I usually had a big break between my classes and I wouldn’t have the motivation to study during my break. However, to my surprise the SEA online program was a phenomenal experience for me. I had so much energy and determination to do so much more because of the time being saved by not having to travel and get ready for school. I am glad I finally challenged myself to do the program online. I am not going to lie, I was terrified on the first day of our orientation on how to navigate through the online system. Nonetheless, the staff, teachers, and my classmates had been a big help and motivated me to continue to do my best to succeed in my courses. Another aspect that I loved about the online program was how efficient most of our instructors were in regards to answering our questions either through live online chat or by email.
As time drew nearer to the completion of my program I began to ask myself, am I prepared enough to enter my field? Like many of us I have always doubted my abilities. But after reflecting back on my experience and my acquired knowledge I had come to terms with myself that yes I am ready to take the next step. The SEA online program has well prepared me for my field.
The online program not only prepared me for a future career but it also allowed me to do other beneficial activities such as volunteering and tutoring any time of the day that I wanted. In addition to the SEA program I have gained a lot of knowledge through my volunteer work. The combination of theory and hands on practice enabled me to approach my work with confidence. When I did my first practicum I felt very self-assured in my approach. I came into the practicum with the knowledge that I gained from my classes, and with practical experiences that I gained from my volunteer work. I remember the first day of my practicum the Special Education Assistant told me that I was a natural. She was impressed with my performance and I told her that I have experience working with children and this is why I felt confident in my approach.
I almost feel as though I had gotten better experience doing the program online as opposed to the classroom setting. I have written in depth about the many benefits of the online course option in my previous blogs. If I were to advise the future SEA students, I would highly recommend taking the program online. I had just recently received an amazing summer job because the hiring manager was impressed by my resume. This was due to the fact that I had dedicated my time to volunteer at so many different places along with my knowledge to support children and youth with exceptionalities. To this day I continue to be driven to gain further experience and expand my knowledge in my field.
