ASPIRATION STATEMENT
Alexandrea (Allie)
Armstrong
Eastern Caribbean
January 24, 2013
I have high expectations for myself working
as a special education teacher. I want to help educate teachers, society, and
other students about what causes disabilities and how we can develop ways for
the disabled to live comfortably with their disabilities. I want to create new
ways for teachers to work with different people so each one is receiving the
best education possible. To adjust to
the new culture I am going to be very observant, watch how people teach and
work with each individual. I will also ask various questions to help in my
understanding of how things are done. I am then going to create multiple new
techniques that teachers can use to benefit their students needs. I also am
going to work one on one with the students who have disabilities so I know
where their skill levels, and needs are.
A: Identify three professional attributes that you plan to use during your
Peace Corps service and how these will help meet your aspirations and
commitment to service.
I am going to use skills that I have gained
from my work experience, volunteering and education to fulfill my personal
goals and the assignment given to me. My bachelor’s degree was in
rehabilitation for special needs. I absorbed information on a variety of
disabilities and how to work with each individual in a school setting. I am going to create fun ways to keep each
individual students engaged in their academics to better their future. I have
worked for United Cerebral Palsy for a little over two years as an in-home care
provider for people with all kinds of disabilities. I worked with people and children with
physical and cognitive disabilities. I did everything from Bathing, feeding,
clothing to giving medications. I also
have done some volunteer work at a camp that works with adults with
disabilities were I took care of a camper twenty-four hours a day for four
days. I am currently finalizing my Associates degree in art, which has given me
many creative ideas on how to use art as a teaching tool. I additionally
participated on an art comity, and spent two summers teaching art to children
in a summer program. I love learning
about new things, about people and helping them stay happy and healthy.
B: Briefly identify two strategies for working effectively with host
country partners to meet expressed needs.
My first strategy is to do a lot of research
on the culture, society and the current state of the people with disabilities.
I want to be prepared so that I am respectful at all times. My second strategy
is to be very observant and ask a lot of questions form my teachers and host
family as I go along. It is critical that I fit in with the people and provide
a positive influence for the children, teachers and town’s people.
C: Your strategy for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own
cultural background.
One of the reasons I joined the Peace Corps
was to experience other cultures, bring back with me a part of those cultures,
and share my experiences with the people that I meet. I believe each individual
creates their own culture. Being able to experience other cultures will allow
me to expand and improve upon my own. I fully expect to have to do things
outside of my comfort zone, but that’s the part of the experience that I’m
looking forward to. I have spent some
time out of the country, and traveled to Africa on a medical support mission
last year, so I have experience adapting the other cultures.
D: The skills and knowledge you hope to
gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and
project.
I'm
hoping to learn about the needs of the community in regards to people with special needs and what they already
know about people with special needs. Learning this will allow me to come up
with a project that will best help the community, the people with special needs
and the family of people with special needs. One of the skills that I hope to
develop is a better understanding of how to approach families of people with
special needs, how to help them develop skills in living with the member or
members of their family with special needs and better the futures of these family members.
E: How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and
professional aspirations after your service ends.
This
opportunity will help me develop personal and professional goals in special
education from both perspectives. I believe it will help me become a better
advocate of special needs awareness locally as well as globally. Continuing and
helping develop special needs programs in another country will help me better
understand the need in my community for such programs. This will be a life
changing experience that I will never forget and one that I can continue to
draw from for the rest of my life.
