It's time to become a special education teacher. I believe the best fit for my academic and professional goals is UWM's Exceptional Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program. I have been a teacher of students with special needs for the past two years in alternative settings. The students I like best tend to be the most challenging both behaviorally and academically. Success may be more evident, but sometimes there is frustration. I feel like I'm good at it, but I need to learn more. Most of all, I love teaching children with special challenges. The key is to be creative and keep trying. Perhaps the most important experience during my most formative years was my YMCA camping experience. I was a camper, counselor, summer camp administrative staff, year-round professional, and camp leader. I learned for the first time about the satisfaction that comes when you help others find self-confidence and success. These years have led me to teach. My first classroom experience was in a classroom in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. I taught eighth grade civics at a K-8 school. This was a great time to integrate what I had learned at the University of Wisconsin – Madison with my camp experiences. My first class was a double-wide portable trailer. The students were a diverse mix of White, Hispanic, Native American and African American. It was an interesting time to teach civics. The beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles was in the news a lot and was easily integrated into many government-related discussions. I loved it. Due to family commitments, my career changed course when we moved back to Wisconsin. I began a career within the YMCA campground. During this time I developed skills on building teamwork and self-control in the home school and realized success again in a mainstream environment. Maybe I had a small role to play in its success. All these experiences have helped me understand that I am at my best when given the opportunity to build relationships. Special education relies heavily on one-on-one relationships. There are more opportunities for close interaction and long-term relationship building throughout a student's academic career. Many times there is an opportunity for a special education teacher to see a student for many years. What an opportunity! I want to know more. I have been told that my strengths in teaching students with disabilities are: patience, acceptance, flexibility, creativity, and ability to relate to students. I want to take these skills and use them to create a lively, active, and fun learning environment as a special education teacher