Lydia Koehler

Career Narrative
All through life you are always asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
whether it was in your first-grade class or sitting down with your parents as you enter your junior
year of high school. The question haunts you the older you get. As a senior in high school, you
are always being asked “what do you want to major in?” or “What do you want to do with your
life? Where are you going for college?” and for most people, their eyes go wide and they fill
with anxiety when they hear these questions but for me, it's been different. In middle school I
was a peer collab in the special education room, in that room, the big question of what I wanted
to do with my life was answered, I wanted to become an intervention specialist!
During that time I saw others include kids who look and act differently than the kids who
I was friends with. I saw teachers want these kids to strive and reach their full potential. I saw
them invest in their lives. And when I saw that, I knew I wanted to do the same thing. Over the
past couple of years, starting in that same middle school special education room, I have created a
strong friendship with my dear friend who has Autism. She has shown me that “different”
doesn’t have to be weird or uncomfortable, it can be filled with giggles and goofiness. She has
shown me that not everyone communicates the same and that sometimes we just have to adjust to
help our friends have a good day. Though she may get stares or comments she has shown me that
no matter what life's circumstances, life can still be happy and fun. I want to help incorporate
those things into the classrooms of kids who have disabilities like my dear friend. I want to be
patient and flexible. I want to grow by seeing how classrooms are run today and how inclusion is
affecting our teaching and students. I want to see kids for who they are and treat everyone with
the same purpose and love.
Learning is a big part of our world and how we live and I want to be apart of making
sure its provided for everyone no matter what they look like, sound like, walk like, everyone one
deserves to have a healthy learning atmosphere and I believe I can be a small part of it as I grow,
observe and learn more about kids with disabilities.