So, I'm taking classes to earn my Masters in Special Education. The following is on of this week's assignments. I felt like it deserved to be a blog post. Happy reading. :)
According to GCU’s Statement on the Integration of Faith
and Work, “we are assured that our work within the world matters to God and our
neighbors, and that we honor God by serving others in ways that promote human
flourishing.” Additionally, the “Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE)”
calls upon teachers to demonstrate an “ethic of care.” Finally, the “CCCE
College of Education Academic Program Competencies” indicate teachers should
“apply discernment in the ethical decision-making process utilizing practical
wisdom.” Consider all of these topic Resources and select a bible verse or
quote that exemplifies your desire to become a special education teacher.
Explain how this verse/quote applies to you personally and to your service to
students, families, and colleagues.
Wow. This is a wonderfully
thought-provoking question. I actually
have three quotes that are incredibly meaningful to me. They are as follows:
“Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were
faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy” (The New
American Bible, 2011, Matthew 25:23).
This quote first caught my attention while I was at my sister’s hospital
bedside as she lay dying (cervical cancer).
She worked as a legal secretary, and volunteered as the firm’s “Santa’s
helper” for a daycare in an impoverished neighborhood in DC that the firm had
adopted. Every December she, armed with
a list of children and their Christmas wishes, shopped, wrapped, personalized, delivered,
and handed these gifts to the children, singlehandedly. While she was in the hospital, the daycare
sent over four huge cards that the children had made for her. One had this verse on it. It struck me then, in 2008, and has never
left my mind. What this verse says to me
is that you are doing good things; continue to do good things; I trust you to
do good things, and to do them well; come celebrate with me. As I type that last sentence, my principal’s
words come to mind – when I was an Instructional Assistant, he mentioned in
passing one day that I was doing a good job and I should get my teaching
certificate. I said, “I don’t think I
have that kind of time,” meaning years in my life as I have a terminal
illness. He said in a very softspoken
voice, “But what if you do?” I did, and
here I am with my teaching certificate and taking classes towards a masters
degree. I hope that I am making an
impact in my school with my students, their families, and my colleagues.
“You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know” (Antiope,
as quoted in Wonder Woman, 2017). I
mention in the previous paragraph that I have a terminal illness. The median life span of a metastatic breast
cancer patient is approximately three years.
As of today, it has been over ten years for me, and this past Saturday I
completed my 176th cancer treatment.
People tell me that I’m strong, and resilient. If I am, I’ve had help. While I was undergoing the harsh chemo
treatments that summer of 2015, I watched all three seasons of the original
Wonder Woman television series. Over the
years I have come to admire the character for her strength. I have also come to admire Lynda Carter, the actress
who plays the original Wonder Woman for her character. I try to emulate the character of Wonder
Woman (sometimes I channel her bumbling little sister Drusilla, though). She reminds me to be strong when I don’t want
to be. As reminders, I have a signed
photo of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman on my desk at work, I have a ring, a necklace,
and a bracelet just to name of few. The
bracelet has the Wonder Woman emblem and it says, “Be the Hero”. I often look at that bracelet during my
workday, especially if it is a challenging day.
It helps me to remember that I am the teacher, I have a responsibility
to be the hero for these students. They
are out babies! (Yes, even in high
school.)
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get
up” (Vince Lombardi, n.d.). This quote reminds me that no matter how many times
I get knocked down, I can get up again (well, until the last time, but we won’t
talk about that). This quote was brought
to my attention after the Captain Marvel movie came out. A co-worker was watching the movie one night with
her daughter, and her daughter told her that Brie Larson’s character reminded
her of “that woman you work with, mommy, who has cancer”. In the school setting, no matter how bad of a
day I might have, I can get back up and do it again. This reminds me of what they continually tell
us at our professional development sessions – everybody deserves a fresh
start. That child who had a meltdown and
cursed you out yesterday? Greet him with
a smile today; it might make all the difference to him.
I thoroughly enjoyed answering this question!
References
Jenkins, P. (Director).
(2017). Wonder Woman [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.
The New American Bible. (2011). Matthew 25:23. In The New American Bible (2nd ed.). United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 13, 202, from https://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25
Vince Lombardi. (n.d.).
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” In Quotes.
vincelombardi.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025, from
https://vincelombardi.com/quotes/
Me, dressed as my favorite
character on character day with my principal, who was such a good sport about
doing this. We could not stop laughing!
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