The time has come to become a special education teacher. I believe that UWM's Exceptional Education Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification program is best suited to my academic and professional goals. I have been teaching students with special needs for the past two years in alternative settings. The students I like the most tend to be the most demanding, both behaviorally and academically. Success may be more apparent, but sometimes frustration arises. I feel like I'm good at this, but I need to learn more. Most importantly, I love teaching children facing unique challenges. The key is to be creative and keep trying. Perhaps the most important experience of my formative years was my experience with the YMCA campground. I was a camper, counselor, summer camp administrative staff, year-round professional, and camp director. I discovered for the first time the satisfaction that comes from helping others find confidence and success. These years led me to teach. My first classroom experience was in a classroom in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. I taught 8th grade civics at a K-8 school. It was the perfect time to integrate what I had learned at the University of Wisconsin–Madison with the camp experiences. My first classroom 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 made headlines and was easily incorporated into many government-related discussions. I loved it. Due to family commitments, my career changed course when we moved back to Wisconsin. I started a career working at the YMCA campground. During this time I developed skills around building teamwork and autonomy in their homeschool and was successful again in a traditional environment. Perhaps I had a small role to play in its success. All of these experiences have helped me realize that I am at my best when given the chance to build relationships. Special education relies heavily on one-on-one relationships. There are more opportunities for close interaction and building long-term relationships throughout a student's academic career. It is often the case that a special education teacher has the opportunity to see a student for many years. What an opportunity! I want to know more. I have been told that my strengths for teaching students with disabilities are: patience, acceptance, flexibility, creativity, and the ability to build relationships with students. I want to take these skills and use them to create a dynamic, active, and fun learning environment as a special education teacher.