My Vision

To tell you in which direction I would like to go, I must first give you an understand of through what I have come. I have always believed that everything happens in God’s world for a reason. Just today at work something happened that truly enlightened me and put a stamp on my vision for the future.
As part of my employment, the main part, I go to school and provide behavioral support to children under the autism spectrum. This school year the agency I am employed by assigned me a client from a remote rural community about forty miles outside of the city I live in. Within the entire school I have only seen three children who were not Caucasian. The area is not diverse whatsoever. When I was first presented with this case my first thought was to turn it down because I have been in situations like this before and they never worked out in my favor. However, after some thought and prayer I decided to take the case.
I have been in this school for six weeks now and I can count the number of people who have returned a greeting when I greeted them first, returned a smile I had sprung in their direction or held a simple conversation with me. Only one person I have encountered has introduced herself by first and last name, the rest have only given me their last name (i.e. “I’m Mrs. Jones). Although I have introduced myself by my first and last name, it has not been reciprocated.
Today two key events happened that really stuck out in my mind. First of all, we were going on a field trip and had to ride on a school bus. When I approached the bus, the classroom teacher informed me that my client was at the back of the bus. I thought that perhaps she was in the back with other children, but much to my surprise, she was sitting in the very last seat all by herself, even though there were plenty of other seats with children in her class. They had segregated my autistic client from the rest of the children! I was appalled for her.
The second thing that occurred was a brief conversation with the school principal. The principal approached me and spoke to me in such a demeaning manner that I was taken aback. I felt absolutely shocked that a professional would speak to another professional with utterly no respect. I was quite upset after the conversation and very uncomfortable. The thoughts began racing in my head that I need to be on my P’s and Q’s or this woman will try to get rid of me.
Then I had a premonition. I was placed in this school for a reason and perhaps that reason is to promote change. Promoting change will cause me to have to endure uncomfortable situations that I have been running from. In the future I see myself facing these situations head on without fear. I see myself as becoming part of the solution instead of living in the problem. I see me attracting others to unite under positivity rather than drowning in negativity. I envision myself pioneering women of all backgrounds to come together to promote great changes in attitudes, values, beliefs and surrounding themselves in love.