A Gap in my knowledge

      There is a show on  Fox and  National  Geographic   called  Cosmos.  I really  love this show.   The show   talks about    science.

       Ever since  I  have been watching this show, I  can not help  but  moran  for    a chance to be in middle school again.  In   middle  school  kids in  resource  only  took three core classes.   Everyone was  required  to  take   English,   then referred  to as Language  Arts, and  Mathematics. In terms of history and scince   at my middle school  you  were supposed  to  chose  between  the two.  All three  years of  middle school  the school and my parents  chose  history.  This  really  paid  off because  now I am  a  self  proclaimed history buff  and   passed  my  AP  test my junior year of high school in  American  History.   But   all three  years I
missed out  on  science.

  In high school   when  I  finally took  science ,  I struggled  in science  a lot.  In  biology  I was able to  work with the teacher who  was able  to help me  on test.   In   Chemistry  it was   really  hard  because I was  lazy  probably  in part  because I  had never  had  science  in  middle school.  In  college   I did well in Biology , but when  it came time to  take   the Solar System,  I was   lost  because  I   did not  know the order of the planets . I had  to work really  hard and  I  passed.

    Instead  of   learning science  in  middle school I  had   resource  room  where  I was bullied a lot   from other students  while the teachers did not  do anything.

 Lets think about what  my day would have looked like  if  my school   practiced  best practices  My   teachers  would have  came into the class  and   help me  inside   my  general education  classes.    Maybe  I would get pulled out   in a small group  once a week  for  pre-teaching  and  study  skills  development  in  areas  that I   needed help  with.      Since it was  a small  group   and  it was   with a purpose   perhaps   the other students would have been busy and  not   teased  me.    I  would  have  taken  Science and   History .      I wouldn't  have gaps  in my knowledge    Perhaps in  high school  I would  have   had an  easier  time  in  my science  classes.     I  might  have had the   foundation  I needed  to  take  an  AP  science course.  In  short   I  might have  had  a  educational career  similar to   my  peers  who did  not have a disability.

  All  schools  should   practice  best   practices   All  students  need to  learn   in  inclusive classes just like  they  would have  if  they did not have a disability.  We  are  Worthy!

Language arts Math History

           I have to say   that    I am  pretty smart. I am a   US  History  wiz  a  wonderful writer  and  even though  I had a hard time  with  math I was  able to pass  college level  math last sesmester with a  B.

  notice   how  I am  missing a subject   Science

    In  Elementary school  I  learned about  Science and I would  say that  i  thought it was  fun.  I  remeber learning about the digestive system  and  Dinosaurs.   In  fith  grade  I did  a scince exparment on  plants, but  after that     I did  not  attend  Science class    until   I was in tenth  grade.    So   to put it in  Years  from      May 2003  til   Augest  2007  I   did not      have   Scince Class   because  in   middle school  I  went  to   RSP  class,  that was when the  fun  begain.
  Middle school  was also the time when  I  first  entered a  RSP  class.  RSP  stands  for  Resource Specialist   Program.   It was  a study hall for students who  were not in Special  Day Classes  who  still needed  some  extra help.    Most of the students in the class had learning  disability  such as  ADHD and  dyslexia.   I   was  in  Directed  studies   under  a IEP, which  I  had  since  I  was in  preschool so  even though  I did not  meet with a Special  Education  Teacher   in  Elementary school  I  had a  aid and   Speech  Therapy.  In  sixth  grade  I  was one of the most seve   students  in  the class.  the other  one   was DD  who was  deaf and also  had an aid.    DD had  hearing  aides that she could turn of  to study. She  could  tune out the noise.  Why  would she need  to do that?    To  be  continued....

The First day of middle school

 my Middle school logo 

 I  actually do  remember  a little  of my  first day  of  middle school.  I  remember  being   nervous because  I  thought  it was  on a huge  campus on a  hill.  I  quickly learned  that  was the high school.  My school was  in the   valley.  I  did not know  who my  one on  one aid was  so my  Mom walked me into school.   It  turned out    that   I had  my  old aid  from    fourth  and fifth grade, Ms.M,  I  remember my homeroom  was  English  class.  We  stayed  in English for two  periods.  My whole English class than   went on to  math  and  history class. Unfortunately  my aide  did  keep a communication book with my parents  but    I do not know where it is :( . I also do not have a lot of  pictures  from back then because the hard  drive is broken  and has not been  fixed.  If anyone knew me  in  middle school and has  photos  of me   from back then I would be grateful if  you  sent them to me.

Sixth grade part one : orientation

 I  remember   going to school  for  orientation.  I would be  in  Pod  2.  My  sixth grade  class  was  split up into  Pods.   This  meant that   a group of  kids  would have the same  English Math  and Science class.    This  would be my first time rotating  classes as  well.  This system seemed  to be a good  idea  because    all the teachers  were  next door to  each other.     This was  also a good  idea because the kids in each  class   had the  potential to become  great  friends. I  stay   potential because    it  never  really worked out.    Due to social skills problems   I never really  had  friends without   disabilities   from  middle school on up.     Let me say that   at least I  knew  everyone  name by the end of the year.

   During ordination I  would  come to find that my  pod was the  cool  advanced  pod.    Our  pod  had  a mascot   the sea horse   which    none of the other  pods had as  well  as fun math.  I did not  do  very  much  math that year  instead we  did art  projects   it  was   cool.   My  teacher was  very  old   in  fact  back in 2003 he had   some  former students   children.   He is now  retiring at the end of this school year 2011. I  was the only  one from  my  family to have  him.    Book gal  went to a private school and Princess   was in a different  pod.    He   had  some  disabilities but  that  did not prevent him from teaching math  science   and PE as well as coach  sports.






 Anyway  after orientation I went out  breakfast  with  DD, we were  friends all throughout  middle school,    I  had    no idea   what w to as    to come that  year.

Why the R word hurts: a friends perspective

 signing the pledge last year 3-3-2010

     Back in high school I  spear headed   a new  club  called  Dons Disability Awareness  Club. One  of the  events  we did was a  Spread the word to end the word .  It was a great  event and many people signed the  pledge  and  I still have  numerous  wristbands  lying around the house.

   People  might ask  me  why I care so much  about the use of the  the  word   retarded.  I  mean I  do not  have   a intellectual disability.  I have  a physical disability   and a speech  disability but  not a intellectual disability so the  word is  just a word to me  right  wrong

     When I was ten  years  old my parents  signed me up  for judo at the local rec center, The  class  met  Tuesdays and  Thursdays  in the  gym  for an hour.  I  signed  up in February and  before long   my  friend ,she  is no longer my friend,joined shortly after   lets call her  B. She  was deaf and had  NVLD, like me, but she  was  in inclusive education  at the local elementary school which  was connected  to the  rec.  As  faith would have it her  new neighbors  would  move  in and they had  kids around   our age.  A fifth  grader,  a  year ahead of us, a third  grader and  a  four year old who was the only girl in the bunch.  The  third  grader  who we will call LM  happened to have Down Syndrome.   I met them  when  LM came to  join a judo class after  my friends mom  told  her new neighbor about the class  and  shortly there after   LM and I became friends.

   A  few years later LM was  at our same school  in middle school and the three of us always hung out together,. At the  time LM was  into  basketball so every lunch hour   LM and I would gobble down our lunches and  race to  the blacktop to play  in pickup games on one such  occasion we were  playing  with  a  other kids  in my grade, so  older then LM ,  and  LM was doing the best he could.  He  did not have  dribbling down,  needed  reminders of what basket to shoot  at, and  got too close  to the defender.   Most of the  other kids were vary nice to him and  gave him  the ball and  not block him and let him shoot but  on one  occasion a kid  who was  dribbling the ball  and  LM was  trying to steal it from  her she  said.

"GET AWAY YOU RETARD ."

LM  sat down  on the side of the  court  and  I fallowed  him.  I was  stunned.  B's mom had told me not to say that word to  LM and  now i knew  why. LM    was a charming fellow. He loved basketball and Disney movies and did  judo.  He was  full of life   but   the person who called him the R word had  taken all that away from him as if  she  had  popped a balloon that was LM's spirit.    

.

To this day the memory of that  day  is  vivid and  runs deep.  He  is the  reason why  I  started   Spread the word to end the word  at my high school last year. He is the reason why  Spread the word to end the word   will be there  this year  even though I  no longer   attend.   LM  was the first person I  really got to know   with a intellectual disability but he was not the last. B encourage  me  to become a special Olympics  athlete and  I now  know many people  in my area wit intellectual disabilities. People with  Intellectual disabilities are  people   who have  different personalities.    These people can be cliquish while others can be vary sweet and accept everyone.   But when   people  use the R word  they lump them all  together  in to a group that is beneath  the speak.  

 Having CP  which results in unclear s speech I  sometimes  get  treated as  though I have  a intellectual disability  due to my speech.  I know  the feeling  and it is not a good one. i  see  the  mindset  of thinking that  they are above me  and it does not feel right. I am  intelligent  but  even if i wasn't  I still would want to be treated with respect:Learning is  not everything   everyone needs to  realize  that a person is a person   who has  feelings  we  all   cry the  same tears. We all  feel sadness.  It is  what makes  us  human  so  think about that the  next time  before  use the  R word,

  Words DO Hurt

 Spread the word to end the word

 please comment before u leave




 got images  from

 judo- http://www2.nijmegen.nl/mmbase/images/964763/judo.jpg
 basketball-http://web.ocknights.org/images/basketball_cartoon.jpg
 spread the word  date for 2011-http://media.specialolympics.org/soi/files/spread-the-word/STW-Dated-Dark.jpg
 tear drop-http://wwwcdn.net/ev/assets/images/vectors/afbig/water-drop-clip-art.jpg
 Be a fan -http://nyso.org/STW2010.jpg

If you could walk in my shoes

 From the  TV movie  to kill a mockingbird also a good movie

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus Finch to daughter Scout, Chapter 3

 I loved  reading  To Kill a mockingbird   if u  have not had a chance to  read it  Now to move   mediums from books to   Television









 I am soo happy that this is finally out  I am  thrilled  I got bullied in elementry and middle school, What happened in middle school is below


 
I remember when I was little and my dad told me that "Sticks and Stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you. Well I don't think it is true... Wait let me rephrase that it is . Princess and book gal have a easy cry baby that would me. My dad says that I am too sensitive and tells me to ignore it. That is the bad advice that you can give a victim of bullying disabled or not .Still don't believe me okay here comes a story



In sixth grade my mom and dad through that I should have one class in special education called RSP. it basically is a study hall with a special needs teacher who helps you do the work. Well in Sixth grade I had a guy in my class who always said I was a loner and no one played with me. I told the teacher and she said to ignore it because he was from a bad family and needed attention. Well I never could ignore it and I spent the remainder of my first middle school year yelling at him back and froth.


The school thorough I had behavior problems so in seventh grade I was put into a RSP room with a strict teacher and mean kids. Man did I hate that class. There were three other kids in the class who teased me and like the guy in 6th grade all of them came from middle class families trying to make ends meet. What made it worse was that there was a nice RSP room with good kids who teacher was nice. I also was the only one with my teachers on my RSP teacher case load The nice one had the others.


On Wednesdays were the hardest day of the week. The teacher had meetings that day and we were under supervision of a sub. One peculiar Wednesday a girl said that the entire 7th grade hated me. She was training for a peer helper and the class was talking about me and how much they hated me. My aid talked to me and sat by me during my next class and we talked to the head teacher(Who is a great guy that i had for math the next year) who told me that they had been talking about how to treat someone with a disability and my name came up. Someone did not learn their lesson.

Words do hurt and schools need to be aware of this and help those getting teased and don't tell them to ignore it . Think about it this way if your son/ daughter fell and scarped his/her knee you wipe it up right. Well bullying is like that only the cut is invisible It's a cut to the child self esteem

me and Lauren potter from Glee  she is spearheading the campaign I  am trying to get involved with this campaign