Loftin

During the writing of my draft I felt at peace with my work. I feel as if came
almost naturally to me because I am so passionate about this subject. My composition
and way my paper is set up with the side stories works completely and I am proud of how
it actually turned out.
The only challenging thing I encountered was picking the stories to add in my
paper. I picked the ones that stood out to me the most so that the reader could feel as if
they were there with me, fully understanding my topic. I could tell stories about my
wonderful time in the P.E.P program for hours. Every single child and adult I have met
has touched me in some way and I am thankful for that.
The paragraph that tells the story in Estes Elementary School is quite profound to
me. I feel as if this was one of the moments I felt most connected to a student. I believe
that this story adds a large significance to the paper and makes it entirely more
interesting.
I am not sure what I would want to revise in my paper. My passion for this is so
strong I feel as if all the information is relevant but I am open to suggestions.
Do you believe this essay is acceptable? Do you feel as if I explained and touched
upon everything I need to?

Loftin

Victoria Loftin
Rebecca Agosta
UWRT 1101-003
February 15, 2015
Finding My Passion
It was not until high school that I found something that I was entirely passionate
about. I grew up playing sports, taking art classes, dancing, and even being a part of casts
in different plays. I was so open to trying new things that for years I would constantly be
on the go, resting was not even an option. As I got older I let these thought to be
passions go, in the hopes there was still something out there for me, I held my head high
and did everything I could just to be myself and trust that I would discover what I was
meant to do on this earth.
Freshman year of high school was a fresh start for me. I was basically the new kid
walking the halls of T.C Roberson High School as I broke away from my private school
kid demeanor. I wanted to try new things, meet new people, and overall establish who
Victoria Loftin was. Even as a child I had the biggest heart. I was the girl who made her
mom pull over so she could save a turtle crossing the road so it wouldnt get hit; the girl
who would catch a bug in the house and return it to the wilderness instead of killing it; I
always put others before myself and that is just how it has always been. I believe that my
love for people, my big heart, and my want to help people can be credited for leading me
in the direction I am heading.
T.C Roberson has one of the best special education departments in Buncombe
County, called P.E.P (Progressive Education Program) consisting of hundreds of students

Loftin

with varying disabilities. This program allows you to take a course in special education,
giving you credit hours, which allows you to be placed in a classroom with a certain
number of students and a teacher for an hour and a half every day for an entire semester.
This enables you to have hands-on classroom experience with Elementary-High School
levels of Special Education students. I believe by having this available as a class, it has
inspired me to make the decision of Special Education as my planned college major. At
first I was hesitant about taking this as a class, I was terrified I would do something
wrong so many things were rushing through my head at one time. I decided to put my
worries aside and try this new thing out, I had heard it was a great experience but I had
never had any contact with people who had disabilities, so there was reason for me to be
nervous. It was finalized; I was enrolled in the course and knew I had a world of new
experiences not far ahead of me.
It was the first day of classes as a freshman, and I finally found the classroom I
was supposed to be in after what felt like hours to find. I proceeded to knock on the door
and was greeted by the teacher with open arms. She took me around to all the students in
the classroom and introduced me to them, all being in wheelchairs. I choose the
classroom with the students who have the most severe disabilities because I felt as if I
could make relationships with these students and let them know that someone cares and
will be there for them as a friend. None of the students in my class were verbal, however,
they had a plethora of technology in the classroom in which they used to communicate.
These things ranged from communication devices and specialized computer program
scanners. The Dynavox was the most used communication device in the classroom and
my personal favorite. This is a device smaller than a computer-about as big as an Ipad-

Loftin

that had buttons with thousands of words and categories the students could pick from to
hold a conversation. For example one category was School. This had words such as:
bus and also sentences and phrases such as: Do we have art class today? or How are
classes going? These were my favorite devices to learn how to use, I found it so amazing
that there was a communication device created especially for people who could not
verbalize what they had to say, and this gave them a voice.
As the years in the P.E.P program went on, I was lucky enough to meet so many
students and make many new friends and build relationships of a lifetime. It would make
my day to pass one of my students in the hallways at school and them run up and hug me,
or shout my name from across the entire room; it made me feel right, like I was finally
where I needed to be. Even when I go back to Asheville where I am from, I try my best to
stop in and see the students that I have worked with in the years past. This establishes to
the students that I do care about them and our friendship means something. These
students need stable relationships and love same as people who do not have a disability,
made true by my experiences in the classroom.
There was one day my class decided to make a trip outside to the swings. It was a
beautiful day, blue skies and those big puffy looking white clouds that just make you
happy in the sky. I walked over to one of the swings with one of my students and sat
down. Swinging was her favorite thing; she would laugh and carry on for hours if she
could. This girl was shy though, she really had to warm up to you before she became
comfortable. This was understandable; I was a bit shy myself. As we swung back and
forth on that beautiful day, I thought to myself how truly beautiful this girl was. My
mother has always told me that every person who comes into your life is for a reason,

Loftin

usually to teach you something. The swing was coming to stop and the girl tapped me on
my shoulder and used sign language to communicate something to me. She told me that
she loved me. This to me was so special that I could feel myself tearing up, but I held the
tears back and signed back that I loved her too. She proceeded to swing with a smile on
her face, she taught me how to give everyone a chance because you never know what he
or she is capable of. I think more people should take a leap of faith and try working with
special needs children, it teaches you so much and helps you to be thankful for what you
do have.
This leads me into another event that profoundly stood out to me during my senior
year of being a part of the P.E.P Program. While working in Estes Elementary School, I
made a strong connection with one of the students enrolled in the classroom that I had
chose to be a part of. It was only about the second week that I was present in this class,
and the time came for all the students to circle up in front of the teacher for their morning
greetings. After positioning one of the students wheelchairs in the circle, I took a seat
next to him getting ready for the teacher to start the lesson. The next thing I knew I felt
the boy grab my arm and lay his head on my shoulder. This was so unexpected since it
was so early in the semester. I leaned over and gave the boy a hug thinking to myself how
special this moment was. Also a way of him letting me know how he feels about me, and
that my presence is truly wanted amongst the kids. One of the teachers looked over while
the boy had his head laid on my shoulder and said that he doesn't do that to just anyone,
only the people he feels the most comfortable with. This one small action of a student in
the P.E.P program was one of the many interactions that I have had that has overall
shaped my feelings towards what I am passionate about.

Loftin

Another heart-warming time that I had while in the P.E.P program was one of the
best times I have ever had. The Special Education department put together a prom for the
students. Each student was required to have a date, which mainly consisted of general Ed
students who were also a part of the P.E.P program. We were able to dress up and were
randomly matched with someone of the opposite sex. I was matched with a boy who
danced the entire night and made it extremely fun for me. We ate some snacks and
desserts before entering the dance floor where we would be stationed the rest of the night.
Seeing all the special needs students dancing, laughing, and smiling gave me a great
feeling. Seeing people happy has always made me happy, that is why I have always put
others first. I was always told my heart was bigger than my brain.
By building relationships with these students, and having the chance to learn and
grow with people in the community who have disabilities, has shaped me as a person and
made me realize how I truly want to give back and assist people in need. The true bond
that is made between a teacher and a student is so entirely important in a childs life.
Having a teacher who truly cares about their students is so essential to the growth process
throughout the schooling years. Not only will you build a trusting student-teacher
relationship, but also have the chance to change a persons life by caring for them and
giving them an education, achieving their goals, making it very pleasing to see them grow
up into the person they have always wanted to be. I believe all students have the ability to
learn, love, and care, it just takes a unique person and a passion for this to understand just
what is needed of them in this field. The entire P.E.P community have relationships with
one another that I hope one day I will have in just as a welcoming environment as T.C
Robersons. The thrill of knowing that there is place where you can feel entirely safe,

Loftin
and know that you will not be judged by anyone is great along with the unconditional
love for everyone no matter what.