Hello,
"My name is Mrs. Abt and I want to tell you all the benefits of Majoring in Philosophy ™. I am so stoked to share all the impact you can make... with a philosophy degree."
How many of you would immediately walk away and shake your head if someone walked up to you at a conference proclaiming the benefits of a humanities degree. Even I was originally forced into STEM by my parent's not-so-subtle biases and by my own internalized inability to think for myself.
Philosophy has given me strong critical thinking skills. I can generate my own opinion on many things and remain a conscious approver of what I parrot and how I choose to present myself. I am autistic and I am a survivor of trauma so I was never very clear on how to make others feel comfortable around me. As a trauma survivor, I realized that what I am parroting varies and sometimes I need to be wary of the source of the information. Our own subconscious programming can lead us astray if we lived in abusive situations as a child. I address these biases by monitoring my mental health and state of wellness throughout every day. Importantly, the way I present myself varies based on the situation in which I find myself. Realizing that the way I present myself has to vary based on the situation was extraordinarily difficult for me to realize as child and then teen. However, when participating in crisis resolution or working with a preteen with behavior issues, this hard earned lesson proves invaluable.
Some of us, I daresay most of us, are born with our own inner sense of who we are. If we can work on clearing away our cobwebs and making ourselves aware of what exactly psychologically impacted us to the degree of adding or changing something about our programming, we can become aware of who we really are.
When you look at a kid with behavioral issues, or a kid who just is very rude, you wouldn't think that this kid has any naturally good persona hiding in them. One might think that they should overhaul all of their programming. However, as much of behavior is learned as one might think comes naturally to the child. Sure there are phases of development where children are angry or more upset than usual. It is my belief that mindfulness, which has helped me a lot with emotional regulation as a teenager and then adult, can be used to curb the anger and upset of youth. Not just this, but I think that oftentimes instilling strong moral virtues in children needs to begin from a young age. If children are left to their own devices, it is no wonder they will develop deviant proclivities from normal moral behavior.
Especially these kids need to work on clearing the cobwebs and developing a sense of who they are. I was once an abused and neglected kid. That is why I am here for all kids that need me. I know that not all kids I meet will be like me, but as a special education teacher and future School Psychologist, they will always have me there to help them become the amazing, capable adults I know they can become.
Students with behavioral issues have all the potential to become the actualized individuals we all want them to be. They have all the resilience and strength already, they just need some guidance, therapy, and support.
On today, July 4th, lets take time to honor the kids who really make America spectacular! Not just the kids who wow our communities with their intelligence and work-ethic, but every kid in America. Especially the kids who are plotting a course for success despite the odds. These are the real underdogs that need America to root for them.
With Love,
Mrs. Abt
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