Ecological Model

My ecological model is a reflection of who I am at my very core and the various experiences and people who have helped me become who I am today. Without these systems in place I very likely would not be where I am today or even on tract to become an ESE teacher. Taking part in this assignment allowed me to reflect and look back at everything that has brought me to this point. 

In an ecological model your microsystem is the context in which you grow. It contains not only the people they interact with on a daily basis but also the various things that play a daily part in one's life. The first thing I included in my microsystem is my family. My family is rather small, just my mom, my younger sister and me; but they are the most important people in my life. They are the ones I lean on in good times and bad and the ones who keep me going. To also go with the family that shaped me, I included a picture of a dragonfly. Although it may seem out of place, for me dragonflies have come to symbolize my grandfather and grandmother who passed away. Since I come from a single parent home my grandparents became a very important part of my life and support system when my mom could not be there. Although they passed away, whenever I see a dragonfly I know they are close to me.  I also included two awareness ribbons, a green one for bipolar disorder and a purple one for ulcerative colitis. These are meant to represent my disabilities. Although it is not considered a positive thing in the lives of most people, without the disabilities and trials I went through to overcome them I would never had thought to go into exceptional education. The elements in my microsystem inspire me as well as challenge me. They are all things that affect me everyday and are constantly at the back of my mind. 

 Mesosystems relate to decisions and interactions people inside the microsystems make. They do not always directly involve the person the ecological model is based on but do still affect them. For my mesosystems I focused on the decisions my mother made for me as I grew up. The first thing I put in my mesosystems is school supplies and a cross. This is meant to symbolize the fact that for the first eight years of my life I attended a Christian school. Although I am no longer overtly religious I do like to think that the values and lessons instilled to me through Christian school have stuck with me throughout my life. The next thing I included was the state of Florida which indicates where I grew up and lived my entire life. On the state of Florida I included two houses with a road between them to represent my having to travel as a child between my mom's house and my dad's house. Around once a month my dad would have my sister and I come visit him for the weekend. The last thing included is a stethoscope, this stands for again my health. When I was young I had many health issues that I did not entirely understand. Because of this my mom was required to make a lot of decisions on how I should be treated.

 An exosystem has a wide context and is meant to embody the broader community in which a person lives. My exosystem is a little basic. I included a picture of my friends and neighbors who have become my extended family. Even though they are as important to me as my immediate family (my mom and sister) I did not include them in my microsystem because their influence in my life is recent. The cash with the no sign through it signifies the environment I grew up. Since my mother was a single mother I grew up pretty poor. My mom was the only one who supported our family, and many times we were in poverty. She worked very hard to make sure this did not affect my sister and I too much but it was a fact that we were aware of. I also included a computer for technology. Being a child of the 90's I watched computers and technology grow into what it is today. I grew up with the computer and because of that I created networks outside of my family that influenced me and who I am. Finally in my exosystem I placed my previous workplace. Discovery Point is a daycare where I worked for two years as a childcare provider. This is probably the biggest influence as to why I am becoming a special education teacher. While I worked at Discovery Point I had three students with disabilities. These students were the bright spots of my day. They made my job more difficult but I loved working with them. This is where I realized my passion for special education and decided to go back to school in order to become an ESE teacher.

 The last system is macrosystems. Macrosystems include the ideologies, values, and customs of the culture a person grew up in or follows. For me, my macrosystem has been shaped directly by all the other systems at play in my ecological model. Not just my model but also the experiences I have had throughout my life. The biggest thing I believe in is equality. That is why in my macrosystem I included a gay rights flag as well as a feminist symbol (Rosie the Riveter) and a gender equality symbol. This belief shapes me at the very core of my being. In my career it will be what influences me to fight for the rights of my students who may be underrepresented as well as stand up for them if they are not being treated equally. Another belief important to me is the rights and advocacy of people with disabilities which is why I included the 3E love symbol (the wheelchair heart) which is the logo of company that aims to change the perception of people with disabilities. I also included the autism awareness ribbon because of my continuing work with children who have autism and my passion for working with these students as a teacher.