Practice Blog

Outline

A.      Who I Am

B.      My Passion/Why Education

C.      What is an educator?

D. Mary Nell

 

 

 

 

My name is Payton Cobb. I was born in Mobile, AL, and have lived here my whole life. I attended McGill-Toolen Catholic High School and graduated in 2012. Upon graduating, I attended the University of Montevallo for 2 years before returning home to continue my education at the University of South Alabama. I recently changed my major from Speech Pathology to Education, and have yet to look back. I truly believe that being a Special Needs teacher is my calling.

I fell in love with special needs people when I was very young. I believe that is when my love for helping others flourished. I regularly attended events that involved the Mulherin Home, a home for persons with disabilities, from the age of 7 until now. When I turned 15, I put in an application to be a counselor at Camp S.M.I.L.E. with no idea what to expect, but I got the job! That very summer, my life was forever changed and my heart was full of genuine happiness. I have never experienced a feeling quite like the feeling those adults and children gave me that summer. Their unconditional love brightened my day each and every time I saw them. I knew I wanted to help change their lives the way they had mine. My life, from that very moment, would never be the same.

I think I knew in that moment what I was meant to do for the rest of my life, but smothered the thought, because, like everyone else, I was looking at the salary rather than the personal, lifelong benefits. An educator is much more complex than just a body in a classroom that assigns work. An educator is a mentor, a confidant, a role model, and even occasionally, a life changing part of someone else’s life. I know that I can be that person for someone and look forward to my opportunity. There will always be things that I can improve on, such as, being positive on trying times, or looking for the best in all negative situations, but I know my patience and loving, upbeat spirit can help me make it through those small setbacks.

I look forward to my future as an educator and all the challenges that come along with it. I hope to inspire children and guide them in their learning experiences. It is very obvious to be that I have found my true passion in this world. I hope to be able to make a difference in the lives of each of my future students.

I attached this picture in particular because it was from my first year as a counselor way back in 2009. I fell in love with this woman the first time I met her. Mary Nell was loud, unruly, and completely unpredictable, but she taught me how to be selfless, weird, and above all, how to love whole-heartedly. She is my reason for doing what I do. And though she recently passed away, her loud and sassy memory lives on at Camp S.M.I.L.E.