Each fall the daunting task of educating a generation of children stands before today’s teachers. Each new generation demands that teachers give their highest creativity, utmost talent, extensive time, and individualized attention. Every year’s students are marked with a fresh mixture of cultural experiences, learning styles, and educational strengths. They embark upon our classrooms screaming with expectations that we, the teachers, equip them with the tools that will enable them to reach their hopes and dreams. Basic educational principles and curriculum have been developed and prove reliable tools that meet the needs of most. It is a daunting task that lies before teachers and yet within each year’s mix of children lay another group whose demands may be less noticeable. They are the students who stand just beyond the reach of “normal education”. They are individuals who do not learn in a conventional way and are often unintentionally slighted because of their differing educational needs. Although smaller in number than the average learners per classroom, their demands are just as worthy and require our immediate, active attention. So it is with a student named, Rita.

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            August 27, 2006

     I remember standing alone looking down a long, foreboding hallway. The scuffling of my shoes echoed so loudly that it seemed as if firecrackers were exploding with each step. At the end of the hallway I could see just a sliver of light shooting out from under a classroom door. There was my destination. I knew that if I could make it to that door everything would be fine. I had no other option so I set my fears behind me and made a mad dash for the light. The door opened gently just as I reached for the knob. Every apprehension, every fear, and every uncertainty vanished as I found myself scooped up and cradled in the safety of my father’s arms. I had made it.
     At five years old, walking that deserted junior high hallway seemed a daunting task. It wasn’t until I reached the safety of my father’s arms that I looked around and realized there was nothing to fear. Many years have passed and now I find myself teaching a generation that is much like that little girl. Fear, confusion, and aloneness are their constant companions. The process of growing up and making it through school is a daunting task that haunts them each day.  It often seems that there is no one to help. There is no one to provide a light at the end of his or her hallway.
     Today I find myself on the other side of that door at the end of what appears to be a foreboding hallway to many students. I am challenged to reveal the light that will meet their educational needs. The tools I currently have in my possession often fall short of the mark for which I am aiming. I am applying for your master’s program in an effort to sharpened my skills and become more equipped for the task that lies ahead of me.
     Four years of college, teaching experience in seven different classroom settings both public and private, and administrative positions of leadership have brought me to this day, and still I do not find myself adequately equipped to serve the students I see coming. Having worked in alternative education and with special education for the past few years I have witnessed an ever-growing need for expertise in these programs. Many children that find themselves caught in the net of these programs have trouble believing there is a way called of light called success. By completing my master’s degree I hope to be able to serve this generation in such a way as to be a light at the end of their hallway. 

Thank you for considering my application.

Sheryl Youngblood
715 E. Line Street
Kirksville, Missouri   63501