God, Thank You for Giving Me ...

 By: Wernsetta Session

Born to a teenage mother, the odds were already against me. According to statics, I should have had a baby in high school, dropped out of school and receiving government assistance. Needless to say that is not the plan that God had for me.  I did graduate from high school with honors, received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Texas Southern University in Political Science and a Master’s in Education Administration from The University of North Texas Dallas.

 I don’t take credit for my success, there were and still are people in my life that contributed to it.  My mother and grandmother taught me to work hard at whatever it is that I want and never give up. Attending a Historically Black University, I was taught to be proud of who I am in my skin. I was taught that the knowledge I have is powerful and no one can take what I know away from me.

They also taught me that people would challenge me because I am an African American woman, therefore learn everything you can and be confident about what you say.  My godmother was a very strong woman. She was a foster parent to many children and was an advocate for children with special needs. She is one of the reasons why I became a Special Education Educator. 

As a Special Education Compliance Specialists, I have the opportunity to work with educators, administrators and parents in the Dallas Independent School District.  I ensure the campuses are following students Individual Education Plans.  It is important that these plans are followed so that each student who receives special education services can be successful in the educational setting. 

Ensuring that student’s IEPs are being implemented can be a challenge at times.  Due to the lack of staffing positions, there are some campuses who are short educators.  When I get concerns of this nature, I have work with campus on scheduling.  Proper scheduling will allow educators to support their students.  Another challenge that I face is parent concerns. 

I receive numerous calls from parents and sometime these calls challenge my Christianity.  I have to remember who I am and whose I am.  I have been cursed at, talked to crazy, and hung up on.  When these things happen, I have to reach way down inside of me and pull out that inner strength in order to maintain my professionalism. 

I often reflect on why these parents are so angry and why I was given the honor to listen to them.  I have to tell God Thank You for giving me the gift of being a good listener.  I realize that sometimes these parents just want someone to listen to their frustrations even though they know there is nothing I can do about it.  Being able to listen to them and offer some assistance is all that they want.  If I am able to calm them down and offer some assistance, I have done a job well done. 

My profession allows me to touch many individuals on a daily basis rather it is in person, through email or through social media.  I don’t take any opportunity for granted.  I strive daily to be the best at what I do.  I know that I am supposed to separate church and state, but I believe that God placed in this position for a reason.  Being an educator is a ministry.

There are some many adults and children who do not know that God loves them, some of them do not even know who He is.  When I am on campuses and I see the opportunity to talk to student who is in trouble, I take that opportunity to minister to them.  They may not know what I am doing at the time, but I know what I have done.  

I am so thankful for being placed in a position where I am able to move about and spread the word of God to others.