I was extremely intrigued, fascinated and awakened by this particular research project. In fact, I think that the research for this project has changed my perception of my choice of major the most out of my time here at Ole Miss. I have always known that there were obstacles and challenges that special education students and teachers endure daily. This is part of the reason I chose the field. I want to be the voice and representation for those students who may not have a voice or a family that cares. With this being said, after researching, I realized that I have a much bigger battle than I originally had thought. What really surprised and changed my point of view was the amount of people that are constantly influenced, yet all in different and sometimes unequal ways. From the very beginning of my research, the article in Re-reading America, I knew that the education system was more flawed than I had assumed. The author’s personal experiences and connections to other statistics really allowed me to have a better understanding of the issues that are in need of improvement. In addition to this wider understanding, I think I have learned a lot about how the special education department works within the United States. More particularly, I have learned how the finances are divided, processed and handled for special education programs and resources. If you would have asked me at the beginning of the project if I would be interested in looking at the financial aspect of the educational system, I would have laughed in your face. I have never, until this point, had much of a care about the finances of the school districts. I now have learned that these components of money are extremely important to understanding why the systems and programs are the way they are. I think that this knew connection between financial relationships and the quality of education has impacted the projects I have worked on in the past. Within these prior assignments, I was always quick to point the finger at the teachers and administration for not doing more for these kids. In reality, my accusations and place of blame were in the wrong direction. After completing my research, I learned that national lawmakers and school district officials are the ones to blame. Ultimately, they produce and enforce the laws and restrictions that puts teachers and administrators in a bind. In conclusion, all of this change of perspective, better understanding, and new attention to the laws comes down to a single turning point moment of my research: when I learned how special education students in my new and old hometown are being treated unequally. This particular moment made all of my research more personal and increased my passion for this field of work. With all of this noted, I think this research moment could easily be titled my favorite and most thought provoking event this semester. Overall, I loved the research and new knowledge from this assignment and can’t wait to turn all of this into a paper.