Overcoming Impossible!

Right now life feels impossible! I’m halfway between hope and hopeless.   It’s tough to be stuck between knowing that life’s not fair and wishing it were  because  I consider it my responsibility to give others hope.   For the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about a story that is a source of borrowed strength.

It was our last semester of Graduate School.  The class before we would become student teachers.  Our class was a close-knit group of no more than fifteen.  On our first day a fellow classmate made his way into class with a wheelchair.   As a person with cerebral palsy I immediately noticed his distinct difference.  This is slightly embarrassing to   admit because I absolutely hate when people notice my awkward gait before they notice me.   At the same time as a teacher with cerebral palsy   who copes with (and worries) about my physical needs in the classroom I was deeply inspired. This classmate had also made the decision to teach despite this obstacle.  So, I like to think about noticing his differences as a point of connection.    This is to say, I   know that sometimes, it can be difficult to explain your differences to the community.  Furthermore,  the task can be even more challenging to confront as a teacher because teens can be exceptionally rude.  I thought long and hard before writing him a note.  In short,  the note told him that I was a teacher with cerebral palsy and would support him  on his teaching journey in anyway I could. 

One day after class we started talking about how our classroom experiences were going.  It turned out that he too had cerebral palsy!  So out of curiosity I asked, “How do your students handle it? What do you tell them?”   How do you cope with getting exceptionally rude comments or stares at common places like the grocery store?"   I was excited to hear his story.  He could offer me advice and perspective that I might not have considered.  His response was simple and impactful all the same: “Honestly, the kids are cool with it. I grew up in  a not so good part of Charlotte. So, no one really asks, they just assume it’s something else--- like I got shot.”  I was stunned.   He was so calm and collected over it. He even laughed a little bit.   

His story is a solid reminder that cerebral palsy is a different experience for every person who copes with it.   In a time when our city seems to be challenged by rising crime  I can’t help but, think that people might be making greater assumptions about this young man’s story.  Nonetheless, he seems to approach these assumptions with such grace.  

 Life’s not fair; it just is what it is.    We don’t get to decide what people will think about us.  We only get to decide to help each other through the challenges that seem impossible!  There’s so much strength in the ability to live as our best selves even when we feel like the odds are stacked against us.

Building bridges together, 

 Teacher Julie