THIAHUTCH

I work with toddlers in a children's center. Some of the children I care for were born with learning disabilities. My very first school experience was as a first grader and not as a preschooler. I started my first day of school after a serious injury to my right arm. I have nerve damage to my writing arm. It was a challenge that I had to deal with as a young child. I wanted to learn piano. I had started at age five taking lessons from a neighbor. I wished I could have developed this skill as a child but my families tight budget and a lack of encouragement when I had a new challenge, prevented me from developing this skill. I look back and think about ,"Oh, what could have been!" Now, I spend a lot of time in class with kids exposing them to musical instruments and music because I know that through music I can reach a child who is challenged. I am making headway with children who are diagnosed with autism in my class. But, I don't want to ever see that economic circumstances prevent children from developing to their full potentials.