This week I took the lead in the classroom for the very
first time. It’s still slightly
overwhelming for me to reflect on this experience. I am so grateful to those that promised I
would do something meaningful in the world even if I had to work harder and
wait a little longer! Here’s a story
to share.
As a student with cerebral palsy, I have always used
accommodations in the classroom. I need
more time to read, write, and solve equations. It’s a basic rule that it takes
me double the amount of time it would take the average student to complete any
academic (or daily task.) It’s just the
way my life works. The last time my need
for accommodations was evaluated, I was entering my first year of undergraduate
studies. I met with the doctor who administered
a series of test for over about a four-day span. The objective of the test was to measure my
academic ability. This meant that each
day the skills she asked me to master became more difficult---- Some of them
academically impossible given my cerebral palsy. On the second day we met she looked at me and
said, “ Julie, I’m amazed at what you
have achieved…. and I’m not sure how
you’ve done it. I looked at her and
saying, "Thank you, I have a strong support system and knowing them means I can’t give
up!”
By the third day we met I left her office crying. I was
mentally exhausted and discouraged. I
felt like I had failed. On the final
day we met, she asked me how I was. I
said fine but, in the middle of the last testing day, I stopped. “I can’t do this anymore,” I said unable to
hold back my tears. She looked at me and said, I know this is hard. These tests
are designed to prove that your accommodations will help you.”
At the end of the four-day testing period the doctor
complied my results and wrote a detailed analysis. Most pages are full of numerical data but I
noticed that she had written a note about her analysis. It said,
“Julie’s weakness should be interpreted with caution because they might
underestimate her potential.” Her note made me smile becuase she knew I was determined!
Teaching this week
was hard! Still, it reminds me that trying my best will often lead to achieving
what once seemed impossible! Sometimes,
it’s hard to wait but this story is proof that investing your time will help
you reach your goal. I am teaching and
SO proud!
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