All this week I have had a grateful feeling...particularly grateful that I didn't have to deal with the trauma of going back to school. It is strange because I was a good student, and school was a place where I excelled. I liked learning. (Actually, I still like learning.)
My teachers were kind to me; they encouraged me to think creatively and to challenge myself. I always started school with new clothes and fresh supplies. Plus, it was good to see my set of friends again after a summer of missing them.
For all of the good points about school, though, getting settled into the new school routine each year seemed tremendously challenging for me with my disability.
The simple acts of shuffling my textbooks or pulling homework from my folders were matters I had to find ways to address. It usually meant I needed to work up the courage to ask a peer for help, which made me feel awkward and inferior. In classes where I was mainstreamed, my teachers needed time to understand my physical differences. I didn't have the strength to raise my hand to answer a question. I needed to write with a pen as opposed to a pencil because it required less pressure to make a mark. My homework took me twice the time it should to complete because my stamina plummeted in a hurry.
Making sure I could carry the appropriate academic classes and get the assistance I needed was a scheduling puzzle. I remember coming home to my parents in tears because it looked like I was going to have to attend my chemistry labs without an aide to help me perform the experiments.
For all of you, parents, who have children with disabilities now, just hang in there! I'm relieved to know I don't have to live through all of that turmoil again. However, it definitely was a learning experience that prepared me to problem solve and even gain access to Bunsen burners.
