¡¡Hola muy buenos tardes comunidad de Hive!! Hace unos pocos días en un post, les hice mención que soy docente jubilada en el área de educación especial en la mención de retardo mental por 24 años. Hoy vengo a contarles como llegue a iniciar esta aventura de ser una maestra de educación especial. En mi mente, nunca llegue a pensar ser docente, decisión de la que nunca me arrepiento y le doy gracias a Dios por haberme guiado por este camino. Después de haberme graduado de bachiller, estuve un tiempo cesante, mi hermano, quien fue mi impulsador motivacional en mi crecimiento personal profesional promoviendo mi superación. >Hello good afternoon Hive community!!! A few days ago in a post, I mentioned that I am a retired special education teacher in the area of mental retardation for 24 years. Today I am here to tell you how I came to start this adventure of being a special education teacher. In my mind, I never thought of becoming a teacher, a decision that I never regret and I thank God for having guided me on this path. After graduating from high school, I was unemployed for a while. My brother, who was my motivational booster in my personal professional growth, promoted my improvement.

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Después de haber probado varias universidades en busca de mi vocación, la cual, en aquel momento inicie como período de prueba por la carrera de Educación Integral, no fui consecuente pues no culminaba en ninguna, desertaba. Hasta que, en la ciudad, el Colegio Universitario Monseñor de Talavera dió apertura a la carrera de Educación Especial en dos menciones, dificultades del aprendizaje y retardo mental. Esto, fue un boom para la población, en incluso para mí, era algo innovador e interesante, nunca pensé que fuera fácil, pero me atraía y me inscribí por el área de dificultades del aprendizaje. Ya iniciada las actividades académicas, para mí fue transcendental conocer a la Prof. María Elena Barrios, quien fue la asesora de una materia llamada orientación vocacional, ella es profesora del área de retardo mental, y puedo decir, que fue la que me motivo y me centro en mi vocación, pues al realizar las pasantías por cada uno de los niveles del sistema regular, puedo decir me enamoró el área de retardo mental. >After having tried several universities in search of my vocation, which at that time I started as a trial period for the career of Integral Education, I was not consistent because I did not finish in any of them, I deserted. Until, in the city, the Monseñor de Talavera University College opened the career of Special Education in two mentions, learning difficulties and mental retardation. This was a boom for the population, even for me, it was something innovative and interesting, I never thought it would be easy, but it attracted me and I enrolled in the area of learning disabilities. Once I started the academic activities, it was transcendental for me to meet Prof. Maria Elena Barrios, who was the advisor of a subject called vocational orientation, she is a teacher in the area of mental retardation, and I can say that she was the one who motivated me and centered me in my vocation, because when I did the internships for each of the levels of the regular system, I can say that I fell in love with the area of mental retardation.

![WhatsApp Image 2023-08-10 at 6.40.19 PM.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/yoligar11/23yTjCbRsLungssC55f4Z6NuiwhZGrwJpitH53NjXx9d7h1YDQ8ciadfDyGkdrnGYXeeD.jpeg) I entered the Ministry of Education in 1999, in the city of San Antonio del Táchira (it is a border town with Colombia), I was the teacher of eight students at the preschool level, it was a challenge, because I had to put into practice the knowledge I had acquired, but in reality today I feel that more than a teacher of them, they were teachers for me. I had to learn, through the day-to-day experiences with each one of them, to get to know them, understand them and make them understand the mission for which I was there. These children had no schooling, and my goal was to make them like school. I was in this group for almost three years, and almost starting a new school year, in 2002 I was transferred to Táriba for family reasons. But from this experience I had very satisfactory memories, the children passed to the next level, adapted, confident, with previously established work habits and with all the capacity to know how to give what they already have by nature, to give love, they were truly significant students for me. ![WhatsApp Image 2023-08-10 at 6.40.29 PM.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/yoligar11/23uFRuwyj5HYEVkuuPT3bwCRWs4EoemRBnm1Se7mxV1achMAFt8qXifu75gzo8UuucZrb.jpeg) Arriving at the Táriba Special Education Institute (in the town of Táriba, famous city that shelters our patron saint of Táchira, the Virgin of Consolation), was another experience, today it is called the Emily Gisvel Guerrero Special Education Institute, an eponym that was given in memory of a student with special educational needs founder. For me it was another enriching training house, because it allowed me to develop in different professional roles, but the most important and significant was to be a teacher and my goal was to ensure that these young people that I have seen grow and convinced of their abilities and potential to develop and obtain a decent job with equal opportunities. ![WhatsApp Image 2023-08-10 at 6.40.28 PM.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/yoligar11/23y8mWRGZDAx5y5Xswokt2snujJwxdWus6uLVtGcNkJVBHMpfDhzdqDe29bZZYNiyWkTE.jpeg) Already today as a retired from the practice, my spirit still remains active with them, because I do not miss the opportunity to share great moments with the children and those who were my companions (those who left and are in other spaces, as well as those who remain there), I am currently doing other activities, as a university professor and soon I will be starting as a catechist, where I will begin the formation of children and young people for their first communion and confirmation. I hope you liked this publication, see you in a new edition, see you Photos taken from my HUAWEIY6 cell phone. ![WhatsApp Image 2023-08-10 at 6.47.38 PM (1).jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/yoligar11/23wCDgGFzMoNLkpc7GiWHyzB37KNVqW67nbjytkoEK8eYTQE6AWJweE9Ksy4neP7m31Za.jpeg) ![WhatsApp Image 2023-08-10 at 6.40.21 PM.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/yoligar11/23tmG16xLSgn1B3wci96LoBRThBueLq4R8STgiTzEpS32RYjS8rJ49zicMeEEF2ykN3te.jpeg) ![WhatsApp Image 2023-08-10 at 6.47.38 PM (3).jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/yoligar11/23tmQEvY6GuES86aLn1D1nrtHeu8Lvx8HeU6x3usUz7aXAjm93oqy9sKD91Gbxthc7wBh.jpeg) ![WhatsApp Image 2023-08-10 at 6.47.38 PM.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/yoligar11/23wqkRPzHAgnPCqChNqWT3ZQm3D8ZxFRH6dxcmxzdSjaipRbZMasSxRnYFSEytRsQBdVz.jpeg)