Starting Over as a Special Education Teacher
Donation protected
This has been a year of great transition for our family. I am now a single mother to my three boys, George (13), Henry (9), and Stuart (6). I've had about a year to figure out how I can best support myself and my sons moving forward. I debated trying to reskill and reenter the tech industry, but I have been called to teach, specifically, to teach children with special needs.
My path to pursuing a career as a special education teacher has been a deeply personal one. I have sat in countless IEP meetings advocating for my middle child’s unique needs as we sorted through diagnoses of dyspraxia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. I have worked with my eldest son, who is also dyslexic, to feed his love of literature through audiobooks and to encourage his love of storytelling through voice-to-text technology. I have come to see my sons’ challenges as gifts. What sometimes displays as inattention, presents conversely as the valuable ability to deeply focus on one’s passions. Although my nine year old still struggles to communicate due to his apraxia of speech, his emotional intelligence is higher than anyone I know. My experience as a special needs mom is the reason I am passionate about becoming a teacher dedicated to this community of learners.
While I have been devoted to supporting my children in their learning, I have learned something about myself: I love to teach. When my eldest son was struggling in kindergarten, we decided to give home education a try. I completed training in an Orton-Gillingham based program to support my two sons with dyslexia. I taught classes on children’s literature and hands-on math at a family learning co-op. I led nature hikes, tide pool explorations, and mycology clubs. As I learned along side my children, and mentored others in our community, I grew more and more dedicated to understanding how different children learn best.
When I re-entered the workforce this year, after a six year hiatus as a stay-at-home mom, I chose to work as a paraeducator in the special education department at my local public school. I wanted to get some firsthand experience to help me discern whether or not pursuing a career as a special education teacher was the right path for me. Four months later my answer is a resounding: YES!
As I started to research teaching programs, I was excited to learn that California State University Monterey Bay was offering a program to develop special education teachers through my County Office of Education. I could work toward my special education credential right here in Santa Cruz, and the two year program would start this summer.
I set to the work of applying. I requested letters of recommendation, ordered university transcripts, starting taking a slew of standardized tests, got fingerprinted, updated my resume, and crafted my essay. I've made it past the first hurdle and will be interviewing in the next few weeks.
It's getting serious ... and I need help figuring out if I can afford to make this dream a reality.
I have applied for a grant through my County Office of Education that would cover some of my tuition, however I won't be eligible for a lot of financial aid due to my immense, and unfortunately defaulted, student loans from my earlier studies. I am working to sort out my student debt, which I regretfully allowed to get into this state when I was a stay-at-home mom recovering from a foreclosure. I have a lot of anxiety and shame around this debt, but I don't want it to stop me from moving forward on my path to becoming a teacher.
There have been a lot of people who have helped the boys and me this past year. There is Tim who gifted us his wife, and my friend Terry's, car as he was entering his new life as a widower with two young children to care for. His ease with giving so generously still comforts me on a daily basis as I drive my kids to school, or the forest, or the beach. There are my friend Susan, and my father and stepmother, who stepped in to help with our rent in the first months so we could avoid eviction. There are the board members at my homeschooling co-op who pooled funds to get us a gift certificate for groceries and some spending money I put towards Christmas gifts. There is Vera, who sent me money by PayPal for the boys to get haircuts on a couple of occasions. There have been friends like Barbara, who have comforted us with meals. Or Serena, who slipped me a surprise one day that I was able to use to cover my CBEST testing fee. My sister, who helped me with clothing for the boys and for my new job and with helping me to afford to get back to therapy. Sylvia and Mary Sue have offered spiritual mentoring with prayers, and saint medals, and books to encourage me. It has all made a difference, financially, but also emotionally. Thank you, all of you, and those who I am failing to name here individually. You have lifted us up and let us know that we are loved and held in this community.
If it is within your means to help us during this transition, know that you will be greatly appreciated and that I will do everything in my power to become the best teacher I can, looking out for all the kids out there who learn differently and need a little extra support.
I estimate that my tuition and fees for the CSUMB program will be $22,782 for the two year program. I have already invested about $800 in the fees for all the items required to apply. The first summer semester fees will be about: $4,030. Financial aid is not available for summer semester coursework. While I do not know the exact date by which tuition and fees will be due, I presume sometime in May at the latest (since classes start in June).
Thank you all for your consideration!
Blessings,
Stephie & the boys
My path to pursuing a career as a special education teacher has been a deeply personal one. I have sat in countless IEP meetings advocating for my middle child’s unique needs as we sorted through diagnoses of dyspraxia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. I have worked with my eldest son, who is also dyslexic, to feed his love of literature through audiobooks and to encourage his love of storytelling through voice-to-text technology. I have come to see my sons’ challenges as gifts. What sometimes displays as inattention, presents conversely as the valuable ability to deeply focus on one’s passions. Although my nine year old still struggles to communicate due to his apraxia of speech, his emotional intelligence is higher than anyone I know. My experience as a special needs mom is the reason I am passionate about becoming a teacher dedicated to this community of learners.
While I have been devoted to supporting my children in their learning, I have learned something about myself: I love to teach. When my eldest son was struggling in kindergarten, we decided to give home education a try. I completed training in an Orton-Gillingham based program to support my two sons with dyslexia. I taught classes on children’s literature and hands-on math at a family learning co-op. I led nature hikes, tide pool explorations, and mycology clubs. As I learned along side my children, and mentored others in our community, I grew more and more dedicated to understanding how different children learn best.
When I re-entered the workforce this year, after a six year hiatus as a stay-at-home mom, I chose to work as a paraeducator in the special education department at my local public school. I wanted to get some firsthand experience to help me discern whether or not pursuing a career as a special education teacher was the right path for me. Four months later my answer is a resounding: YES!
As I started to research teaching programs, I was excited to learn that California State University Monterey Bay was offering a program to develop special education teachers through my County Office of Education. I could work toward my special education credential right here in Santa Cruz, and the two year program would start this summer.
I set to the work of applying. I requested letters of recommendation, ordered university transcripts, starting taking a slew of standardized tests, got fingerprinted, updated my resume, and crafted my essay. I've made it past the first hurdle and will be interviewing in the next few weeks.
It's getting serious ... and I need help figuring out if I can afford to make this dream a reality.
I have applied for a grant through my County Office of Education that would cover some of my tuition, however I won't be eligible for a lot of financial aid due to my immense, and unfortunately defaulted, student loans from my earlier studies. I am working to sort out my student debt, which I regretfully allowed to get into this state when I was a stay-at-home mom recovering from a foreclosure. I have a lot of anxiety and shame around this debt, but I don't want it to stop me from moving forward on my path to becoming a teacher.
There have been a lot of people who have helped the boys and me this past year. There is Tim who gifted us his wife, and my friend Terry's, car as he was entering his new life as a widower with two young children to care for. His ease with giving so generously still comforts me on a daily basis as I drive my kids to school, or the forest, or the beach. There are my friend Susan, and my father and stepmother, who stepped in to help with our rent in the first months so we could avoid eviction. There are the board members at my homeschooling co-op who pooled funds to get us a gift certificate for groceries and some spending money I put towards Christmas gifts. There is Vera, who sent me money by PayPal for the boys to get haircuts on a couple of occasions. There have been friends like Barbara, who have comforted us with meals. Or Serena, who slipped me a surprise one day that I was able to use to cover my CBEST testing fee. My sister, who helped me with clothing for the boys and for my new job and with helping me to afford to get back to therapy. Sylvia and Mary Sue have offered spiritual mentoring with prayers, and saint medals, and books to encourage me. It has all made a difference, financially, but also emotionally. Thank you, all of you, and those who I am failing to name here individually. You have lifted us up and let us know that we are loved and held in this community.
If it is within your means to help us during this transition, know that you will be greatly appreciated and that I will do everything in my power to become the best teacher I can, looking out for all the kids out there who learn differently and need a little extra support.
I estimate that my tuition and fees for the CSUMB program will be $22,782 for the two year program. I have already invested about $800 in the fees for all the items required to apply. The first summer semester fees will be about: $4,030. Financial aid is not available for summer semester coursework. While I do not know the exact date by which tuition and fees will be due, I presume sometime in May at the latest (since classes start in June).
Thank you all for your consideration!
Blessings,
Stephie & the boys
Organizer
Stephanie Tucker
Organizer
Santa Cruz, CA