Dreams and goals about my future filled my childhood diary. Along with hopes, prayers, and of course the frustrations of life. I dreamed of becoming a missionary and teacher. My passion for teaching developed early as I looked up to my teachers and wanted to be just like them. Studying our schoolbooks so I could teach my younger sister, teaching Sunday school at church, and even tutoring my peers points to teaching being part of God’s design for my life. It all stems from an insatiable thirst for learning that still remains.
My friend and guest blogger, Carmela Merced, has been married to Carlos for 27 years. They have two daughters. She loves coffee and learning trivia.
Following My Dreams
Going into college, my interests varied from medicine to education. How would I choose a major? In the end, I choose business to please my mother. When I started taking business classes, I realized how unhappy I was. I spent two years of my undergrad degree taking classes I didn’t enjoy. At the time, I didn’t have the courage to change my major.
The fear of disappointing my family was paralyzing. As my relationship with my husband developed, I began to share my hopes and frustrations with him. With his support and encouragement, I changed to an education major.
Once I started taking education courses, my life was transformed. I was following dreams from my childhood, so I knew I was in the right place. I was fascinated by my courses, but especially by those that involved the diagnostic aspect of education. During my student teaching and first years of teaching in the classroom, the inexplicable joy I felt when students benefited from my teaching was exhilarating.
However, I was filled with sadness for those students who, no matter how hard they tried or how hard I tried, were making little to no progress. I supported and encouraged those students with the tools I had, but I knew they needed more than I could offer.
Sarah’s Struggles
Sarah doing educational therapy
Marriage came and years later, God blessed us with our first daughter, Sarah. Expectantly, we prayed God’s plan for her life. Throughout her preschool years, I made sure she had a strong academic and spiritual foundation.
Despite my efforts, she struggled her first year in school, especially in the areas of auditory processing and memory. Sarah’s struggles weren’t severe, but I would have to sit with her for hours to thoroughly review what she had done at school that day. Her grades were never terrible.
However, the amount of time it took her to complete tasks, along with her difficulty in memorizing, processing and applying information to different situations concerned me. Additionally, her fear of taking tests, paired with her peers’ unkindness toward her, were hindering her from becoming an independent learner. Her struggles were also taxing our family.
After some years of denial and getting over our pride of not wanting her labeled, we finally decided to seek additional help. God put an amazing educational consultant in our path. She evaluated Sarah and diagnosed her with Auditory Processing Disorder. She highlighted Sarah’s areas of strength and her weaknesses or areas of continued development.
Sarah would benefit from educational therapy. What was that? As an educator for quite some time, I was surprised I’d never heard of educational therapy. I wondered how it was different from special education. How was it going to help Sarah? What kind of training did one need to help a student like my daughter?
Intrigue and Fascination
Carmela working as an educational therapist
We followed the educational consultant’s recommendation and enrolled her in an educational therapy program. My daughter received one-on-one attention. Not only did they work on her areas of development, but her therapists also helped Sarah recognize her areas of strength and how to build upon those foundations.
Sarah learned how to learn, which helped her become an independent learner. It was not your typical special education program. She strengthened her thinking and processing skills by using cognitive-based techniques, tasks, and exercises.
From the first days of Sarah’s therapy, intrigue and fascination filled me as I observed her therapist working with her. I knew educational therapy is what I’d been searching for. Not only to help my daughter, but also to help my students.
I inquired about the training needed to become an educational therapist. Three years of intensive courses, practicums, and observations resulted in me obtaining professional certification as an educational and cognitive therapist. God’s mighty hand was in every step of this new endeavor!
Following God’s Path
I’m thrilled to say Sarah is also following God’s path in her life. After completing her undergraduate degree in Health Science, she’s now working toward her Doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy. She’s taught me much about perseverance and steadfastness!
Disappointment, inadequacy, and failure tried to hold me back, but prayer, reading Scripture, and listening to wise counsel gave me courage to follow my dreams.
Twenty years of classroom teaching experience combined with part-time tutoring/academic therapy for the last twenty years has now led to starting my own educational/cognitive therapy practice. When I sit across from parents who are desperate to find help for their children, I remember having those same concerns for Sarah.
While I can relate to their fears and concerns, I can also encourage them to hold on to hope. God has amazing plans for their children!
Sarah and Carmela teaching together
Great job, my friend! Thank you for the encouragement and inspiration!
Wow…..I got teary reading this. As your friend, I was privileged to be able to watch as you navigated some of those challenges that you wrote about. I have always been inspired at how you handle struggles with such passion and purpose. I am overjoyed that the two of you have connected and are partnering on some projects together! Melony and Carmela, both of you have individually impacted my family in ways that I can never repay. God is using you both in mighty ways through your gifts of teaching and loving people. I am blessed to call you friends. All my love to both of you!