My son who had put up with bullying from K thru 6th has finished his first week at a new middle school with new kids and NOBODY from the old school. He said he couldn't believe that other kids actually talk to him and treat him with respect...because there is no longer a label. No more vans, no more getting called out of class to attend speech therapy, no more conferences with "known" special ed teachers, no more shock from his classmates when he does excellent class work or fights back when picked on. No more kids moving away from him at lunch as though he were contagious. No more whispering and starring. It just goes to
show you that when we have a label, we are no longer considered a human being and people think they have a right to abuse us. Without the label, a person can be who they are.
You will hear people respectfully say, "that's the way he is" instead of a distainful "that's how those people are." Now his name is Rob and not "the ret*d boy". He's an honor student now and not a candidate for inclusion. He's part of the class now and not "errr...they have to put them with us because that's the rule of the school district." He had to endure 7 years of pain.
07 Sep 2011, 9:08 am
