lot see spot run

Wednesday child

Today we look at the child with learning disability,or special needs, see spot run.   The mentally retarded, the dyslectic, the physically impaired, the ADHD’s, that live an impaired life. They are not like you and me.  Now, wait a minute I am a learning disable person, I am dyslectic. 

When I was in the third grade I was labeled as a mentally retarded. A slow reader, I could not read aloud, and who could not spell, my coordination at sports was not as good as kids my own age. Looking at me you cannot tell there is a problem there was no label stamp on my forehead.  I was put I a special education class with the mentally retarded, and the downs kids. 

The other kids, the ones that were normal, would tease and made fun of me and us. Teachers would harassed and shamed me for not being able to spell or read aloud well in front of the class.  Its seem to me today and back then that the school system would brand any child they can as being a special needs child to get the extra funding for the school. Now you tell me about reading this sentence “see spot run” from the Dick and Jane series of readers. To me that was the dumbest sentence to read and embarrassing to say out loud. The People I know just don’t talk the way. In My mind I could see my calf name spot, but in the story spot was a dog. My mind would wander around to other things trying to find a better way of saying and to make cents of “see spot run”.

In my special Ed class there was a girl by the name of Maria she was of Spanish heritage and did not read or speak English. She had a hard time with the other kids and her only problem was that she did not speak English and at home they spoke Spanish. The so-called normal kids call her names and made fun of her. She was not a learning disable person but was treated like one by the school and the so-called normal kids.

I had not seen her since high school, but I was pleased to meet up with her again a few years ago. She was working at the same place I was.  There was something that was funny happen there. Maria was very upset with another worker there. It seen that this other gal was a little stuck up at least that what Maria thought. She had tried to make friends with the other gal and was trying to talk to here in Spanish.  The problem was that the girl was from Peru and actually spoke portages.  The languages are similar but not the same. Once I pointed that out to Maria things got better and they became good friends.

What I am trying to say here is, taking the time to understand the other person. Find out how they have to do the things that you take for normal. See spot run.  I have come to believe that the learning disable are the ones, the so-called normal people that cannot understand what the challenges is for the handicapped, and learn to celebrate them for their efforts’.

Mike Print has written a post on this and it is a very good read. Please take a click-walk over there and read his story. http://mikegprint.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/dont-forget-those-with-mental-illnesses/

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