School starts tomorrow for my district. I am really nervous and kind of excited. I enjoy summer because, yes, I get tired of school, I love spending time with my family, and vacations are awesome, etc. But for me, there are several more reasons why I love summer. People who don’t have physical disabilities might not think about these things, but here they are:
I fall down less during summer. (If you knew how much I fall down during the school year, you’d know why this affects me so much.) I’m probably less active, and usually I’m with my parents whenever we go somewhere and they hold my hand. (Also, my legs are so clear during summer! By this I mean I usually don’t get bruises or scrapes because I don’t fall.)
I don’t get insensitive comments or questions about my legs or the “Why do you walk so weird?” types of questions. Mostly because the only kids I interact with during summertime is my sister and my friends.
My legs don’t get as tired (unless I’ve had PT that day) and (usually) they don’t hurt as much. My school is a pretty big school, and that means I have to walk a lot. Then my pain, which is already bad, gets worse. Yuck!
Anyway, I’m one of those nerdy, dorky kids who loves to participate in classes. I just really enjoy learning. The parts of the day I struggle with are the in-between parts—getting to classes, going to the nurse’s office, PE, and recess (although we don’t have that in middle school, thank goodness).
Here are some positives about this year:
1) I get to take advanced classes for high-school credit even though I’m in eighth grade.
2) NO PE!!! (How this happened is that the librarian posted a link to apply for a library student aide position that would take the place of your elective. I signed up because I love to read and I love to help people. Because of my IEP, I got to not take PE and get to be a library aide instead.)
3) I get to take lots of classes with my friends.
4) I don’t have to take the stairs at school.
5) Eighth-graders get a lot of privileges that the younger grades don’t get.
I am THRILLED about not having to take PE. It is one of my main struggles and one of the places I get bullied most. Last year, I had a really good PE teacher and I was with one of my best friends, but it was still extremely difficult.
Here are some negatives:
1) Taking the elevator. I am grateful that I don’t have to take the stairs, but I got a lot of comments from teachers in the past like, “Why are you taking this elevator?” and “You don’t look handicapped.” I just am not looking forward to dealing with that.
2) A lot of walking.
3) I might fall down a lot more.
Overall though, I am excited about starting school again and I do not mean to sound bitter. School is just hard sometimes for reasons that are not the classes. For all those of you starting school, good luck!! Best wishes for a great year!