If you know me, you most likely know that I want to pursue a career in special education. I have been working with people who have disabilities for the past year and want to do so for the rest of my life. I am even planning on getting a master’s degree in special education. Throughout college, I have heard multiple professors say that it is important to get an internship so you can network and develop your skills in the professional world. Earlier this year, I decided I would follow through on their wishes. I applied to The Whole Person as an intern. I got a position as a job coach for high school students with disabilities. This is my experience.
Leading up to the first day of my job was very nerve-racking. I would be driving all the way to Grain Valley to work at Liquid Soap Products for six weeks. As a job coach, I had the responsibility of making sure my students knew what tasks they had to do, providing insight to them, ensuring communication and collaboration with the full time employees at our work site, documenting everything and teaching lesson plans at the end of the day that I was in charge of making. I spent day and night preparing my lessons for my students. However, I was still scared that I wasn’t competent enough for the job.
I spent the first couple days of my internship at the office of The Whole Person so that I could discuss with my boss what the summer would look like. I was able to discuss everything I had planned, and I was more confident with how the internship would go. We were able to meet the students so no one was intimidated on the first day, and from then on, I knew I was going to love it. The summer was going to be an experience like no other.
During the first week of actually being in Grain Valley, I was still a bit anxious. It would be my first time teaching and I’d never had an internship before! I knew that the students’ success was not dependent on just them, but me as well. However, I quickly learned that there was nothing to be worried about. The students were extremely friendly and were very hard workers. The full-time employees at the work site also made sure that everyone was comfortable and worked with our students on some of the tasks. It wasn’t a serious environment all of the time either. We could all work and have fun at the same time. While there were challenges, it wasn’t anything that a little problem solving couldn’t fix.
Overall, I loved my internship. While I only spent six weeks with my students, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I loved spending time with the students, teaching and watching them grow. Even though I was the one giving lessons, I learned many things too. I found out how to teach, I figured out how to adapt better and I really started to believe in myself. Getting this internship really solidified my idea of working in special education. Working with people who have disabilities is my purpose. I want the world to see that they are not less than people without disabilities. They deserve love, respect and quality services like the rest of us. I am glad I followed my professor’s advice and applied myself to the professional world. But most of all, I am very thankful to The Whole Person and Liquid Soap Products for letting my students and me work with them.