Hello! My name is Sarah Tingey and I am studying Special Education at Brigham Young University-Idaho. I am from the Tri-Cities, Washington and have been very fortunate to grow up in a home where my parents supported my educational goals and my love for learning and teaching has been able to grow.

Ever since I was little I have wanted to be a teacher and be able to help others reach their potential.  Teachers have had a dramatic impact in my life and I hope to have a similar impact for the coming generation. As I came to Brigham Young University-Idaho I was able to look back in my early educational experiences and decide what I wanted to teach.  During this time I realized that because of my love for people with special needs, I should teach special education.

Throughout high school I participated in activities with students with special needs. Through this service, I developed a love for special education and I found that I was not only able to help them but I was also able to learn and grow from the interaction with these students.

While at BYU-Idaho I have served as the manager for the Special Needs Life Skills organization.  I planned and executed weekly activities where we taught students with special needs skills such as cooking, sewing, social skills and much more. This service taught me more about how I can connect with those students with special needs and plan fun activities for everyone.

During my time at Brigham Young University-Idaho I have had the opportunity to work with many students with special needs and with their help I have learned many skills including; motivating students to keep working on assignments, developing goals for students, and helping them to achieve the goals that we made.

One of my beliefs is that students with special needs need to be included in the classroom. The research clearly shows that students with disabilities are more successful when they are included in a general education classroom.  I also firmly believe that the students with disabilities are not the only ones who benefit from this practice; I am convinced that students can learn important lessons about life and about themselves by interacting with students with special needs in the classroom. Having students with disabilities in the classroom helps other students in the classroom to understand that all people are different but they all add value wherever they are.  It also helps students to develop the important skills of how to work with people with different capabilities, which is an important life-long skill.

In teaching, my main belief is that every student can learn. This philosophy is integral to the way I teach and it reinforces my commitment to going the extra mile to support my students as they work to achieve their goals. Teachers are entrusted with the well-being and education of the next generation and I am committed to being worthy of this trust.