With limited exposure to the world of post secondary education, I’ll admit that I came to Stenberg College a little apprehensive. Like all new endeavors, this one had elements of the unknown; and like we all do, I could only compare it to what I already knew, or thought I knew about college. I was waiting for evil custodians, crotchety teachers and some sort of class bully – clearly I watch way too much television. Despite the genuinely kind intake counsellor and the tour that I took of campus before deciding to attend here, I was still looking for evidence of danger during my first few days!
In high school, everyone had something in common – we all had to be there. For years, we came to the same building as other kids our age and sat through classes we loved, liked or tolerated. We made the motions, got the grades and smiled for the photos. After graduation, I started working; nothing fancy, just full time and enough to pay my new bills. I realized people were usually showing up to work, again, because they had to be there. It had been a while since I wanted to be somewhere. Now, when I step off the elevator and into Stenberg, I am surrounded by people who want to be here! I sit in a class with 24 other adults who have chosen to take the same program as me. This is not an elective that was somebody’s third choice for a credit requirement. The work that I do here, I am doing for myself. We are all on the same page and surrounded by professionals who want us to succeed.
While everyone on campus is polite and accommodating, it wasn’t until my class settled in with our first multi-course instructor that I truly felt the relaxed sense of purpose I had been waiting for since deciding to go back to school. He was with us for over three months, and it is with more than a hint of sadness that I tell you of his recent decision to pursue another avenue of education that takes him away from Stenberg. He made an impression with the Special Education Assistant students here, demonstrating daily the type of teaching I know my entire cohort will aspire to replicate, as we make our way into the work force.
One of the last and most fundamental approaches to teaching he left us with was the importance of teaching to the human being beneath the exceptionality, the person standing before you and not their diagnosis. Every child has an individual approach that works for them and it’s the job of the special education assistant to find it, to help that child to grow and experience school just like every other “typical” child. Underneath it all, everyone wants to be treated the same, treated equal, included and welcomed. As cliché as it sounds, that’s how it feels here. I don’t know who they could possibly find to fill the shoes of our first instructor but I look forward to being part of that welcome and the acceptance they will feel as they start here.
Check out a video of our Education Assistant Diploma Program.
