Changing My Perspective by Charlotte

Changing My Perspective by Charlotte - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change,” is a quote from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer that has proven true in my life time and time again. It is fascinating to me that the tiniest shift in perspective can change not only our lives, but the lives of those around us. I made that shift the summer before high school started, and I will always be grateful for the little boy who led me there.
Early one morning in the children’s area lobby, the child care director came to me and asked me to switch to a different classroom. On our way there, she let me know that the staff had been overwhelmed by one of the newer boys in the classroom, Read, and would love a teenager's energy to keep up with him. She pointed him out at the door, all I could see was a mop of blond hair, a blue sweater, and the frames of his glasses.
I thanked her and stepped inside. Before I could even reach him, he let out a sudden scream and took off, sprinting around the room. In those few seconds, I noticed three things: he was incredibly fast for a two-year-old, his pull-up was heavy, and he had Down syndrome.
The lead teacher scooped Read up and explained over his occasional shouts that they needed me to work with him one-on-one. She and her colleague seemed at a loss for how to handle him. Though I felt a surge of apprehension and a tingle of anxiety, I couldn’t find a reason to say no. So I made it my mission to get him under control, which turned out to be the wrong mindset entirely.
Read and I ended up playing LEGOs for the first part of the day. As the hours passed, I felt increasingly overwhelmed by his sudden shouts and the way he would unexpectedly throw toys or bolt across the room. When he tried to hit another child, I reached my breaking point. I was ready to call the director, admit I had no clue what I was doing, and ask to be reassigned.
In my moment of frustration, I realized the flaw in my thinking. I had all the high expectations for Read's behavior, but I wasn’t communicating them in a way he could understand. I was waiting for him to figure out what I needed from him before I thought about what he needed from me.
I decided to take a deep breath and stop thinking about how overstimulated I was. I ignored the anxiety and the stress, stepped outside of myself, and decided to focus on how Read felt. As I watched him interact with kids, shout, and get up and run, I began to understand more and more things about him. He obviously wanted to play with other kids, but he just seemed unsure of how to interact with them. He’d try to play with his classmates, but they’d get overwhelmed and leave him. Often, he shouted when another kid did something funny and exciting. It seemed to be his way of laughing with them. And his running happened when he was proud of himself. He’d successfully put together the LEGO blocks he was working with and get up and run with the biggest smile on his face to celebrate.
Shifting my perspective changed everything. I began coaching Reed on how to play with his peers and taught the other children how to set respectful boundaries with him. We practiced using a “quiet voice” for when we needed him to settle, but I stopped trying to silence his joy. Instead of leaving him to celebrate his wins alone, I started celebrating them with him.
Nearly 3 years later, I still work with Read in childcare and some other students with special needs. The highlight of my week is always seeing Read run up to the classroom door to greet me. Just a few months ago, he learned to say my name and started offering hugs every time he saw me. He is one of the sweetest little boys I know, and he has grown into an amazing, loving friend. Although he can still be out of control, he has come so far, learned so much, and made so many other friends. Every time I work with him, I learn something new.
Working with Reed has fundamentally changed who I am. He showed me that I am too quick to get frustrated and quit, and he taught me how to step outside of my own perspective to meet the needs of others. Because of him, I plan to major in Child Development or Special Education, and then go on to serve kids full-time. Reed is one of the kindest souls I have ever met, and I hope to eventually show others the same unconditional love he has shown me.