I have never been the most accelerated reader, especially in middle school. Constantly not being able to comprehend what I needed to complete in my classes,  reading books and stories with the class and not finishing as quickly and efficiently as the other students, frustrated me.

One day, a bright smile walked into my third grade classroom and called me to the hallway. “Good morning. I’m Miss Rollefson. I work for the special ed department. i’m going to help you with reading.” At that time I didn’t want her help because it made think I was dumb or stupid. But the help fell right in my hands, I needed it.

Every day I saw her, I started to love her more and more. She made me feel welcome and comfortable in my learning environment. Going to her room became my new learning environment, I worked on other subjects besides literacy, such as math.

Miss Rollefson made me like learning. Whenever I finished a task, she would let me go on the swing in the classroom for a while until it was time to get back to work. Hearing her soft voice reading to me was the most relaxing thing I could think of.

I looked forward to her greeting me everyday, making me feel favored. She always knew how to make my day =better by simply asking how my day was or by complimenting my hair or clothes. She also gave me surprises like bringing me cards and treats on my birthday.

She was there for me growing up. To this day, I still don’t know how I was put into her program. I was in that program from third grade until the end of sixth grade. Even from switching from the primary into the intermediate school, Miss Rollefson made the transition simple and not scary.

Saying goodbye to her was hard at the end of sixth grade. Not being able to be with her all the time was difficult to get used to. Not being greeted with a bright smile and hearing her say “Hello Miss Megan” or “Hey girly” whenever she got a glimpse of me in that school.

Even though I had accelerated in the program and was no longer in it, I still saw her in the halls or stopped by her room when I had the time. And she still put that big and bright smile like hers on my face. Miss Rollefson had an immense impact on my life. Not only because she made me a better student, but also because she made me understand that everyone is different.

Whenever someone asks what I want to do when I grow up, my instant response is helping children with disabilities. Working with her and the other students with disabilities helped me figure out what my future is without even knowing it and I couldn't be more grateful for what she has done for me and for other children.