In the three weeks or so that I've started college, I've noticied countless differences between here and government mandated schooling.
High school and middle school wasn't fun for me. As someone diagnosed with Aspergers and ADD, fitting in was an accomplishment far beyond my reach. I was shunned by my peers, steered away from the self-acclaimed 'popular kids'. My interests were deemed 'weird' and not worth consideration. I made it very clear that working in groups with anyone was a bad idea and often ended in hissed expletives and new animosity. I shared nothing in common with my classmates, save for a handful that became good friends.
But I could usually live with the lack of a social group at school. My mother made it very clear that I 'go to school to learn, not to make friends'. So, I thought nothing of it. I was content at the time to be in the company of only one or two people rather than waste my time trying to decode the two-faced words of those around me.
However, my struggle didn't end there. Now, I had been diagnosed with ADD and Aspergers at the age of six. For years, and still today, I struggle with understanding course work and sometimes keeping on top of homework. I've constructed a loose system that seems to work for me so far, but it's only a matter of time before I give in and use a planner.
Anyways, it was made clear that I struggled with school. Keeping track of assignments and making sure they were turned in on time was a group effort from me, my mother, and the teachers. It was exhausting, but it was the only thing that the school was willing to do. The root of this problem lies in
how public schooling is handled.
I started per-algebra in seventh grade. In order to find out which classes we would go to, we would have to take computerized tests. I always test well, even if I don't understand the work itself. And unfortunately, this landed me in the advanced math class.
I drowned in that class. I didn't understand the work, I could never keep up with the speed of the class, and I generally refused to do assignments. I would beg for help to understand something, but I was never given it. And my mother couldn't help me. She hadn't taken this kind of math for school and it had been years since she did it.
So my mother asked if they would move me to a slower paced class. She even came to the principal in person an sat down at a meeting with him.
The principal said that moving me to a slower class would 'ruin the schedule' and it 'didn't matter anyway because I would take it in high school'. An administrative leader at the school flat out told my mother that it wasn't important enough for me to understand the work to bother with it.
But at the same time, my sister was being bounced back and forth between classes. They eagerly moved her to a harder math class, but once she started to struggle, they immediately put her back. This happened several times, but not once did they sit down and even attempt to put me in a class more my speed.
This problem festered well into freshman year. I was once again put into the advanced math class and failed it by the end of the year. Because no one would move me and the teachers wouldn't help. They didn't care that I had a condition that affected how I learned. All they saw was a student who was either too stupid or too lazy to pass.
When I started college, I thought it would be the exact same thing. I thought that the teachers wouldn't care if I understood the material or if I was even keeping up. I was so sure that they would focus on the same thing everyone else did: my letter grade.
But when I sat down in my Communications class and I listened to Mr.Andrews, my preconceived notions started to disappear. He hated grading us on how we tested, but rather if we participated. He's engaging enough to keep the room lively, but he doesn't derail himself. And when I walked up to him after class to say I have Aspergers, I was surprised to find that he actually knew what it was. He knew the signs of it and he understood how hard it can be on a person. And he immediately asked if there was anything he could do to make sure I was understanding everything.
A teacher has never said that to me. A teacher has never taken the responsibility to make sure I'm going to succeed. A teacher has never done their job properly when it came to me before now.
I have never felt so confident that I was going to succeed before because it was always my fault that I didn't understand. It makes me so happy that someone besides my mother actually cares about me and my difficulties. It makes me happy that he was doing his job and immediately tried to help.
That is what a teacher should do.
